Read below for a full NC State vs Cal prediction and preview.
NC State will face off against the Cal Golden Bears for the first time in not only as members of the ACC, but in the regular season in general. The previous two meetings have come in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, with Cal winning in 2003 and NC State winning in 2006. Cal is on the second game of their Tobacco Road swing, falling to UNC on Wednesday.
General Information:
Teams: NC State (9-8, 2-4) and California (8-9, 1-5)
Tip time: 6 p.m. EST
Watch: ACC Network
Listen: Wolfpack Sports Network
Latest on Cal basketball:
MADY JAMMMM 💪
📺 » ACC Network#GoBears pic.twitter.com/Il34aX9C8u
— Cal Basketball (@CalMBBall) January 16, 2025
Latest on NC State basketball:
For the third straight game, the Wolfpack went to the final possession with their opponent. Unlike their victory against Notre Dame, the last two games have ended up with NC State coming up on the losing end. After leading by as many as 15 points, Virginia Tech ended the game on a 19-4 run to defeat NC State.
The definition of aggressive 😤 pic.twitter.com/I1BfqCxRtj
— NC State Men’s Basketball (@PackMensBball) January 16, 2025
Second-chance points was a big reason for NC State losing that game, scoring only 13 points on 8 offensive rebounds. On the other side of the court, State allowed to score 22 points on 15 offensive boards.
Three-point shooting was also an issue for the Wolfpack in the second half, going 0-for-6 from beyond the arc after shooting 61% in the first half. For the first time since their loss to Wake Forest on Jan. 4th, NC State failed to improve on their first-half shooting from downtown.
Marcus Hill continued his run of double-digit scoring by adding 12 points, notching his 10th straight game of 10+ points scored. The Bowling Green transfer is now shooting 50% from the field, averaging 13.2 points per game so far.