Cal has yet to announce participation in an Exempt MTE for next season. I imagine the scattering of PAC 12 teams has made this more challenging given one team per conference limit for these non conference events (they aren't all tournaments).

There's a chance we see a former Pac school in whatever event we end up joining.

BearSD said:

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Good matchup, with the Gates connection.

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Its coincidences like this, or the NCAA Bracket that assures a coach will face his former team, etc., that make one pause. . .

The NCAA script writers are it at again.

Rock M Nation, Missouri's SB Nation fan site, has a very early preview of their SEC/ACC Challenge opponent.

Quote:

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Incoming transfers at the ACC level are typically a bit more interesting than what teams like Arkansas Pine Bluff or Lindenwood can pull off. And certainly there are some intriguing players for Madsen to work with. They only signed one freshman, and added another through the JUCO ranks, but added 9 transfers in order to rebuild the roster from a team that went 13-19 and finished 121st in KenPom last season.


The Bears aren't blessed with great size up front but they do have quite a few big bodies. Mady Sissoko left Michigan State after four seasons under Tom Izzo. Sissoko had a bit of a breakout season as a junior, averaging 21.4 minutes 5.1 points and 6.1 rebounds. But his production and minutes stalled as a senior when those numbers dropped to 15.2, 3.3 and 5.1, respectively.

Sissoko is likely the leader to start in the middle, but Vanderbilt transfer Lee Dort could factor in as well. Dort was a former 4-star recruit who also saw his development flatline a bit later in high school as his recruiting rankings dipped. He then struggled to see consistent playing time under Jerry Stackhouse.

Air Force combo forward Rytis Petraitis also will likely start after starring for two seasons at Air Force, including averaging 15.7 points and 6.3 rebounds last year. I'd also keep an eye on former McDonald's All-American Andrej Stojakovic who had an up and down year for Stanford last year. He's a big wing who, as the son of former NBA guard Peja Stojakovic, can shoot the lights out. We'll also be familiar with Minnesota transfer Joshua Ola-Joseph, an athletic wing who can play exceptional defense. And then there's All-Summit League first teamer BJ Omot, a 16 ppg scorer who slots at both the wing and the four spot.

Contending to start in the backcourt will be Western Carolina transfer DJ Campbell, who averaged over 11 ppg for WCU last year, and Christian Tucker, a full-time starter at UTSA last year who also averaged over 11 ppg.

So yeah, Cal could be decent! The ball handling should be solid, even if they aren't super proven at the point, but there are multiple big wings who should be able to stretch the floor, and Sissoko is a proven space eater in the middle. The ACC should be interesting for them, and BartTorvik.com has them at no. 108 nationally. Which means the Tigers will be favored at home.

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They also posted this video, where the host speaks with national writer Rocco Miller, who tends to stay on top of scheduling news and multi-team events. They talk about Missouri's non-conference schedule and mention Cal briefly.



"Cal's the kind of team, like, very exciting around here. Glad they're back on the rise, glad that they're reinvesting in basketball. Madsen's going to do a great job, but you play Cal at home, you got to win that game... period."

Stanfurd vs ?
SMU vs ?

Too bad the SEC didn't have enough teams

The conferences have announced a tipoff time (4pm PT) and channel (SECN) for Cal's SEC-ACC Challenge game at Mizzou.

Schedule Update: Tigers will host California at 6 p.m. on @SECNetwork in the SEC/ACC Challenge#MIZ 🐯 pic.twitter.com/XNxUrvwBqs

— Mizzou Hoops (@MizzouHoops) September 23, 2024