Bears To Battle No. 3 Blue Devils

Cal (12-12, 5-8 ACC) will play at Cameron Indoor Stadium for the first time Wednesday.

The Golden Bears are 2-6 in true road games, while Duke (20-3, 12-1) is 13-0 at home.

Duke lost its first ACC game of the season Saturday, 77-71 at Clemson. The defeat snapped Duke’s 16-game win streak.

The matchup features the ACC’s top two freshmen scoring leaders in Cooper Flagg (19.5 PPG) and Jeremiah Wilkinson (13.8 PPG).

Cal hasn’t beaten a top-10 ranked team (AP) on the road since defeating No. 7 Arizona 77-69 in Tucson on Feb. 10, 2013.

The Blue Devils won the last two meetings with the Bears: 87-52 in the 2019 2K Empire Classic at Madison Square Garden and 68-53 in the 2010 NCAA Tournament Round of 32 in Jacksonville, Florida.

Cal last defeated Duke 82-77 in the second round of the 1993 NCAA Tournament, upsetting the two-time defending national champion in Rosemont, Illinois. The Bears – led by phenom freshman Jason Kidd (11 points, 14 assists) and Lamond Murray (28 points) – advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1960.

STARTING FIVE

1. Up For The Challenge

Cal’s final seven regular-season games include five on the road and four against teams placed among the top six in the ACC (Duke, 1st; Stanford, 6th; SMU, 5th; Louisville, T2nd). Wednesday’s clash with Duke in Durham marks the Bears’ second visit to Tobacco Road this season; they defeated NC State 65-62 in Raleigh on Jan. 18, three days after a 79-53 loss against North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

2. Star Power

Jeremiah Wilkinson continues to ascend as one of the most dynamic freshmen to put on a Golden Bear uniform. The left-hander is second among ACC freshmen in scoring (13.8 PPG) – trailing only Duke’s Cooper Flagg (19.5) – and has taken it up a notch since being inserted into the starting lineup six games ago, averaging 19.8 PPG. Wilkinson’s knack for getting to the rim has translated to a 52.3% shooting clip on 2-point attempts, while he has also knocked down multiple 3-pointers in 12 games. The two-time ACC Rookie of the Week honoree has scored double figures in 18 of the past 20 contests, including 11 times in 13 conference games.

3. Back In The Saddle

Cal’s leading scorer Andrej Stojakovic (17.9 PPG, fifth in ACC) returned to action last week following a four-game absence (injury/illness) between Jan. 22-Feb. 1. The sophomore guard – who has scored 20-plus points nine times this season and was averaging 20.3 PPG prior to Jan. 15 – hasn’t found his scoring rhythm since returning (8.0 PPG, 24.0 FG%) but has found other ways to make an impact with 5.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 blocks per game in Cal’s two-game split last week. Stojakovic is one of only three players nationally averaging at least 17.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.2 blocks per game this season (Cooper Flagg, Duke; Johni Broome, Auburn).

4. Attack The Rim

Cal is scoring more than 66% of its points either in the paint or at the free throw line this season, signaling an emphasis on getting to the rim. The Bears lead the ACC (17th nationally) with 17.4 free throws made per game and have shot 80% or better at the line in nine games, including seven times in conference play. They’re averaging 32.4 paint points per game as well, having posted 40-plus paint points five times, most recently in back-to-back wins against Florida State and Miami (Jan. 22-25).

5. No Quit

The Bears also lead the ACC (27th nationally) with 13.4 offensive rebounds per game, a number fueled by the trio of Mady Sissoko (2.91 ORPG, fifth in ACC), Rytis Petraitis (2.46 ORPG) and Lee Dort (2.17 ORPG). Cal has grabbed double-figure offensive rebounds in 21 of 24 games this season – including an ACC single-game best 24 vs. Florida State. Petraitis has ramped up his effort on the offensive glass during ACC play with 3.1 boards per game (40 total in 13 games); the do-it-all Bear also leads Cal in assists (25) and is second in steals (14) in conference action.

UP NEXT

Cal travels to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech. Tipoff is at 1 p.m. PT Saturday at McCamish Pavilion. ACC Network will televise the contest.

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 goldstandard@berkeley.edu. Fans can support the Golden Bears through the Cal Men's Basketball Excellence Initiative or the California Legends Collective.