RALEIGH, N.C. – The California men's basketball team will look to end its trip through Tobacco Road on a high note Saturday when it faces NC State in ACC play. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. PT/6 p.m. ET at the Lenovo Center and ACC Network will televise the contest.
 
Cal (8-9, 1-5 ACC) dropped below .500 for the first time this season Wednesday with a 79-53 loss at North Carolina, its largest margin of defeat this season. The Golden Bears are seeking their first ACC road win of the season against a NC State (9-8, 2-4) squad that has lost two in a row and four of its past five.
 
GAME INFORMATION

• Date & Time: Saturday, Jan. 18 | 3 p.m. PT/6 p.m. ET
• Location: Raleigh, North Carolina | Lenovo Center
• Watch: ACC Network | Jay Alter (PxP) & Debbie Antonelli (Analyst)
• Listen: 810 AM & Varsity Network App | Justin Allegri (PxP)
• Live Stats: Statbroadcast

 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP – CAL vs. NC STATE

• Series record: Tied, 1-1
• Cal and NC State have only clashed twice, both occasions coming in the first round of the 2003 and 2006 NCAA Tournaments.
• Freshman Richard Midgley drained a go-ahead 3-pointer with 3.9 seconds left in overtime to send Cal to a 76-74 win over NC State in the first round of the 2003 NCAA Tournament East Regional in Oklahoma City.
• The Wolfpack won the second meeting 56-52 in the 2006 first round in Dallas; Cameron Bennerman's 3-pointer with 32.3 seconds left broke a 52-52 tie.
• NC State is one of eight ACC foes the Bears hadn't faced in a home/away setting prior to 2024-25, Cal's inaugural season as a member of the conference.

 
STARTING FIVE
1. Dre Day
Andrej Stojakovic has proven he's one of the top offensive threats in the ACC in his first season as a Golden Bear, despite an uncharacteristic night at North Carolina on Wednesday (six points on 3-of-13 shooting). The sophomore guard is 22nd nationally and second in the conference with 19.5 points per game, and has been even better against ACC foes, averaging 21.2 PPG in six such games.
 
Stojakovic has made dramatic improvements since transferring to Cal from rival Stanford, namely in scoring; his +11.7 PPG increase from 2023-24 to 2024-25 (7.8 to 19.5 PPG) is the second-best improvement among all major conference players this season. He's also made jumps in rebounding (3.4 to 4.4 RPG), blocks (0.1 to 1.1 BPG) and his shooting splits (.409/.327/.528 to .449/.329/.841).
 
2. Road Battles
The Bears had been competitive on the road against stiff competition prior to a 26-point loss at North Carolina – their largest margin of defeat this season – on Wednesday but are just 1-5 in such games. Cal's lone road win was a 71-66 defeat of USC on Nov. 17. The Bears held double-figure leads in two of those five road losses – 18 points at Missouri & 16 points at Pitt – and will look to have better success Saturday against NC State.
 
3. Spark Plug
Freshman Jeremiah Wilkinson has been dynamite coming off the bench for Cal, with his 11.8 PPG leading the nation among freshmen who have not started a game this season. The rookie has scored in double figures 11 times in the past 13 games (14.5 PPG in that span) and ranks fifth among ACC freshmen in scoring. Wilkinson has played the fewest minutes per game (21.0 MPG) of the five ACC freshmen who are averaging double-figure points. Wilkinson is a driving force behind Cal's 24.9 bench points per game, which rank sixth in the ACC.
 
4. The Big Fella
The Bears have leaned on graduate center Mady Sissoko's leadership and steady play all season. Sissoko tied a career high with 16 points on 8-of-9 shooting Wednesday at North Carolina, marking his sixth double-figure scoring effort this season; he only scored 10-plus point seven times in 124 career games at Michigan State prior to arriving in Berkeley. Sissoko leads the Bears in rebounding (7.0 RPG) and has excelled on the offensive glass with 2.94 offensive boards per game, the sixth-best mark in the ACC. The big man posted a monster stat line with nine points, 11 rebounds and a career-high four blocks against Virginia last Wednesday to help Cal earn its first-ever ACC win.
 
5. Mo' Buckets
Cal can generate points in a variety of ways, averaging 33.3 PPG in the paint, 22.1 PPG from 3-point range and 17.2 PPG at the free throw line. Cal's emphasis on attacking the rim was evident last Wednesday against Virginia, with 30 points in the paint and 27 points at the free throw line (27 of 33). Cal scores more than 66% of its points in the paint or at the free throw line.
 
UP NEXT
Cal is back in the friendly confines of Haas Pavilion next week to host Florida State on Wednesday. Tipoff is at 6 p.m. PT and the contest will be carried by ACC Network.
 
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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