Lewis and No. 23 Virginia host Cal

California Golden Bears (13-2, 1-1 ACC) at Virginia Cavaliers (12-2, 1-1 ACC)

The Associated Press
January 7, 2026 at 9:56AM

California Golden Bears (13-2, 1-1 ACC) at Virginia Cavaliers (12-2, 1-1 ACC)

Charlottesville, Virginia; Wednesday, 9 p.m. EST

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Cavaliers -12.5; over/under is 147.5

BOTTOM LINE: No. 23 Virginia hosts Cal after Sam Lewis scored 23 points in Virginia's 76-61 victory over the NC State Wolfpack.

The Cavaliers have gone 8-0 at home. Virginia ranks seventh in the ACC with 25.8 defensive rebounds per game led by Thijs De Ridder averaging 4.1.

The Golden Bears are 1-1 in ACC play. Cal scores 81.5 points while outscoring opponents by 13.0 points per game.

Virginia makes 48.3% of its shots from the field this season, which is 7.2 percentage points higher than Cal has allowed to its opponents (41.1%). Cal has shot at a 46.1% clip from the field this season, 7.5 percentage points higher than the 38.6% shooting opponents of Virginia have averaged.

The Cavaliers and Golden Bears square off Wednesday for the first time in conference play this season.

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TOP PERFORMERS: De Ridder is averaging 16.4 points and 6.5 rebounds for the Cavaliers. Malik Thomas is averaging 12.4 points over the last 10 games.

Lee Dort is averaging 8.8 points and 7.9 rebounds for the Golden Bears. Dai Dai Ames is averaging 16.7 points over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Cavaliers: 8-2, averaging 84.4 points, 37.6 rebounds, 16.5 assists, 7.3 steals and 5.4 blocks per game while shooting 47.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 70.8 points per game.

Golden Bears: 9-1, averaging 80.2 points, 31.5 rebounds, 14.5 assists, 6.8 steals and 4.0 blocks per game while shooting 44.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 68.0 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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