BERKELEY – The California men's basketball team concludes nonconference play Saturday at the San Jose Tip-Off against No. 23 San Diego State. The contest will tip off at 7:30 p.m. PT at SAP Center – the 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 clash in the back half of the neutral-site doubleheader event, which also features 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 in a row and five of its past six.
 
GAME INFORMATION

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

 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP – CAL vs. SAN DIEGO STATE

• Series record: San Diego State leads, 8-6
• Cal and San Diego State will go head-to-head for the 15th time ever and the second time in as many seasons.
• SDSU bested Cal 76-67 in overtime in the SoCal Showcase (San Juan Capistrano) last November in the two programs' first meeting since 2018. None of the five players who started for either Cal or SDSU in last year's matchup are on this year's rosters.
• The Aztecs are nationally ranked for a third consecutive week, checking in at No. 23 in this week's AP Top 25 Poll. They jumped into the AP Poll on Dec. 2 following wins against No. 21 Creighton and No. 6 Houston at the Players Era Festival on Nov. 26-30.
• Cal's last win against an AP Top 25 squad was on Feb. 27, 2020, against then-No. 21 Colorado in Berkeley.

 
STARTING FIVE
1. This Way Or That Way
The Golden Bears can generate points in a hurry, ranking fourth in the ACC with 81.5 points per game, and have proven they can put the ball in the hoop 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. An emphasis on getting to the rim has resulted in the Bears scoring nearly 66% of their points in the paint or at the free throw line, but they're dangerous from deep as well, ranking second in the ACC at 38.1% from 3-point range. Cal has knocked down 12 3-pointers in each of the past two games and 10-plus 3s four times in the past five contests.
 
2. Dre Day
Andrej Stojakovic has emerged as one of the top offensive threats in the ACC in his first season as a Golden Bear. The sophomore guard is averaging 19.9 points per game (second in the ACC) and is coming off a career-high 31 points scored against Northwestern State, marking his sixth 20-plus scoring effort in the past eight games. Stojakovic's growth from his freshman year at Stanford to his sophomore year at Cal has been drastic; he's 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).
 
3. Finding Balance
Cal's 81.5 PPG would stand as the second-best mark in program history, but the Bears continue to search for full 40-minute performances. Cal was outscored by an average of 17 points in the first halves of its two most recent losses to Stanford (trailed 47-31 at halftime) and Cornell (trailed 47-29 at halftime), and only led Northwestern State by three at the intermission (36-33) in last Saturday's win. While its defensive effort must improve, Cal is also looking for a better offensive attack out of the gate. The Bears have shined offensively in the second halves of games this season, scoring 40-plus points after halftime in nine of 11 contests (43.3 PPG in second half this season) while shooting 49.6% from the floor in the final 20 minutes, compared to 38.3 PPG on 44.9% shooting in first halves.
 
4. Agent Zero
Freshman Jeremiah Wilkinson has made the most of his early opportunities in Cal's backcourt, averaging 11.6 PPG in less than 20 minutes per game. He's 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 has an average of 16.7 PPG with six double-figure scoring efforts in the past seven games (since Nov. 21) after scoring 11 total points in Cal's first four games.
 
5. Strength In Numbers
Cal continues to rely on a deep cast, deploying 9-10 players in its rotation despite being without two early season starters (DJ Campbell and BJ Omot) for the past seven games due to injuries. The Bears' bench is averaging 26.1 points per game, the fourth most in the ACC, and six players have at least four double figure scoring efforts through 11 games played.
 
UP NEXT
Cal turns its focus to ACC play, starting with a road game at Pitt on Wednesday, Jan. 1. Tipoff at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh is at 11 a.m. PT/2 p.m. ET and the game will be carried on ACC Network.
 
HOW TO WATCH
Access to ACC Network and ACC Network Extra (ACCNX) is determined by your pay TV provider (cable, satellite, telco or streaming service). Viewers can still access games via a subscription to ESPN+, even without access to ACC Network. Viewers with access to ACCNX can view the streaming channel on the same device (smart TVs, smartphones, tablets, connected streaming devices or espn.com/watch) where they view 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 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
For further coverage of Cal men's basketball, follow the Bears on X (@CalMBBall), Instagram (@CalMBBball) and Facebook (/CalMBBall/).