The Cal Bears take on the Kansas State Wildcats in Manhattan, KS. Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network.
Kansas State is favored by -6.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -290. The total is set at 162.5 points.
Here’s my Cal vs. Kansa State prediction and college basketball picks for November 13, 2025.
Cal vs Kansas State Prediction
My Pick: Cal +6.5 (Play to +5)
My Cal vs Kansas State best bet is on the Bears to cover the spread. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Cal vs. Kansas State Odds
| Cal Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+6.5 -110 | 162.5 -110o / -110u | +235 |
| Kansas State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-6.5 -110 | 162.5 -108o / -112u | -290 |
- Cal vs Kansas State spread: Kansas State -6.5
- Cal vs Kansas State over/under: 162.5 points
- Cal vs Kansas State moneyline: California +235, Kansas State -290
Cal vs Kansas State College Basketball Betting Preview
Cal Basketball
Cal had a losing season in the first two years of the Mark Madsen era. Madsen has the Golden Bears at 3-0 at the start of year three, with all three wins coming by double-digits. The only drawback is that all three opponents were outside the top 220 in KenPom.
The Golden Bears have a clear star in former Kansas State guard Dai Dai Ames. The former Wildcat guard is averaging 21.7 points per game on an efficient 57% shooting and 60% from downtown.
Ames is the only Cal player who's shooting well from deep so far this year. I consider the Golden Bears as a real contender for positive regression, as they're hitting just 28% from deep. John Camden is drilling just 34% from 3, but he shot 41% at Delaware last year.
The key to the turnaround is Justin Pippen and Chris Bell. Pippen has been a nice piece as the point guard, allowing Ames to play off the ball. He's shooting just 16% from deep, though.
I'm confident Bell will shoot it better, too. During his years at Syracuse, Bell shot 34% or better all three years and he's currently at 15% in three games at Cal.
I'm a bit worried about the Golden Bears' defense against high-major opponents. Kansas State will be its first test against a bigger team with high-major athleticism, but the only true bigs on Cal's roster are Lee Dort and Milos Ilic.
By playing Camden and Bell together, Cal is looking for more shooting. However, it's yet to translate to positive results.
Kansas State Basketball
Kansas State is off to a 2-0 start with wins over UNC Greensboro and Bellarmine. The Wildcats trailed at the half against UNC Greensboro, but then flipped the script and won by 29.
PJ Haggerty was worth whatever the large amount of NIL money he raked in. The All-American from last year at Memphis leads Kansas State with 25 points and seven assists per game. And in true Haggerty form, he's gotten to the foul line 19 times in two games.
He's one of the best guards in the country, but I'm unsure about the rest of Kansas State's roster.
So far, Kansas State is the best 3-point shooting team in America, connecting at a 58% clip. That won't continue, though.
A lot of the Wildcats' roster is shooting above their typical levels. Nate Johnson is 7-for-10 from 3 thus far, and he shot 30% last year at Akron. I'm a big fan of Johnson's game, but shooting was never his strength in a poor defensive league.
Looking at Haggerty, he's more of a driver than a shooter. He loves creating contact and scoring inside. In the frontcourt, Khamari McGriff and Elias Rapieque have combined for zero made 3s thus far.
If Johnson starts regressing, Kansas State is in trouble because Haggerty will never be an elite shooter and the bigs don't hit jumpers. That leaves Abdi Bashir Jr. as the only true marksman in the lineup.
It's only a matter of time until water finds its level and Kansas State begins to regress in the shooting department.
Plus, I touched on my Cal interior concerns. I'm very lukewarm on Kansas State's bigs in general. Rapieque is hitting just 42% from the field and McGriff is more of an energy big than someone the Wildcats will run sets through.
Cal vs. Kansas State Betting Analysis
I'm rolling with the Golden Bears to cover on the road.
With regression pointing against the Wildcats and positive regression pointing in the Bears' direction, I expect Cal to keep this game close in Manhattan.
My Pick: Cal +6.5 (Play to +5)
