Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs California Golden Bears Picks and Predictions March 8th 2025

Cal, Notre Dame Look to Build Momentum Heading Into ACC Tournament

Notre Dame and Cal have secured spots in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, but both teams aim to build momentum as they close out the regular season on Saturday in South Bend, Ind.

Fighting Irish Riding High After Clutch Victory

The Fighting Irish (13-17, 7-12 ACC) are coming off a thrilling 56-54 win over Stanford on Wednesday, sealed by a Cole Certa 3-pointer with 18 seconds left. Notre Dame has struggled down the stretch, going 3-7 in its last 10 games, but the emergence of Certa provides a much-needed boost.

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With third-leading scorer Braeden Shrewsberry (14.0 PPG) sidelined for the rest of the season due to an abdomen strain, the Irish will lean even more on Markus Burton and Tae Davis, who are averaging 21.3 and 15.5 points per game, respectively.

Head coach Micah Shrewsberry is confident in Certa’s ability to step up in key moments.

“He’s one of the most confident dudes I’ve ever been around,” Shrewsberry said. “He’s not scared of the moment. He’s not scared to be in situations at all. That’s an unbelievable attribute to have, especially as a shooter.”

Cal Aiming to Rebound After Tough Stretch

The Golden Bears (13-17, 6-13 ACC) enter Saturday’s game looking to bounce back from an 85-68 road loss to No. 14 Louisville. Cal has dropped eight of its last 10 games, and a win would provide some momentum heading into the conference tournament.

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To turn things around, Cal will need better performances from its top scorers, Andrej Stojakovic (16.7 PPG) and Jeremiah Wilkinson (14.7 PPG). Both struggled against Louisville, with Stojakovic shooting just 2-of-11 and Wilkinson going 2-for-15 from the field.

Despite the off night, head coach Mark Madsen remains confident his players will bounce back in the season finale.

“Andrej wasn’t himself tonight from a shooting perspective, and Jeremiah wasn’t either,” Madsen said. “They’ll come back and shoot it better next game.”

As both teams prepare for the ACC Tournament, Saturday’s matchup will serve as a crucial opportunity to generate momentum before postseason play begins.

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