BERKELEY – California and USC will go head-to-head on the hardwood as men's basketball nonconference opponents for the first time since 1921 when they clash on Sunday night in Los Angeles. Tipoff is at 6:30 p.m. PT at the Galen Center.
 
The Golden Bears (2-1) are looking to bounce back from their first loss of the season, an 85-69 defeat at Vanderbilt on Wednesday. USC (3-0) will play its fourth consecutive home game to start the 2024-25 campaign, having already bested Chattanooga (77-51), Idaho State (75-69) and UT Arlington (98-95).
 
GAME INFORMATION

• Date & Time: Sunday, Nov. 17 | 6:30 p.m. PT
• Location: Los Angeles, California | Galen Center
• Watch: Big Ten Network | A.J. Kanell (PxP) & Don MacLean (Analyst)
• Listen: 810 AM & The Varsity Network App | Justin Allegri (PxP) & Theo Robertson (Analyst)
• Live Stats: Statbroadcast

 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP – CAL AT USC

• Series record: Cal leads 137-133
• Cal and USC have met more than 250 times in an extensive series that dates to the 1916-17 season. The two former Pac-12 schools were conference peers from 1922-2024, prior to USC joining the Big Ten and Cal joining the ACC.
• Sunday's contest in Los Angeles is the front end of a home-and-home nonconference series between the Bears and Trojans; Cal will host USC in Berkeley at a later date to be determined.
• The Bears snapped an 11-game skid against USC with an 83-77 overtime win on Feb. 7, 2024, in front of a sold-out crowd of 11,801 in Haas Pavilion.
• Cal is seeking its first road win at USC since Jan. 8, 2017 (74-73) and its first nonconference road win overall since Dec. 19, 2017 (at Seattle U, 81-59).

 
STARTING FIVE
1. It Takes Everyone
Cal has flexed its new-look depth early this season, deploying a 10-man rotation throughout the majority of its first three games. Eight of the 10 rotational players – all of which are first-year Golden Bears – are averaging 15.0 minutes per game or more and six Bears already have at least one double-figure scoring effort, highlighted by three apiece from Andrej Stojakovic (16.0 points per game), Jovan Blacksher Jr. (15.3 PPG) and BJ Omot (12.7 PPG). Stojakovic has scored at least 15 points in all three games, while Cal's bench is averaging 30.67 PPG, led by Omot, who has averaged 14.0 PPG in two games coming off the bench.
 
2. Nonconference Outlook
Sunday's game at USC is the second of four road or neutral-site nonconference games against SEC, Big Ten or future Pac-12 opponents on Cal's schedule. In addition to Vanderbilt (loss on Wednesday) and USC, the Bears will play at Missouri (SEC/ACC Challenge) on Dec. 3 and San Diego State (neutral site at San Jose Tip-Off) on Dec. 21, providing key matchups in preparation for their inaugural ACC season.
 
Cal has five remaining home nonconference games against Air Force, Sacramento State, Mercyhurst, Cornell and Northwestern State. The Bears started the season 2-0 for the first time since 2019, defeating CSU Bakersfield and Cal Poly last week by a combined 31 points. Cal trailed just once for 17 seconds in the first half and led by as many as 18 against CSU Bakersfield on Nov. 4, and then showed resilience in overcoming an early 12-point deficit (17-5) in an eventual 18-point victory against Cal Poly on Nov. 7.
 
3. Madsen Era, Year 2
It's year two in Berkeley for head coach Mark Madsen, who reinvigorated the Cal program and its fan base with a 10-win improvement in 2023-24. The Bears placed sixth in the Pac-12 last season, marking their best conference finish since 2016-17, and earned marquee wins at UCLA and against NCAA Tournament squads Washington State, Oregon and Colorado. Mad Dog – who was awarded a two-year contract extension in March 2024 that'll keep him at Cal until 2030 – now leads the Bears into a new era in the ACC.
 
4. Right Side Of The Bay
Sophomore guard Andrej Stojakovic has emerged as one of the focal points of the Bears' offense three games into his first season in Blue and Gold after starting his collegiate career in the South Bay with rival Stanford. Stojakovic, a former McDonald's All-American and five-star recruit out of Jesuit High School in Carmichael, is averaging 16.0 PPG and 6.0 rebounds per game while converting 89.5% (17 of 19) at the free throw line. The smooth-shooting guard scored a career-high 20 points against USC for Stanford on Feb. 10, 2024.
 
5. Experienced Group
Cal's locker room may be filled with new faces, but its collective experience has shined in the early stages of the season. The Bears ranked sixth among ACC teams in career Division I minutes played (14,876) entering the season. The veteran bunch is headlined by graduate transfers Mady Sissoko and Jovan Blacksher Jr., who have played a combined 253 career games at Michigan State and Grand Canyon, respectively. Both players reached the NCAA Round of 32 last year with their former squads. Eight transfers – Sissoko and Blacksher, included – are at least a junior eligibility-wise: DJ Campbell (junior, Western Carolina), Lee Dort (junior, Vanderbilt), Joshua Ola-Joseph (junior, Minnesota), BJ Omot (junior, North Dakota) and Rytis Petraitis (junior, Air Force) and Christian Tucker (senior, UTSA).
 
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.
 
STAY POSTED
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