Maui Invitational: Cal vs. Wofford

Monday, Nov. 20 | 12 PM HT/2 PM PT | Lahaina Civic Center | Maui, Hawai'i
 ESPN2 | LIVE STATS | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER

California's first trip away from Berkeley pits the Bears against some of the nation's top foes in the prestigious Maui Jim Maui Invitational, set for Nov. 20-22 in Maui, Hawai'i. The premiere preseason tournament includes a number of potential matchups against 2017 NCAA Tournament foes, starting with Cal's opening game against sixth-ranked Wichita State on Monday. The action begins at 12 p.m. HT/2 p.m. PT, with all games played at the Lahaina Civic Center. The game airs live on ESPN2, with a radio broadcast available on KGO 810 AM.

Monday's game is the first of three games Cal will play in Maui, with the Bears set to face either VCU or Marquette in Tuesday's game and the final round of games lated for Wednesday.

Though Cal dropped its season opener to UC Riverside, the Bears have won two games since and are averaging 82 points in the last two outings. Four Golden Bears are scoring in the double figures, led by 25.7 points per game from Don Coleman. Marcus Lee, who has two consecutive double-doubles, is averaging 15.3 points and 10.7 rebounds, while fellow big man Kingsley Okoroh has 10.0 points and 9.3 rebounds per game on top of nine blocks this season. Justice Sueing is averaging 11.3 points as one of two freshman starters for the Bears, and Darius McNeill poured in a career-high 17 points in his first career start against Wofford.

HOW TO FOLLOW THE ACTION: Every single game of this week's Maui Jim Maui Invitational airs live on the ESPN Family of Networks, with calls from Jay Bilas, Dan Shulman and Kanoa Leahey. Monday's Cal-Wichita State matchup airs on ESPN2. The California Golden Bears Sports Network will offer play by play and analysis, as well as post-game interviews, from Todd McKim and Jay John live on KGO 810 AM. Live stats, full broadcast details and more can be accessed via the Cal men's basketball schedule page on CalBears.com, and fans can follow the Bears on social media via @CalMBball on Twitter and Instagram, and at Facebook.com/CalMBball.
 

---

SCOUTING THE SHOCKERS

Last Meeting: Cal won the lone meeting, 75-68, on Dec. 29, 1975
Series Record: Cal leads, 1-0
Wichita State's 2017-18 Record: 2-0
Wichita State's Last Game: The Shockers downed College of Charleston, 81-63
• Five Shocker players are averaging in the double figures, led by Shaquille Morris' 17.0 points per game.
• Darral Willis Jr. is averaging 16.5 points and a team-high 8.5 rebounds.
• Rauno Nurger (13.5 ppg), Landry Shamet (13.5 ppg) and Conner Frankamp (10.5) are also scoring in the double figures.
• Rashard Kelly is second among the Shockers in rebounds, averaging 8.0 per game.
• Wichita State is outscoring opponents 95-65, and shooting 54.9 percent (67-122) from the floor and 45.5 percent (36-45) from beyond the arc.
• The Shockers return every starter and 12 letterwinners from a squad that went 31-5 last season and won the Missouri Valley Conference with a 17-1 record.

LAST TIME OUT

The Bears used a big second half to propel themselves past Wofford, 79-65
• Despite being down one point at halftime, Cal outscored the Terriers 43-28 in the second half.
• Marcus Lee logges his second consecutive double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Lee scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half.
• Darius McNeill poured in a career-high 17 points.
• Kingsley Okoroh had 10 points and eight rebounds.
• Juhwan Harris-Dyson made his Golden Bear debut, making him the sixth freshman to log minutes in the regular season.
• Cal shot 54.7% from the floor.
• Cal scored 23 points off 16 Wofford turnovers, and the Bears won the rebounding battle, 37-14. Cal outrebounded the Terriers 23-6 in the second half.

A CALIFORNIA WIN WOULD...

• Be Cal's first victory over a Top 10 opponent since Feb. 1, 2014 (69-58 vs. No. 1 Arizona in Berkeley).
• Be Cal's first victory over a Top 10 team away from Haas Pavilion since Feb. 10, 2013 (77-69 at No. 7 Arizona).
• Be Cal's first victory over a Top 25 team away from Haas Pavilion since Jan. 8, 2017 (74-73 at No. 25 USC).
• Be head coach Wyking Jones' first win over a ranked opponent.

CAL AT THE MAUI INVITATIONAL

The Golden Bears make their third trip to the Maui Invitational in program history, with their last appearance coming in 2013. The Bears have a 4-3 record on the island, going 1-2 in their most recent trip. In 2013, Cal defeated Arkansas 85-77 before dropping games to No. 7 Syracuse (92-81) and Dayton (82-64).

Cal also competed in Maui in 1996, where the unranked Bears went 2-1 with wins over No. 25 Iowa (75-59) and No. 15 UMass (59-55). Cal's loss came at the hands of No. 2 Kansas, 85-67.

For several Bears, this is not the first trip to the Lahaina Civic Center. Assistant oach Chris Walker played in Maui in 1989 with Villanova and was an assistant with UMass in 2002, while assistant coach Theo Robertson was also on Cal's staff for the 2013 Tournament.

The annual Maui Jim Maui Invitational highlights some of the best squads in the nation, with 130 teams qualifying for the NCAA Tournament in the Maui's history, and seven claiming the national championship that same year -- including last year's Maui and NCAA champion North Carolina.

BEARS SIGN TOP 25 CLASS

Head coach Wyking Jones first recruiting class is off to a strong start, signing a consensus Top 30 class, with three outlets listing Cal's 2018 signees as a Top 25 group. Top 100 recruits Jacobi Gordon (Houston, Texas) and Matt Bradley (San Bernardino, Calif.) and three-star California standout Andre Kelly have signed with the program. 247Sports and Scout gave the Bears the 18th-best class in the country. ESPN ranks the class 22nd. More notes on the class:
• Matt Bradley -- 97th in the ESPN 100, four-star shooting guard
• Jacobi Gordon -- 89th in the ESPN 100, No. 22 small forward in the country
• Andre Kelly -- Stockton Record's reigning All-Area Player of the Year who averaged 24.1 points, 15.2 rpg, 2.7 assists and 1.9 blocks as a junior.

CAL TO OPEN NEXT SEASON IN CHINA

California men's basketball will open the 2017-18 season against Yale in China in the fourth edition of the Pac-12 China Game presented by Alibaba Group. The flagship event of Pac-12 Global is designed to grow the global popularity of Pac-12 athletic programs and universities, fostering cultural exchange through sport, and creating unique educational experiences for Pac-12 student-athletes. In addition to the game, the trip will include educational and cultural experiences for student-athletes and university delegations. Specific date and location information will be announced at a later date.

NEXT UP

California will go on to face either Marquette or VCU. With a win, the Bears will play in Game No. 5 on the Maui Jim Maui Invitational on Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. HT/10:30 a.m. PT. With a loss to Wichita State, Cal would move to Game No. 6 on Tuesday at 11 a.m. HT/1 p.m. PT.