Up in Tahoe

Big matchup in the mountains 🏔️

We’re headed to Lake Tahoe for the inaugural @caesarslaketahoeclassic#GoBears | #ThroughAndThrough pic.twitter.com/oMv97TmeM6

— Cal Basketball (@CalMBBall) August 31, 2026

OskiDeLaHoya said:

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Up in Tahoe

Big matchup in the mountains 🏔️

We’re headed to Lake Tahoe for the inaugural @caesarslaketahoeclassic#GoBears | #ThroughAndThrough pic.twitter.com/oMv97TmeM6

— Cal Basketball (@CalMBBall) August 31, 2026

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Great "neutral" site game for Cal. Lots of Cal alums in Tahoe or within an hour's drive.

Excited for this, but also a bit nervous, taking on No. 16 in ESPN's preseason poll. A nice change from the usual noncon cupcakes. You can say one thing about Madsen, he's not afraid to take on superior teams. I just hope we at least beat the spread, a crushing that early in the season could set the wrong tone.

I doubt that Mark would have scheduled this game so late, if he did not see it as a program builder to make us more battle tested for the ACC season

Good news for your program. I'm envious. That's probably my only real beef with Kyle Smith so far: in year three we're still not facing any top-25 teams outside the conference. I'd sooner squarely lose to a team like Houston on a neutral site (that doesn't involve too much travel) than squeak by or even pound (or god forbid lose to) a quad 3/4 team.

I'll take it as a good sign that they used TT Carr's picture in the announcement.

SERIES HISTORY vs. CALIFORNIA
Houston owns a 4-3 lead against California in the series history which began during the 1971-72 season.

The Bears have won the last two meetings, including a 95-70 victory during the Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska, on Nov. 20, 1999.

The Cougars have not defeated California since a 54-51 win inside Hofheinz Pavilion in Houston on Dec. 9, 1997.

History Cal vs Houston 1997-1999

Saturday, November 20, 1999
Neutral
Fairbanks, AK
Cal wins 95-70

Thursday, December 3, 1998
Home
Cal wins 87-72

Tuesday, December 9 1997
Away
Houston, TX
Cal loses 51-54

barsad said:

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Excited for this, but also a bit nervous, taking on No. 16 in ESPN's preseason poll. A nice change from the usual noncon cupcakes. You can say one thing about Madsen, he's not afraid to take on superior teams. I just hope we at least beat the spread, a crushing that early in the season could set the wrong tone.

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Well at least one non-cupcake each year. Last year it was UCLA in a sea of cupcakes but they were #18 when we beat them in "neutral" San Francisco. Hopefully this is similar.

The biggest issue with last years' schedule was not all the cupcakes, it was that instead of cupcakes in the #150-250 range, we had cupcakes in the #300+ range and to look "good" in power ratings you have to beat those teams by 30 or 40, which almost no one does, because once comfortably in the lead the bench players come in (unless, unlike us, you have a very deep team and the bench players are trying to make a statement).

Like UCLA last year, Houston in Tahoe is a good opportunity, with little downside (other than, as you say, getting blown out and demoralized for the season, but I don't see that happening with Madsen teams, he is too relentlessly positive). Moreover, win or lose, I think it helps take the stigma off all the "top" teams we will play in the ACC.

I wish they would announce the rest of the MBB schedule.

I agree with Calumnus above. Cal benefits by playing some stronger early opponents. Note that last season's shooting slump by Camden and Bell coincided with the start of conference play. Suddenly the defenders were bigger,faster, and better coached and it took Cal's shooters several games to adjust. Why Cal doesn't schedule USF, Santa Clara, St Mary's, or even SJ State remains a mystery.

HearstMining said:

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I agree with Calumnus above. Cal benefits by playing some stronger early opponents. Note that last season's shooting slump by Camden and Bell coincided with the start of conference play. Suddenly the defenders were bigger,faster, and better coached and it took Cal's shooters several games to adjust. Why Cal doesn't schedule USF, Santa Clara, St Mary's, or even SJ State remains a mystery.

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Yes, since we play in the ACC, the OOC opponents should be West Coast teams.
Last years NET Rankings for Western teams:
3 Arizona
10 Gonzaga
23 BYU
24 St Mary's
25 Utah State
31 UCLA
42 Santa Clara
46 New Mexico
48 San Diego St.
55 Washington
62 Stanford
67 Nevada
71 Grand Canyon
72 Cal
73 ASU
76 Colorado
77 USC
86 Utah Valley
88 Colorado State
98 Cal Baptist
103 Hawaii
105 UNLV
107 Oregon
114 Pacific
119 Seattle
120 UC Irvine
121 San Francisco
124 UC San Diego
133 Utah
142 UC Santa Barbara
144 Washington State
145 Portland State
148 Northern Colorado
151 Fresno State
172 Oregon State
177 Utah Tech
179 UC Davis
182 Loyola-Marymount
187 New Mexico State
189 Cal State Northridge
223 Portland
227 Cal Poly
236 San Diego
243 San Jose State
257 Long Beach State
273 UC Riverside
275 Pepperdine
330 Cal State Bakersfield
350 Air Force

The caveat being that you cannot know exactly how good an opponent will be when you schedule them, but I would lean heavily on former Pac-12 teams, Bay Area teams, UCs and other California schools. Teams with name recognition like UNLV. Teams that, when combined with our ACC schedule, make people want to buy a season ticket package instead of waiting and buying single tickets for the games they are interested in.

It's probably too late for this season, but for next, Madsen just needs to hand Calumnus' list to GM Richard Midgley and say, "I want you to schedule X teams from the top quartile of the list, Y teams from the second quartile, and Z teams from the bottom half. Call some schools and get back to me with three or four possible scenarios showing proposed home and away games." Come to think of it, AI might be a useful tool, here.