California vs. Virginia Tech Prediction, Odds and Key Players to Watch for ACC Tournament First Round

Reed Wallach | Mar 10, 2025

Mar 8, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Cal Bears guard Jeremiah Wilkinson (0) drives to the basket as Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard J.R. Konieczny (20) defends in the first half at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images / Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

The ACC Tournament tips off on Tuesday with first round action between California and Virginia Tech. 

The Golden Bears will enter its first ACC Tournament as the last seed, No. 15, in the conference tournament. The team will face Virginia Tech, who has had a down year but will look to spark an ACC Tournament run by starting with a win against a newcomer to the league. 

However, it’s Cal who is a small betting favorite despite the low seed. Is it justified? Here’s our betting preview.  

California vs. Virginia Tech Odds, Spread and Total

Spread

• California: -2.5 (-105)
• Virginia Tech: +2.5 (-115)

Moneyline

• California: -134
• Virginia Tech: +112

Total: 138.5 (Over -115/Under -105)

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

California vs. Virginia Tech How to Watch

• Date: Tuesday, March 11th
• Game Time: 4:30 PM EST
• Venue: Spectrum Center
• How to Watch (TV): ACC Network
• California Record: 13-18
• Virginia Tech Record: 13-18

California vs. Virginia Tech Key Players to Watch

California

Jeremiah Wilkerson: The freshman has emerged as the engine behind Cal’s offense, fresh off a 36-point effort against Notre Dame in a year that has featured plenty of big scoring outputs. He is averaging 15 points per game on the season as his role has continued to grow throughout the season.

Virginia Tech

Tobi Lawal: The Virginia Tech big man missed the two games prior to the final one of the season, but he was limited to 24 minutes in a blowout loss at Clemson. Lawal has had a strong season, but only scored five points with four turnovers in the loss. Can he improve in the first round of the ACC Tournament? On the season, Lawal is averaging 12 points and nearly seven rebounds. 

California vs. Virginia Tech Prediction and Pick

It’s tough to trust either of these teams, given their poor form, but I’ll side with Cal, who has been better than its record states during all of conference play. 

Head coach Mark Madsen has his team playing disciplined defense that funnels teams inside of the paint and leans on crashing the glass at a high level to offset some of its deficiencies in the shot-making department. 

This is impactful against a Virginia Tech team that struggles at shot creation and is over-reliant on the three-point shot to stimulate its offense. The Hokies are a strong three-point shooting team, 72nd in the country in three-point shooting on a top 150 rate, but are also sloppy with the ball with a bottom 35 turnover rate. 

With that in mind, I’ll trust Cal, which ranks fourth in offensive rebounding rate and second in free throw rate, to win the shot volume battle and get past Virginia Tech, who has seen its offense crater over the last month of the season. 

PICK: Cal ML (-134, Available at FanDuel Sportsbook)

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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