ESPN's BPI Predictior Likes Georgia Tech To Get Another ACC Win Today vs Cal

Can Georgia Tech defeat Cal today in Atlanta?

Jackson Caudell | Feb 15, 2025

Feb 12, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets guard Naithan George (1) dribbles against the Stanford Cardinal in the second half at McCamish Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

After getting a big win vs Stanford on Wednesday night, Georgia Tech looks to get their fourth win in the last five games when they face Cal this afternoon at McCamish Pavillion. Georgia Tech has been one of the grittiest teams in the country, able to overcome their injuries to key players and get big conference wins. Can they continue that today? It will be the first time that the two programs have faced each other in Atlanta.

California (12-13, 5-9 ACC) has lost four of its last five games and comes to Atlanta following a 78-57 defeat at No. 5 Duke Wednesday night. The Golden Bears won three in a row prior to that, including its only ACC road victory this season, a 65-62 win on Jan. 18. Cal is 2-7 on the road this season, 1-5 in ACC games.

Georgia Tech is not only a favorite in the sportsbooks, but ESPN's BPI as well. Georgia Tech is being given a 69% chance to win today's game in Atlanta.

But what is BPI? Here is how ESPN describes it:

"The Basketball Power Index (BPI) is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of performance going forward. BPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Strength of Record (SOR) is a measure of team accomplishment based on how difficult a team's W-L record is to achieve. Game predictions account for opponent strength, pace of play, site, travel distance, day's rest and altitude, and are used to simulate the season 10,000 times to produce season projections. Numbers update daily."

A win Saturday would give Tech four straight ACC home wins, something the Yellow Jackets have not accomplished since winning its final five conference home games in the 2019-20 season.

Georgia Tech is now alone in 10th place in the ACC standings, a mere half-game out of 9th place (and a first-round bye in the ACC Tournament if the tournament were to begin today).

Georgia Tech has won three of its last four games and four of its last six. The Jackets are just one win shy of their ACC win total from 2023-24.

Georgia Tech is 11-5 on its home court after beginning the season 2-3.

Georgia Tech is the only ACC team to defeat both Clemson and Louisville, the teams tied for 2nd place in the standings, this season. The Jackets stopped a 10-game winning streak by Louisville, which has gone on to win 3-straight since, and stopped a 6-game win streak by Clemson, which responded by defeating Duke and North Carolina.

Georgia Tech has never trailed in a game only three times this season – West Georgia, Central Arkansas and Stanford.

All three of the prior meetings between Tech and California took place in the Golden State. The most recent meeting occurred on Nov. 23, 2012, a 68-57 Golden Bears victory in the semifinals of the DirecTV Classic in Anaheim, Calif.

The other two games were played on back-to-back days during the 1950-51 season as part of a West Coast holiday trip by Roy McArthur’s Yellow Jacket team. The Golden Bears routed Tech in both games. The Jackets also played at San Francisco the day before the first game with Cal, and lost that one as well.

Georgia Tech coach Damon Stoudamire has never faced California in his head coaching career, but he was 6-2 vs. the Golden Bears as a player at Arizona, and 2-2 as an assistant coach with the Wildcats.

Odds:

According to Fanduel Sportsbook, Georgia Tech is a 3.5 point favorite and the over/under is set at 146.5

Odds:

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