CLEMSON, S.C. – The California men's basketball team goes for its first ACC victory Saturday when it closes its conference-opening road trip at Clemson. The contest will be nationally televised on ESPN2 with tipoff set for 5:30 p.m. PT/8:30 p.m. ET at Littlejohn Coliseum.
 
Cal (7-6, 0-2 ACC) is coming off an 86-74 loss at Pitt on New Year's Day and is looking to regain momentum in the early stages of conference play, having won just once since the start of December following a 6-1 start to the season. Clemson (11-3, 3-0) enters the programs' third all-time meeting with an undefeated conference record, having already bested Miami on the road and Wake Forest and Stanford at home.
 
GAME INFORMATION

• Date & Time: Saturday, Jan. 4 | 5:30 p.m. PT/8:30 p.m. ET
• Location: Clemson, South Carolina | Littlejohn Coliseum
• Watch: ESPN2 | Wes Durham (PxP) & Dan Bonner (Analyst)
• Listen: 810 AM & Varsity Network App | Justin Allegri (PxP)
• Live Stats: Statbroadcast

INSIDE THE MATCHUP – CAL vs. CLEMSON

• Series record: Tied, 1-1
• Cal and Clemson meet for the third time ever and for the first time in a non-neutral setting.
• The programs clashed just two seasons ago in the Emerald Coast Classic third-place game on Nov. 26, 2022, when the Tigers earned a 67-59 win.
• The first meeting between the programs was the 1999 NIT Championship at Madison Square Garden in New York. A 3-point play by Cal's Geno Carlisle with 4.7 seconds left capped the Golden Bears' comeback and lifted them to a 61-60 victory. It still stands as Cal's most recent postseason championship.
• Cal's Rytis Petraitis and Clemson's Jake Heidbreder were teammates at Air Force two seasons ago (2022-23).

STARTING FIVE
1. Dre Day
Andrej Stojakovic has emerged as one of the top offensive threats in the ACC in his first season as a Golden Bear, ranking third in the conference with 19.1 points per game.  The sophomore guard is averaging 22.0 PPG in ACC competition so far with 25 points against Stanford on Dec. 7 and 19 at Pitt on Wednesday. Stojakovic does much more than score for the Bears, as he leads the team in blocks (1.3 BPG) and is third in rebounds (4.7 RPG) – he's also the only player in the country averaging at least 19.1 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 1.6 assists per game and 1.3 blocks per game. He's made dramatic improvements since transferring to Cal from rival Stanford, particularly in scoring (7.8 to 19.1 PPG), rebounding (3.4 to 4.7 RPG), blocks (0.1 to 1.3 BPG) and shooting splits (.409/.327/.528 to .440/.358/.833).
 
2. This Way Or That Way
Cal can generate points in a hurry, ranking fifth in the ACC with 78.5 points per game, and has proven it can put the ball in the hoop in a variety of ways. Cal is averaging 33.8 points per game in the paint, 24.2 points from 3-point range and 18.2 points at the free throw line. An emphasis on getting to the rim has resulted in the Bears scoring more than 65% of their points in the paint or at the free throw line, but they're dangerous from deep as well, ranking fifth in the ACC at 36.0% from 3-point range. Cal has knocked down 10 or more 3-pointers four times in the past seven contests.
 
3. Agent Zero
Freshman Jeremiah Wilkinson is making the most of his early opportunities in Cal's rotation, averaging 17.1 PPG with eight double-figure scoring efforts in the past nine games. Wilkinson, who scored 24 at Pitt on Wednesday, ranks fourth among ACC freshmen with 12.7 PPG on the season while averaging the fewest minutes played per game (20.7) of the five ACC rookies who are averaging double-figure points. The Powder Springs, Georgia, native is shooting 57.4% on 2-point attempts and can catch fire from deep with multiple 3-point makes in six games (33.9 3FG%).
 
4. Strength In Numbers
Cal relies on a deep cast, deploying 9-10 players in its rotation even with two key pieces (DJ Campbell and BJ Omot) missing most of nonconference play due to injuries. Omot remains out for an indefinite period, but Campbell returned to action in Cal's nonconference finale vs. San Diego State (Dec. 21) and started at Pitt on Wednesday, providing the Bears with a defensive boost. Cal's depth is evident with 26.6 bench points per game, the third most in the ACC. Wilkinson fuels the Bears' bench production – his 12.7 PPG rank eighth nationally among players with zero starts (and first among freshmen).
 
5. New Year, New Battles
After hosting rival and fellow ACC newcomer Stanford in its conference opener on Dec. 7, Cal opens the 2025 calendar year and the rest of its inaugural ACC slate with first-time road games at Pitt and Clemson. The Bears have played true road games against just four of its conference counterparts (aside from Stanford), going 1-4 combined in such contests against UNC, SMU, Virginia and Wake Forest.
 
Cal led by as many as 16 points in the first half on New Year's Day at Pitt before ultimately falling 86-74 to drop to 0-2 in ACC play.
 
UP NEXT
Cal hosts Virginia on Wednesday in its first home game since Dec. 14. Tipoff is at 8 p.m. PT and the contest will be aired on ESPNU.
 
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
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