Bears Host Hokies In Weekend Tilt

BERKELEY – The California men’s basketball team concludes its first ACC home stand Saturday when it welcomes Virginia Tech to Haas Pavilion. Tipoff is at 3 p.m. PT and ACC Network will televise the contest.

The Golden Bears (8-7, 1-3 ACC) are coming off their first-ever ACC victory, a decisive 75-61 win over Virginia on Wednesday, while the Hokies (6-9, 1-3) suffered a 71-59 loss to Stanford on the front end of their trip to the Bay Area.

GAME INFORMATION

Date & Time: Saturday, Jan. 11 | 3 p.m. PT

Location: Berkeley, California | Haas Pavilion

Watch: ACC Network | Dave Feldman (PxP) & Jerod Haase (Analyst)

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

Live Stats: Statbroadcast

INSIDE THE MATCHUP – CAL vs. VIRGINIA TECH

Series record: Cal leads, 1-0

The Bears and Hokies will meet on the hardwood for just the second time ever and the first time in more than 30 years.

Cal bested Virginia Tech 68-59 on Nov. 30, 1991, in the Central Fidelity Holiday Classic consolation game in Richmond, Virginia in the programs’ previous meeting. Four Bears scored in double figures, led by Al Grigsby (14 points), K.J. Roberts (12 points) and Brian Hendrick (10 points, 12 rebounds).

Virginia Tech sophomore guard Rodney Brown Jr. played his freshman season at Cal. He saw time in all 32 games, averaging 3.5 points and 1.1 rebounds per game.

STARTING FIVE

1. Dre Day

Andrej Stojakovic continues to prove why he’s one of the top offensive threats in the ACC in his first season as a Golden Bear, ranking 14th nationally and second in the conference with 20.1 points per game. The sophomore guard is also averaging a league-leading 24.3 PPG against ACC competition, scoring 19-plus in all four of Cal’s conference contests, including 30 at Clemson on Jan. 4.

Stojakovic does much more than just score for the Bears; he’s the only player in the country averaging at least 20.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.2 blocks per game. He’s made dramatic improvements since transferring to Cal from rival Stanford, specifically in scoring (7.8 to 20.1 PPG), rebounding (3.4 to 4.5 RPG), blocks (0.1 to 1.2 BPG) and shooting splits (.409/.327/.528 to .468/.368/.830).

2. #OurHaas

The Bears improved to 7-2 on their home court this season with a 14-point win against Virginia on Wednesday. Cal has fared especially well on the offensive side in Haas Pavilion this season with 82.1 PPG and a 9.8 scoring margin in nine home contests. Cal is 7-3 in conference home games (Pac-12 and ACC) since the top of the 2024 calendar year.

3. Mo’ Buckets

Cal can generate points in a hurry and can do it in a variety of ways, averaging 77.6 points per game. The Bears average 33.2 PPG in the paint, 23.0 PPG from 3-point range and 18.2 PPG at the free throw line. Cal’s emphasis on attacking the rim was evident Wednesday against Virginia, with 30 points in the paint and 27 points at the free throw line (27 of 33). Cal scores more than 66% of its points in the paint or at the free throw line but is dangerous from deep, too, ranking sixth in the ACC with a 35.7% 3-point clip.

4. Spark Plug(s)

The Bears’ flexed their depth yet again Wednesday against Virginia with 10 players seeing time on the floor and four players scoring double figures, including 10-point efforts each from Jeremiah Wilkinson and Joshua Ola-Joseph off the bench. Cal totaled 24 bench points in the Virginia win and ranks sixth in the ACC with 25.4 PPG coming from its bench.

Wilkinson has been dynamite coming off the bench; his 12.4 PPG leads the nation among freshmen who have not started a game this season. The rookie has scored double figures 10 times in the past 11 games and is fifth among ACC freshmen in scoring, while playing the fewest minutes per game of those five players. His 23.8 points per 40 minutes played average is second only to North Carolina’s Ian Jackson (23.9 PPG/40 MPG) among ACC freshmen.

5. Aye Aye, Captains

Cal’s team-elected captains Jovan Blacksher Jr. and Mady Sissoko have leaned on their wealth of collegiate experience to lead the Bears through 15 games this season. Blacksher and Sissoko have played in 135 and 139 career games, respectively, and lead Cal in assists per game (Blacksher, 3.1 APG) and rebounds (Sissoko, 6.9 RPG). Blacksher needs just 10 points to reach 1,500 for his career – he’d be just the seventh active ACC player to reach the milestone – while Sissoko posted a monster stat line with nine points, 11 rebounds and a career-high four blocks against Virginia earlier this week.

UP NEXT

The Bears travel to Tobacco Road next week to face North Carolina (Wednesday, 4 p.m. PT) and NC State (Saturday, 3 p.m. PT). Both road games will be televised on ACC Network.