BERKELEY – The California men's basketball team will take aim at a third consecutive ACC win when it hosts Miami on Saturday. Tipoff is slated for 5:30 p.m. PT at Haas Pavilion and the contest will be aired on ESPNU and 810 AM.
 
GAME INFORMATION

• Date & Time: Saturday, Jan. 25 | 5:30 p.m. PT
• Location: Berkeley, California | Haas Pavilion
• Watch: ESPNU | Chris Sylvester (PxP) & Jerod Haase (Analyst)
• Listen: 810 AM & Varsity Network App | Justin Allegri (PxP) & Theo Robertson (Analyst)
• Live Stats: Statbroadcast

 
FAN HIGHLIGHTS

• Cal will celebrate Retro Night in Haas Pavilion.
• 1,000 students will receive limited-edition retro Oski jerseys.
• Fans can enjoy a pregame Beer (Bear) Garden, sponsored by The Bear's Lair Tavern. The garden opens at 3:30 p.m. PT on Spieker Plaza, with Haas Pavilion doors opening at 4:30 p.m. PT.
• The first 50 fans who show proof of a ticket after the game at The Bear's Lair Tavern will receive free fries with the purchase of a drink.

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INSIDE THE MATCHUP – CAL vs. MIAMI

• Series record: First meeting
• Miami is the only ACC team that Cal had not faced prior to joining the conference this season.
• Miami has lost eight consecutive games and is still seeking its first ACC win of the year. The Hurricanes have lost seven of their eight ACC games by double-figure points, including each of the past three by 35-plus.
• Jim Larrañaga, the all-time winningest head coach in Miami program history, stepped down on Dec. 26. Interim head coach Bill Courtney has led the program in seven games since.

 
STARTING FIVE
1. Strength In Numbers
The Golden Bears defeated Florida State 77-68 on Wednesday to notch their second straight ACC win, and did so without Andrej Stojakovic (18.9 PPG) – the ACC's fourth-leading scorer – who missed his first game of the season with the flu. Cal got a collective effort on the offensive end, as five Bears scored double figures for the second straight game, led by 18 points from Jeremiah Wilkinson in his first career start. Mady Sissoko (14 points, 13 rebounds, 5 blocks) and Rytis Petraitis (12 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists) set the tone with Cal's first two double-doubles of the season.
 
2. Clamping Down
Cal has taken key defensive strides in the past two games, leading to wins at NC State and vs. Florida State. The Bears held the Wolfpack (1 of 10) and the Seminoles (3 of 15) to a combined 4-of-25 shooting from 3-point range. In its 65-62 win in Raleigh last Saturday, Cal held NC State to six fast-break points; the Wolfpack entered the game with an ACC-best 16 fast-break points per game. Cal also grabbed a season-high 47 rebounds (including an ACC-best 24 on the offensive glass) against Florida State, the second-tallest team in NCAA Division I basketball.
 
3. #OurHaas
Cal continues a pivotal stretch of ACC play with four of its next five games at home through Feb. 8. The Bears are 8-3 inside Haas Pavilion this season and are averaging 80.4 points per game while outscoring foes by an 8.5-point margin. Miami is 0-8 away from home this season, including 0-4 in true road games.
 
4. The Big Fella
Mady Sissoko has played with inspiring effort the past few weeks, and the Bears have leaned on their team captain's performances en route to their first three ACC victories. Sissoko is averaging 10.6 PPG on 76% shooting (19 of 25), 9.0 RPG and 2.4 BPG in Cal's past five games (7.4 PPG and 7.2 RPG on the season). He's scored double figures in three straight games (Cal 2-1 in that span), most recently including a 14-point, 13-rebound effort against FSU in which he added a career-high five blocks.
 
5. Spark Plug
Freshman guard Jeremiah Wilkinson delivered an 18-point performance in his first career start Wednesday against FSU, helping the Bears overcome the absence of leading scorer Andrej Stojakovic. The rookie has been dynamic all season for Cal, scoring double figures 13 times in the past 15 games while ranking fifth among ACC freshmen in PPG (12.1). Prior to being inserted into the starting lineup Wednesday, Wilkinson ranked seventh nationally in scoring among players without a start.
 
UP NEXT
Cal travels to Dallas to face SMU on Wednesday. Tipoff at Moody Coliseum is at 6 p.m. PT/8 p.m. CT with an ACC Network broadcast.
 
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/).