Chris Bell's career-high 31 points lead Cal to 'good team win' over UIC in Round 1 of NIT

BERKELEY — It was ugly, but sometimes ugly works — at least, that was the case on Wednesday night at Haas Pavilion.

Chris Bell scored a career-high 31 points on an outstanding 10-of-12 shooting and 7-for-8 from 3-point range to help Cal earn its first postseason win since 2014 with a gritty 91-73 victory over the University of Illinois Chicago in Round 1 of the 2026 National Invitation Tournament.

“I was just excited,” Bell, a senior transfer from Syracuse and Concord native, said postgame. “This is my first time playing in the postseason. To come out there and have energy was the biggest thing for me, and I'm just excited. I get to keep playing basketball games.”

The Bears trailed for much of the first half before entering the intermission with a 39-35 lead.

In front of an announced 1,258-person crowd, Cal simply started flat, and UIC enjoyed every second of its momentum in its first NIT appearance in 23 years and second overall in program history; the Flames had an admirable road contingent, for what it was worth.

Nonetheless, thanks to Bell, an efficient 18-point performance from Justin Pippen, seven assists plus some immeasurable hustle from TT Carr and a game-high plus-minus of 31 from Miloš Ilić, the Bears were able to keep their best season since 2016-17 alive.

“Chris Bell is a special player. He's a special person,” Cal coach Mark Madsen said postgame. “His work ethic reminds me of the work ethic of an NBA player. No matter how hard the practice, he's always getting his shots after practice. He's incredibly diligent academically. 
He loves to play the game … I can't understate anything about Chris because Chris is just an outstanding player.”

“Really good team win tonight,” Madsen added. “I'm not sure if Justin missed a single shot in the second half; he might have made every single shot he took. TT Carr, seven assists, one turnover; Chris Bell, 31 points — just dagger shots when they counted; DJ (Campbell) off the bench with some huge plays; Milos, two steals; Justin Pippen, four steals. Our guys played well. It was good to see.”

Cal shot 15-for-28 (53.6 percent) from deep and had 10 steals to UIC’s five.

The Flames still deserves some credit, though.

UIC was an underdog on the road in deep ACC country — so deep, it could see the Pacific Ocean — and gave the Bears a genuine scare for far longer than expected.

Flames guard Elijah Crawford, in particular, finished with 14 points and a career-high 12 assists in what was his 12th career double-double.

But of course, Cal prevailed, and now will face the Saint Joseph’s Hawks, who earned a 69-64 win over Colorado State on Wednesday night, in Round 2 on Sunday at 6 p.m. at Haas Pavilion.

“I think for us it’s another chance to get better every single night, and another chance just to show what Cal basketball can do,” Bell said. “And … obviously, the goal next year is to be in the tournament, so … this is a good stepping stone.”

“We did not play well enough throughout the course of the season to get in (to the NCAA Tournament),” Madsen added. “But I believe that hopefully we can do something special in the NIT, and it can be a springboard and a catalyst to going into next season.”

Madsen also reaffirmed his desire for the program to build more relationships with business owners throughout the Bay Area and Silicon Valley.