ACC Action returns to Haas

On By Littum


ACC Action returns to Haas

CK Hicks/Cal Athletics

Lee Dort and the Golden Bears are back on their home field for an ACC contest against Virginia.

MBB7/1/2025 12:21 | By: Cal Athletics


Cal hosts Virginia in its first home game since Dec. 14

BERKELEY – The California men’s basketball team will play its first home game in more than three weeks when it welcomes Virginia to Haas Pavilion on Wednesday night. Tipoff is at 8 PM PT, and ESPNU will televise the ACC contest.

The Golden Bears (7-7, 0-3 ACC) are still looking for their first conference win after dropping an early-season contest to Stanford on Dec. 7, followed by losses at Pitt and Clemson last week. Virginia (8-6, 1-2) got its first ACC win against NC State on New Year’s Eve, but is coming off a 70-50 home loss to Louisville last Saturday.

GAME INFORMATION

  • Date & time: Wednesday, January 8 | 8 p.m. PT

  • Location: Berkeley, California | Haas Pavilion

  • Clock: ESPNU | Roxy Bernstein (PxP) & Jerod Haase (Analyst)

  • Listen: 810 AM & Varsity Network App | Justin Allegri (PxP) & Theo Robertson (Analyst)

  • Live Stats: State Broadcast

INSIDE THE MATCHUP – CAL vs. CLEMSON

  • Series record: Virginia leads, 2-0

  • The Bears and Cavaliers meet for the first time as ACC foes.

  • Virginia won both games of a home-and-home series in 2015 and 2016, edging Cal 63-61 in overtime on December 22, 2015 in Charlottesville, followed by a 56-52 contest in Berkeley on December 21, 2016 .

  • Virginia’s win in Berkeley in 2016 snapped Cal’s school-record 27-game home hitting streak.

  • The Cavaliers are 1-4 on the road this season, including 0-2 in true road games at the time. 13 Florida and SMU.

STARTING FIVE
1. Dre day
Andrej Stojakovic has emerged as one of the top offensive threats in the ACC in his first season as a Golden Bear, finishing second in the conference and 18th nationally with 19.9 points per game. match. The sophomore guard is also averaging 24.7 PPG in the ACC through three games – 25 vs. Stanford (Dec. 7), 19 at Pitt (Jan. 1) and 30 at Clemson (Jan. 4).

Stojakovic does much more than score for the Bears; he is the only player in the country averaging at least 19.9 PPG, 4.5 rebounds per game. game, 1.6 assists per match and 1.2 blocks per match. He has made dramatic improvements since transferring to Cal from rival Stanford, especially in scoring (7.8 to 19.9 PPG), rebounding (3.4 to 4.5 RPG), blocks (0.1 to 1 .2 BPG) and shooting split (.409/.327/.528 to .463/.368/.828).

2. Back in Haas

The Bears will play at home for the first time in 2025 and for the first time since an 84-66 victory over Northwestern State on Dec. 14 when they clash with the Cavaliers on Wednesday night. Cal is 12-4 at home since the top of the 2024 calendar year, including a 6-2 mark this season with a 9.3 scoring margin in such games.

3. This way or that way

Cal can generate points at a pace of 77.8 points per game. game and has proven that it can put the ball in the hoop in a variety of ways. Cal is averaging 33.4 points per game. game in the paint, 23.8 points from the 3-point range and 17.6 points at the free throw line. An emphasis on getting to the rim has resulted in the Bears scoring more than 65% of their points in the paint or at the free throw line, but they are also dangerous from deep, ranking fourth in the ACC at 35.9% from 3 .-point range. Cal has hit 10 or more 3-pointers four times in the last eight contests.

4. Agent Zero

Freshman Jeremiah Wilkinson is making the most of his early opportunities in Cal’s rotation, averaging 16.5 PPG with nine double-figure scoring in past 10 games. Wilkinson, who scored 24 at Pitt on Wednesday, ranks fourth among ACC freshmen with 12.6 PPG on the season while averaging the fewest minutes per game. The Georgia native is shooting 58.5% on 2-point attempts and can burn from deep with multiple 3-point makes in six games (33.9 3FG%).

5. The floor General
Jovan Blacksher Jr. broke out of a shooting slump with 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting (3-of-6 from deep) at Clemson on Saturday. The graduate guard poured in 13 of those 15 in the second half, helping keep Cal close in an eventual 80-68 road loss. Blacksher has guided Cal’s offense with a steady hand this season — he leads the team in assists (3.4 APG) — but has struggled to score lately, shooting 0-of-12 from the floor in the previous two competitions. Blacksher is third on the team with 12.0 PPG and tops the Bears at 40.3% 3-point clip.

UP NEXT

Cal faces Virginia Tech for the first time in more than 30 years on Saturday afternoon. Tipoff is at 15 PT at Haas Pavilion with a telecast on the ACC Network.

SUPPORT THE BEARS

Tickets for the 2024-25 campaign can be purchased by visiting CalBears.com/Tickets, calling 800-GO-BEARS (462-3277) or emailing [email protected]. Fans can support the Golden Bears through Cal Men’s Basketball Excellence Initiative or that California Legends Collective.

GET ENLIGHTENED

For additional coverage of Cal men’s basketball, follow Bears on X (@CalMBBall), Instagram (@CalMBBball) and Facebook (/CalMBBall/).