The California Golden Bears are hosting the No. 6 Duke Blue Devils in NCAA hoops action tonight.
Cal has dropped three of its last four games, but my Duke vs. California predictions and college basketball picks are fading the Blue Devils in a tough travel spot.
Duke vs California prediction
Duke vs California best bet: California +12.5 (-110)
The Duke Blue Devils are title contenders but have gone just 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games due to some inflated lines.
They are coming off an 82-75 home win where they failed to cover the 15.5-point spread even though SMU was missing its best player. They also recently scraped by with close wins against FSU and Georgia Tech despite being massive faves in both contests.
The Blue Devils haven't been defending ball screens at their usual high level. The California Golden Bears are led by the backcourt duo of Dai Dai Ames (17.8 ppg on 50/45/85 shooting splits) and Justin Pippin (14.7 ppg, 4.1 apg), who excel at running the pick-and-roll.
Cal does a good job of not throwing away games with sloppy play. The Bears are 35th in the country in turnover rate while ranking ninth in FT% (78.5%). They also hold foes to 30.6% shooting from deep, and Duke attempts threes at an extremely high rate.
With Cal and Stanford moving to the ACC last season, we saw East Coast teams struggle when making the trip to the West Coast. That will be even tougher for Duke tonight with this game not tipping off until 11:00 p.m. ET.
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Duke vs California same-game parlay
In many games with spreads sitting in this range, backing the underdog on the spread and betting the favorite on the moneyline makes sense in an SGP. The Blue Devils are -950 favorites for good reason and should win even if they don't cover this sizable spread.
Duke is led by freshman sensation Cameron Boozer, who averages 22.9 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. Cal struggles on the glass, sitting outside the Top 200 in rebounding rate (48.9%), with that number dropping to 41.2% in four conference games.
Duke vs California SGP
- California +12.5
- Duke moneyline
- Cameron Boozer Over 9.5 rebounds
Our beyond the arc SGP: Stay Golden!
Dai Dai Ames is averaging 17.8 ppg and has dropped 18+ points in four of his last five games.
Duke vs California SGP
- California +12.5
- Duke moneyline
- Cameron Boozer Over 9.5 rebounds
- Dai Dai Ames Over 15.5 points
Duke vs California odds
- Spread: Duke -12.5 | California +12.5
- Moneyline: Duke -950 | California +625
- Over/Under: Over 151.5 | Under 151.5
Duke vs California betting trend to know
The Blue Devils are 2-8 ATS in their last eight games. Find more college basketball betting trends for Duke vs. California.
How to watch Duke vs California
| Location | Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, CA |
| Date | Wednesday, January 14, 2026 |
| Tip-off | 11:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | ACC Network |
Duke vs California key injuries
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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