Bears face Aztecs at San Jose Tip-Off

Andrej Stojakovic enters Saturday’s game averaging the second-most points in the ACC (19.9 points per game).

MBBDec 19, 2024 10:21 am | From: Cal Athletics

Cal and San Diego State will meet on neutral ground for the second straight year

BERKELEY – The California men’s basketball team concludes non-conference play Saturday at the San Jose Tip-Off against No. 23 San Diego State. The contest begins at 7:30 p.m. PT at SAP Center – home of the NHL’s San Jose Sharks – and will be televised on ACC Network.

The Golden Bears (7-4) and Aztecs (7-2) will meet in the back half of the neutral-site doubleheader event, which also includes Stanford and No. 10 Oregon at 5 p.m. PT. Cal snapped a three-game skid with an 18-point win over Northwestern State last Saturday, while San Diego State has won four straight and five of its last six games.

GAME INFORMATION

• Date and time: Saturday, December 21st | 7:30 p.m. PT
• Location: San Jose, California | SAP Center
• Watch: ACC Network | Dave Feldman (PxP) and Jerod Haase (Analyst)
• Listen: 810 AM & Varsity Network App | Justin Allegri (PxP)
• Live statistics: Statbroadcast

IN THE GAME – CAL vs. SAN DIEGO STATE

• Series record: San Diego State leads 8-6
• Cal and San Diego State will face off for the 15th time ever and second time in as many seasons.
• SDSU defeated Cal 76-67 in overtime at the SoCal Showcase (San Juan Capistrano) last November in the first meeting between the two programs since 2018. None of the five players who started for Cal or SDSU last year are on this year’s rosters.
• The Aztecs are ranked nationally for the third straight year and are ranked No. 23 in this week’s AP Top 25 poll. They entered the AP poll on Dec. 2 after losing to the Players Era Festival on Dec. 26. had won against No. 21 Creighton and No. 6 Houston by Nov. 30.
• Cal’s last win against an AP Top 25 team was on February 27, 2020 against then-No. 21 Colorado in Berkeley.

START FIVE
1. Either way

The Golden Bears can put up points quickly and rank fourth in the ACC with 81.5 points per game. They have proven that they can put the ball in the basket in a variety of ways. Cal averages 35.8 points per game in the paint, 25.6 points from 3-point range and 17.7 points at the free throw line. A focus on getting to the rim has led the Bears to score nearly 66% of their points from the field or at the free throw line, but they are also dangerous from distance, ranking in the ACC at 38.1% from 3- 4 minutes in second place. Point area. Cal has hit 12 three-pointers in each of the last two games and has hit more than 10 three-pointers four times in the last five contests.

2. Dre Day
Andrej Stojakovic has emerged as one of the ACC’s premier offensive threats in his first season as a Golden Bear. The second-year guard is averaging 19.9 points per game (second in the ACC) and scored a career-high 31 points against Northwestern State, marking his sixth 20-plus point score in the last eight games. Stojakovic’s progression from his first year at Stanford to his second year at Cal was drastic; He has improved in scoring (7.8 to 19.9 PPG), rebounding (3.4 to 5.1 RPG), field goal percentage (40.9% to 46.4%), free throw percentage (52.8% to 82.4%) and blocking (0.1 to 1.2 BPG) improved. .

3. Find balance

Cal’s 81.5 PPG would be the second-best mark in program history, but the Bears continue to strive for full 40-minute appearances. In its last two losses to Stanford (47-31 at halftime) and Cornell (47-29 at halftime), Cal averaged 17 points in the first half and led Northwestern State by just three points at halftime (36-33) in the win from last Saturday. While its defensive performance needs improvement, Cal is also looking for a better offensive attack in front of goal. The Bears shined offensively in the second half of this season, scoring 40+ points after halftime in nine of 11 games (43.3 PPG in the second half of this season) while posting a 49.6 shooting percentage in the final 20 minutes % from the floor scored 38.3 PPG on 44.9% shooting in the first half.

4. Agent Zero

Freshmen Jeremiah Wilkinson has made the most of his early opportunities in Cal’s backcourt, averaging 11.6 PPG in under 20 minutes per game. He is tied for third among ACC freshmen in scoring, trailing only Duke’s Cooper Flagg (16.6 PPG) and Syracuse’s Donnie Freeman (13.4). Wilkinson is averaging 16.7 PPG with six double-figure goals in the last seven games (since Nov. 21) after scoring a total of 11 points in Cal’s first four games.

5. Strength in numbers

Cal continues to rely on a strong lineup, using 9-10 players in its rotation despite missing two early season starters (DJ Campbell and BJ Omot) for the last seven games due to injuries. The Bears’ bench is averaging 26.1 points per game, fourth-most in the ACC, and six players have scored at least four double-digit points in 11 games played.

NEXT

Cal will focus on ACC play, beginning with a road game at Pitt on Wednesday, January 1st. The start date at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh is 11:00 a.m. PT/2:00 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on ACC Network.

HOW TO WATCH

Access to ACC Network and ACC Network Extra (ACCNX) is determined by your pay TV provider (cable, satellite, telecommunications or streaming service). Viewers can still access games through an ESPN+ subscription, even without access to the ACC Network. Viewers with access to ACCNX can watch the streaming channel on the same device (smart TVs, smartphones, tablets, connected streaming devices or espn.com/watch) on which they watch ACC Network. ESPN+ is a subscription-based streaming channel that can also be viewed on any streaming device.

SUPPORT THE BEARS

Tickets for the 2024-25 campaign can be purchased at CalBears.com/Tickets, by calling 800-GO-BEARS (462-3277) or emailing [email protected]. Fans can support the Golden Bears through the Cal Men’s Basketball Excellence Initiative or the California Legends Collective.

Stay up to date

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