BERKELEY – The California men's basketball team dips back into nonconference play when it hosts Cornell on Tuesday night in its second of three consecutive home games. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. PT at Haas Pavilion and the contest will be televised on ACC Network Extra (ACCNX).
 
Cal (6-3) dropped two games last week – at Missouri in the SEC/ACC Challenge and against Stanford in its inaugural ACC contest – and will look to bounce back against a Cornell squad (6-3) that will play its first game outside of the northeast this season. The Golden Bears are undefeated in nonconference home games this season and have won seven straight such games dating back to last year.
 
GAME INFORMATION

• Date & Time: Tuesday, Dec. 10 | 7 p.m. PT
• Location: Berkeley, California | Haas Pavilion
• Watch: ACC Network Extra | Roxy Bernstein (PxP) & Ben Braun (Analyst)
• Listen: 810 AM & Varsity Network App | Justin Allegri (PxP)
• Live Stats: Statbroadcast

 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP – CAL vs. CORNELL

• Series record: Tied, 1-1
• The Golden Bears and Big Red will play on the hardwood for just the third time ever and the first time in nearly 32 years. Cal lost that most recent meeting 74-54 on Dec. 30, 1992, in the Seton Hall Meadowlands Classic in South Orange, New Jersey.
• Cornell leads the country in assists per game (20.2) and is ninth nationally in 3-pointers made (11.3) and attempted (31.3).

 
STARTING FIVE
1. Strength In Numbers
Cal has flexed its roster depth in several games early this season, often deploying as many as 9-10 players in its rotation. Ten Bears are averaging 15-plus minutes per game and eight players have at least two double-figure scoring performances through nine games played. Cal is third among ACC teams with 27.8 bench points per game, highlighted by freshman Jeremiah Wilkinson, who is averaging 10.9 PPG for the season and recently averaged 20.8 PPG in a four-game span between Nov. 21-Dec. 3.
 
2. Bit Of This, Bit Of That
The Bears' increased physicality has translated to averaging 37.1 points in the paint and another 18.6 points at the free throw line per game, which makes out to be just more than 68% of their 81.4 PPG this season. Cal is also averaging 23.3 PPG from 3-point range and shooting 37% from deep, ranking third in the ACC.
 
3. Sophomore Leap
Andrej Stojakovic has emerged as a leading offensive threat for Cal in his first season with the Bears, averaging 19.4 PPG. The sophomore guard has scored 15 or more points in all nine games and 20-plus five times, including back-to-back games last week with a career-high 26 at Missouri and 25 against Stanford, his former team. Stojakovic has made multiple statistical jumps between his freshman to sophomore seasons, namely in scoring (7.8 PPG to 19.4 PPG) and rebounding (3.4 RPG to 4.9 RPG). He's also excelled at the free throw line, shooting 80.4% on 45 of 56 shooting after making only 19 of 36 attempts (52.8%) as a freshman at Stanford.
 
4. The Floor General
Graduate guard Jovan Blacksher Jr. returned from a three-game absence due to injury last week, averaging 13.0 PPG, 5.0 assists and 3.0 steals per game in two losses against Missouri and Stanford. Blacksher has been a critical piece of the Bears' success as he's averaged 32.0 minutes in his six games played while shooting 44.7% from 3 (17 of 38) on the way to 15.3 PPG. The experienced guard, now in his sixth collegiate season, is 54 points and 46 assists away from 1,500 and 1,000 for his career, respectively.
 
5. The Big Fellas
Cal has found success defending the rim and cleaning up on the glass with its big-man duo of Mady Sissoko and Lee Dort. The duo is averaging a combined 13.3 rebounds per game and 6.0 offensive rebounds per game, helping Cal win the rebounding battle in all nine contests while posting the ACC's second-best rebounding margin (7.6). Both bigs are shooting 60% or better with Sissoko and Dort averaging 7.1 and 4.8 PPG, respectively.
 
UP NEXT
Cal hosts Northwestern State on Saturday at noon PT. The Bears' nonconference home finale will air on ACC Network Extra (ACCNX).
 
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 TV's, 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/).