PAC-12 CHINA GAME
Cal vs. Yale

Friday, Nov. 9 | 8 PM PT | Baoshan Sports Center | Shanghai, China
ESPNU | LIVE STATS | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER

California men's basketball travels more than 7,000 miles for a rare opportunity to open the season at the annual Pac-12 China Game, where the Golden Bears meet the Yale Bulldogs in Shanghai, China. Cal officially tips off the season on Friday, Nov. 9 at 8 p.m. PT (Saturday, Nov. 10 at 12 p.m. in Shanghai) at the Baoshan Sports Center. The game airs live on ESPNU.

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. Cal's trip includes a number of educational and cultural experiences across Shanghai and Hangzhou in China, with a full week's worth of events following Cal's arrival to the country on Nov. 3.

The Bears make their official debut following an 82-62 rout of CSU East Bay in an exhibition game on Tuesday, Oct. 30. Cal saw double-figure contributions from five members of its lineup, led by new addition Matt Bradley's 18 points. The exhibition was the unofficial debut of hometown hero and Oakland's own Paris Austin, who along with Justice Sueing contributed 15 points in the win. Andre Kelly and Jacobi Gordon each chipped in 11 points.

HOW TO FOLLOW THE ACTION: All the action from the Pac-12 China Game airs live on ESPNU on Friday, Nov. 9 at 8 p.m. PT, with play-by-play and analysis from Roxy Bernstein and Sean Farnham. There will be no radio broadcast from the California Golden Bears Sports Network. Live stats, full broadcast details and more can be accessed via the Cal men's basketball schedule page. Fans can follow the Bears on social media via @CalMBball on Twitter and Instagram, and at Facebook.com/CalMBball.
 

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SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS

• Last Meeting: The Bears and Bulldogs last met on Dec. 29, 2000, with Cal taking a 76-72 advantage over Yale in the Golden Bear Classic in Berkeley.
• Series Record: Cal leads the all-time series, 2-0
• Yale was tabbed third in the Ivy League preseason poll, receiving one first-place vote.
• The Bulldogs welcome back 95 percent of their offensive production from last season.
• Miye Oni was a unanimous first team All-Ivy selection after leading Yale in scoring (15.1 ppg), rebounding (6.0 rpg) and assists (105) last season.
• The Bulldogs also return two other upperclassmen who averaged double figures last season -- Alex Copeland (11.2 ppg) and Blake Reynolds (10.7 ppg).
• Azar Swain was second on his squad in three-pointers last season, turning in 54 treys with a team-best 39.1 shooting percentage from deep.
 

LAST TIME OUT

• The Result: Cal topped CSU East Bay, 82-62, in an exhibition at Haas Pavilion on Tuesday, Oct. 30
• Five Golden Bears scored in double figures, led by Matt Bradley's 18 points.
• Justice Sueing and Paris Austin added 15 points apiece, and Andre Kelly and Jacobi Gordon had 11 points each.
• Sueing and Kelly had a team-high 7 rebounds.
• Austin logged 8 of Cal's 12 total assists.
• Two freshmen earned starts in the opener - Bradley and Kelly.
• Cal shot 61.5 percent (16-26) in the second half, and 54.9 percent (28-51) for the game.
• Juhwan Harris-Dyson did not play due to a hand injury, and Roman Davis missed the game while awaiting an NCAA waiver.
 

CAL IN CHINA

• As the flagship event of Pac-12 Global, the Pac-12 China Game includes more than just a basketball game. Among some of the major items on this week's itinerary for the Bears are: 
     - A visit to the Alibaba campus, one of the world's largest online retailers
    - An educational sports summit featuring James Zhao, Cal women's basketball's Chen Yue and Golden Bear Great Shareef Abdur-Rahim
    - Interaction with the Yao Foundation of Hope School students at Shanghai Disneyland
    - Educational sightseeing and walking tours to China's historic landmarks
• Along with the cultural and competitive highlights for the Bears this week, the trip involves:
     - 28 hours, 21 min spent on a plane
    - 14,291 miles flown
    - 5 scheduled study hall sessions
    - 4 arenas to practice in (Concordia International School, Huanglong Stadium, Hangzhou International School and Baoshan Sports Centre)
    - 2 major cities: Hangzhou and Shanghai
    - 2 bullet train rides
 

CAL'S MOBILE CLASSROOM

• While the Golden Bears are in Shanghai this week, they'll also have an opportunity to earn one unit of credit from UC Berkeley through a "One Week in China: Travel Writing, Cultural Exploration and Self Discovery" class facilitated by Dr, Derek Van Rheenen. 
• Teammate James (Tianjian) Zhao will also contribute as a teaching assistant, offering up a Mandarin word or phrase of the day and helping the class with interpretation.
• The goal of the course is to combine art, reading, writing, observation and reflection in a travel journal to help illustrate and record the trip.
• Among some of the course's requirements are: reading assignments, including David Sedaris' "Journey Into Night" and Theroux's "Sailing Through China" and writing assignments challenging each student-athlete's observations of their new surroundings and of themselves. 
 

WELL-TRAVELED

• The Bears' nonconference schedule includes more than 18,000 miles of travel. 
• The bulk of Cal's nonconference travel comes in a 20-day span between roundtrip travel to China (Nov. 2-10) and Brooklyn, N.Y. (Nov. 16-21). Other stops away from Haas Pavilion include Fresno, Calif. and a trip through the Caldecott Tunnel to face Saint Mary's.
• No other team in the nation will travel more during their nonconference slate than Cal.
 

CAL IN THE PAC-12 PRESEASON POLL

• For the second year in a row, the Golden Bears were projected to finish 11th in the Pac-12, according to a preseason vote by media who regularly cover the conference. 
• Oregon is the favorite to win the conference.
• Last season, Cal finished 12th in the league with a 2-16 Pac-12 record.
 

OFFSEASON NEWS

• Chris Walker, who joined Cal as an assistant in April 2017, was elevated to Associate Head Coach in June 2018.
• Wyking Jones brought on Marty Wilson and David Grace as assistants in April. 
    - Wilson previously served as the head coach at his alma mater Pepperdine and also worked at San Diego (1996-98), UC Santa Barbara (1998-2004) and Utah (2004-08). 
    - A 10-year Pac-12 veteran, Grace completed five seasons at UCLA before arriving in Berkeley. He spent five seasons at Oregon State prior to that, along with stints at the University of San Francisco and Sacramento State. He also served with the United States Air Force for two decades.
• Jacob Orender and Cal graduate Nick Hamilton were named to the NABC Honors Court for outstanding academic performances. To be eligible for selection, a student must be a junior or senior varsity player, carry a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher at the conclusion of the academic year.
 

BEARS IN THE NBA

Five Golden Bears opened their pro season active on NBA rosters this year: Ryan Anderson (Phoenix Suns), Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics), Allen Crabbe (Brooklyn Nets), Ivan Rabb (Memphis Grizzlies) and Tyrone Wallace (Los Angeles Clippers). Numerous former members of the Golden Bear roster own front-office roles, including Nets General Manager Sean Marks plus several Bears in scouting and development roles or in the G League, including Marcus Lee (Sioux Falls Skyforce) Roger Moute a Bidias (Raptors 905) and Richard Solomon (Oklahoma City Blue).
 

NEXT UP

Cal returns to Berkeley for its home opener, where the Golden Bears will face off against Hampton on Tuesday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. The game airs on Pac-12 Networks and marks the first of two Legends Classic campus site games that the Bears will host.