Duke Blue Devils vs California Golden Bears Picks and Predictions February 12th 2025

No. 3 Duke Shrugs Off Setback, Turns Focus to Cal

No. 3 Duke looks to bounce back from its first ACC loss of the season when it hosts Cal on Wednesday night in Durham, N.C.

Duke Looks to Rebound After Clemson Loss

The Blue Devils (20-3, 12-1 ACC) still sit atop the conference standings, but their 16-game winning streak came to an end with a 77-71 road loss to Clemson on Saturday. It was Duke’s first true road loss of the season.

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Freshman star Cooper Flagg had a chance to put Duke ahead with 14 seconds left but lost control of the ball after slipping on a wet spot on the floor. Despite the tough break, he wasn’t making excuses.

“Our game plan, I didn’t think we stuck to it quite as well as we should have,” Flagg said. “We weren’t really there tonight. We didn’t do our jobs. It’s hard to win the battle down low, boxing out, rebounding, giving up a ton of second-chance opportunities.”

Indeed, Clemson dominated inside, outscoring Duke 40-22 in the paint and winning the rebounding battle 36-23.

Flagg leads Duke with 7.7 rebounds per game, while 7-foot-2 freshman Khaman Maluach averages 6.0 boards. Maluach, however, fouled out after just 20 minutes against Clemson, leaving Duke vulnerable on the glass.

Cal Could Present a Challenge on the Boards

Rebounding could again be a concern for Duke against Cal (12-12, 5-8 ACC), which leads the conference in offensive rebounds per game (13.4) and ranks 26th in the nation in that category.

The Golden Bears have lost three of their last four games, including a 76-66 defeat to Wake Forest on Saturday. Despite the loss, Cal won the rebounding battle (32-26).

“We’ve got to control the turnovers, especially the live ball turnovers,” Cal coach Mark Madsen said. “The biggest thing I’ve seen that’s correctable is taking care of the basketball.”

Mady Sissoko leads Cal with 7.0 rebounds per game, while Andrej Stojakovic—son of former NBA All-Star Peja Stojakovic—paces the team with 17.9 points and 4.5 rebounds per contest. Stojakovic recently returned from injury and has scored in double figures in both games back.

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History Against Cal

This will be the first time Cal visits Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Golden Bears haven’t beaten a Top 10 team on the road since 2013 and haven’t defeated Duke since 1993, when Jason Kidd led them to an NCAA Tournament upset.

Can Cal pull off another shocker, or will Duke quickly put the Clemson loss behind them?