Cal vs. Duke Prediction, Odds and Key Players for Wednesday, Feb. 12

Reed Wallach | Feb 11, 2025

Feb 5, 2025; Syracuse, New York, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Cooper Flagg (2) dunks as Syracuse Orange forward Chris Bell (4) defends during the second half at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images / Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

Duke suffered its first loss of ACC play, losing at Clemson on Saturday night. 

There’s no denying this Duke team is a legitimate National Championship contender, and the team will get a chance to get back on track quickly against a lowly California team that is still adjusting to life in the ACC. 

A massive favorite, can we count on Duke to show up in a big way, or is there another way to bet on the Blue Devils? 

Here’s our betting preview. 

California vs. Duke Odds, Spread and Total

Spread

• California: +23.5 (-110)
• Duke: -23.5 (-110)

Moneyline

• California: +2400
• Duke: -10000

Total: 142.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

California vs. Duke How to Watch

• Date: Wednesday, February 12th
• Game Time: 9:00 PM EST
• Venue: Cameron Indoor Stadium
• How to Watch (TV): ACC Network
• California Record: 12-12
• Duke Record: 20-3

California vs. Duke Key Players to Watch

California

Jeremiah Wilkinson: The freshman guard has been tasked with the heavy lifting for the struggling Cal offense, top five in the conference in shot percentage in ACC play. While Wilkerson has some big games, including on Saturday against Wake Forest in which he dropped 21 points in a loss, the team simply doesn’t have enough firepower to hang with the top teams in the conference outside of him.

Duke

Cooper Flagg: Flagg turned the ball over late in the loss to Clemson, but did his best to keep the Blue Devils in the game for much of the second half, finishing with 18 points to go with five rebounds and three steals. The future No. 1 overall pick has few holes in his game, and Cal certainly won’t have an answer for him on Wednesday night. Can he lead a bounce-back effort for Duke at home? 

California vs. Duke Prediction and Pick

While I can’t expect Cal to keep up with Duke on Wednesday night, head coach Mark Madsen’s defense may make the Blue Devils uncomfortable at times. 

The Golden Bears allow the lowest three-point rate in conference play this season and have a national average rim protection grade in terms of field goal percentage allowed, per Haslametrics. 

Duke’s offense can score from all over, but the offense prefers to play along the perimeter, ranking second in three-point rate. Against sturdy closeouts of Cal, the Duke offense may be coaxed into a lower possession game as Cal tries to remain competitive. 

On the other side, don’t expect much from the Golden Bears. The offense ranks last in effective field goal percentage and does its best work on the glass, leading the ACC in offensive rebounding percentage. However, against the likes of Flagg and Khaman Maluach, I expect Duke to own the boards and limit the Golden Bears to one shot most of the time. 

Neither team plays at a fast pace, and I’m confident in trusting Duke’s defense to suffocate Cal’s offense en route to this game staying under the total. 

PICK: Under 142.5 (-110, available at FanDuel Sportsbook)

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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