Bears Host Stanford in Friday Night Gold-Out Rivalry Game

BERKELEY – California will host rival Stanford in basketball's version of the Big Game on Friday, concluding a three-game homestand. Tipoff inside Haas Pavilion is set for 7 p.m. PST on FS1.
 
GAME INFORMATION

Date & Time: Friday, Jan. 26 | 7 p.m. PST

Location: Berkeley, California | Haas Pavilion

Watch: FS1 | David Gascon (PxP) & Casey Jacobsen (Analyst)

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

Live Stats: Statbroadcast

GOLD OUT!
Cal fans are encouraged to wear Gold to Friday's game, and the first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive free "Gold Out" T-shirts.
  
 

SUITS AND SNEAKERS WEEK
The Cal and Stanford coaching staffs will participate in Coaches vs. Cancer Suits And Sneakers Week at Friday's game. Coaches vs. Cancer is a partnership between the National Association of Basketball COaches and the American Cancer Society. More information can be found at coaches.cancer.org.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP

Cal and Stanford (10-8, 5-3 Pac-12) will clash for the 283rd time on the hardwood, with the Golden Bears (7-12, 3-5) holding a 153-129 all-time advantage. The longtime rivals – who will both transition to the Atlantic Coast Conference next season – have played one another since 1911.

Cal head coach Mark Madsen will face his alma mater, Stanford, for the first time Friday. Madsen – a 2019 Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame inductee – earned All-America honors twice while leading the Cardinal to four NCAA Tournament appearances between 1996-2000.

Stanford head coach Jerod Haase was a freshman guard on Cal's 1992-93 Sweet 16 squad. Haase averaged 7.2 points and 2.6 assists per game for Cal before transferring to Kansas the following season.

The past three meetings between the rivals have been decided by an average of 21.6 points.

Cal has won two in a row and three of four at home against Stanford dating back to Jan. 26, 2020.

LAST TIME
Jaylon Tyson tied a career-high with 30 points, Fardaws Aimaq posted his 12th double-double of the season and Cal led for the duration of overtime to beat Washington State 81-75 last Saturday. Less than 48 hours after the Golden Bears suffered a buzzer-beating loss to Washington, the Cougars' Myles Rice buried a 3-pointer as time expired to knot the game at 68 and force overtime. Jalen Celestine's 3-pointer gave the Bears a 71-68 lead in the extra period and they maintained the lead the rest of the way.
 
NOTEWORTHY

Cal has protected the ball in impressive fashion of late, leading the Pac-12 with 9.5 turnovers per game in conference play. The Bears have committed just 21 turnovers in their past four games, which are the fewest in a four-game stretch by a Pac-12 team since the 1996-97 season.

The Bears have had 15 games decided by single digits this season, which is tied for the most in the country (Coastal Carolina). Eight of those 15 single-digit games have been decided by five points or fewer, and Cal has played in three overtime games as well.

Cal's 81-75 overtime win against Washington State on Jan. 20 snapped an eight-game skid against the Cougars.

Jaylon Tyson paces the Pac-12 and ranks 14th nationally with 21 points per game. He's elevated his game in conference play, averaging 23.0 PPG and 7.5 rebounds (compared to 7.2 RPG for the season) through eight games. Tyson is the first Cal player with multiple 30-point games in conference play since Jerome Randle in 2009-10.

Fardaws Aimaq is the Pac-12 leader in double-doubles (12) and rebounding (10.7 RPG). The big man is averaging 18.0 PPG and 11.0 RPG the past three games, shooting 56.4% (22 of 39) in that span.

Cal is the only Pac-12 team with two players that rank in the top 12 in the conference in points and rebounds per game. Tyson is first in PPG (21.0) and seventh in RPG (7.2), while Aimaq leads the league in rebounding (10.7) and is 12th in PPG (15.4).

The Bears have made at least 10 3-pointers seven times this season and rank third in the Pac-12 with 8.8 makes per game and first in attempts (25.4). They averaged just 4.9 makes and 16.9 attempts per game last season, both ranking last in the conference.

Aimaq totaled 18 points, 10 rebounds and five assists – with no turnovers – in Cal's buzzer-beater loss to Washington on Jan. 18. It's only the fifth time since the 1996-97 season that a Golden Bear has posted an 18-10-5 stat line, and Aimaq was the first to do so since Ivan Rabb in 2016-17.

Jalen Cone has made at least four 3-pointers six times – including two games with seven makes – this season. He's 18th nationally and second in the conference with an average of 3.16 makes from beyond the arc this season. Cone has made 350 career 3-pointers.

Jalen Celestine is fourth in 3-point field-goal percentage (47.7%) among qualified Pac-12 players. He's made 21-of-44 attempts from deep and has seven games with multiple makes. Freshman Rodney Brown Jr. has also been sharp behind the arc, making 16 of 31 (51.6%).

Cal's comeback victory against Colorado on Jan. 10 – the Bears rallied from a 20-point deficit for its largest comeback win in nearly 15 years – was filled with statistical standouts.

Cal's largest come-from-behind win since Feb. 14, 2009, when it trailed by 22 in an eventual 82-75 win over Stanford at home.

Cal committed just five turnovers, its fewest in a conference win since Feb. 7, 2015, vs. UCLA.

The Bears' 56 second-half points were their most in any half since Dec. 21, 2018 (58 in the second half vs. San Jose State).

Nine of Cal's 14 3-pointers were made in the second half. The Bears shot 46.7% from 3-point range compared to 40% from the floor.

Cal's 66-57 win at UCLA on Jan. 6 ended a handful of unfriendly streaks for the Bears.

Was Cal's first win in Pauley Pavilion since 2010.

The win snapped an 11-game skid against UCLA.

The win ended Cal's 16-game road losing streak.

The win ended the Bears' 18-game Pac-12 regular-season losing streak.

Cal is averaging 75.6 PPG, an 11.3-point increase from its 64.3 PPG average over the previous six seasons (2017-23). It's also a 17.3-point jump from last season's 58.3 PPG.

UP NEXT
Cal travels to the southwest next week to face Arizona on Feb. 1 in Tucson and Arizona State on Feb. 3 in Tempe. Both games will air on the Pac-12 Network.