Bears Return Home, Host SMU

BERKELEY – The California men’s basketball team is back on its home court for the first time in 18 days to host SMU on Wednesday night. Tipoff inside Haas Pavilion is at 8 p.m. PT and the clash between ACC newcomers will be televised on ESPNU.

GAME INFORMATION

Date & Time: Wednesday, Feb. 26 | 8 p.m. PT

Location: Berkeley, California | Haas Pavilion

Watch: ESPNU | Eric Rothman (PxP) & Corey Williams (Analyst)

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

Live Stats: Statbroadcast

INSIDE THE MATCHUP – CAL vs. SMU

Series record: SMU leads 3-1

Cal (12-15, 5-11 ACC) and SMU will face off for the first time in Berkeley and the second time as ACC counterparts. The Mustangs won 76-65 on Jan. 29 in Dallas in the programs’ first matchup of the season.

Key starters for both teams were absent due to injuries in the Jan. 29 contest, as Cal was without Andrej Stojakovic (17.6 points per game) and Mady Sissoko (7.1 PPG, 7.5 rebounds per game) while SMU did not have Samet Yiğitoğlu (10.8 PPG, 6.5 RPG).

The Mustangs (20-7, 11-5) are 6-1 on the road in ACC play and have won five straight away from home.

SMU is one of three ACC foes that Cal plays twice during the 2024-25 regular season (Stanford, NC State).

SMU first-year head coach Andy Enfield is 14-5 against Cal in his career, having faced the Bears 18 times as the head coach at USC between 2013-24.

STARTING FIVE

1. Jeremiah’s Ascent

Jeremiah Wilkinson continues to establish himself as one of the most dynamic freshmen to put on a Golden Bear uniform. The left-hander is second among ACC freshmen in scoring (14.6 PPG) and has averaged 20.4 PPG since cracking the starting lineup nine games ago on Jan. 22. Wilkinson is already 10th on Cal’s freshman scoring list (395 points) and, with four regular-season games remaining, needs just 48 points to move into the top five. The three-time ACC Rookie of the Week has scored 20-plus points eight times, the most by a Cal freshman since Shareef Abdur-Rahim – a fellow native of the greater Atlanta area – did so 16 times in 1995-96.

2. Defend Our Haas

Cal enters its final home stand – a two-game stretch vs. SMU (Wednesday) and Boston College (Saturday) – with a 10-5 record in Haas Pavilion this season. A sweep of the two contests would clinch the Bears’ winningest home season since 2019-20 and would mark 300 total wins in Haas Pavilion since the facility opened in 1999-2000 on the site of beloved Harmon Gym.

3. Back In The Saddle

Andrej Stojakovic has looked the part of Cal’s leading scorer the past two games, averaging 19.0 PPG with a 22-point effort at Georgia Tech (8 of 13 shooting, 4 of 5 from 3-point range) and 16 at Stanford in his return to Maples Pavilion. Stojakovic had averaged just 8.6 PPG on 25.6% shooting in the five games prior, in addition to missing four games between Jan. 22-Feb. 1 due to illness and injury. The sophomore guard is one of only four major-conference players averaging at least 17.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.0 blocks per game (Maxime Raynaud, Stanford; Cooper Flagg, Duke; Johni Broome, Auburn).

4. Find A Way

The Bears have overcome shooting woes this season by averaging an ACC-leading 17.0 free throws per game and grabbing 13.2 offensive rebounds per game, the second-best mark in the conference. Cal is scoring more than 65% of its points (48.8 PPG) either in the paint or at the free throw line this season and has shot 80% or better at the line in 10 games, including eight times in conference play.

5. Round Two

Cal will look for a season split with SMU after coming up short 76-65 in Dallas on Jan. 29. After trailing by double digits for much of the second half, Cal got within 61-55 near the five-minute mark before a three-point play by Chuck Harris helped SMU rebuild its lead to 12 with less than four minutes to go. A 3-pointer by Jeremiah Wilkinson, who scored 16, cut SMU's lead to 69-62 with 2:25 remaining then the Mustangs wrapped up the win with five made free throws in six attempts.

UP NEXT

Cal hosts Boston College in its regular-season home finale on Saturday. Tipoff at Haas Pavilion is at 7 p.m. PT.

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.