CAL GOLDEN BEARS (3-1) vs. PRESBYTERIAN BLUE HOSE (3-3)
Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025 • 7 p.m. PT • Berkeley, Calif. • Haas Pavilion
 
CAL GOLDEN BEARS vs. SACRAMENTO STATE
Friday, Nov. 21, 2025 • 7 p.m. PT • Berkeley, Calif. • Haas Pavilion
GIVEAWAY: Oski Plushies

NEXT UP
California begins action in the Empire Classic next week, setting up for three games in a week's span. The Golden Bears (3-1) play the first two games of the event on home turf, hosting Presbyterian (3-3) in the first-ever meeting between Cal and the Blue Hose at 7 p.m. on Tuesday (Nov. 18) at Haas Pavilion. A few days later, the Bears take on visiting Sacramento State (3-2) at 7 p.m. on Friday (Nov. 21) at Haas.
 

FOLLOW ALONG
Cal's clashes with Presbyterian and Sacramento State will air on ACC Network Extra (ACCNX) with Roxy Bernstein and Ben Braun on the calls. Fans can also catch Justin Allegri on the Cal Bears Sports Network radio broadcast on 810 AM and The Varsity App.
 

FOR FANS
Cal's November 21 game vs. Sacramento State will feature a special giveaway of Oski Plushies for Cal students at Haas Pavilion.
 

AROUND THE CORNER
The Empire Classic finale will take place at Chase Center in San Francisco on November 25, featuring the Bears against UCLA at 7 p.m. in a game that will be televised on ESPN.
 

LAST ACTION
Cal carved down a 25-point deficit with help from a hot 3-point outing in the second half but came up just short of host Kansas State in a 99-96 loss to the Wildcats in Manhattan, Kansas. Chris Bell drained seven of Cal's 15 threes on the night — including five in the last five minutes of play — and Dai Dai Ames added five of his own in a wild one to mark the Golden Bears' first road test of the season.
- K-State was highly effective on the offensive end out of the gates, going 5-of-5 from 3-point range in the first 10 minutes and wrapping the half shooting 68 percent overall to lead things 55-34 at halftime. Cal was shooting 43 percent from the floor in those first 20 minutes, unable to match the scoring production of its host to that point. The Wildcats also led on the boards 17-10 and had three players in double figures at the break.
- The Bears put in work in the second half, heating up to 67.6 percent in those 20 minutes while hitting 12 of 19 threes, but Cal still came up just short of the Wildcats. K-State finished out the three-point win shooting 64.4 percent overall with nine 3-pointers landed. Cal finished up at 56.5 percent overall with 15 threes hit and outrebounding its host 26-25. Both teams also had 17 assists apiece, while K-State was 14-of-21 from the free-throw line and Cal was 11-of-14 from the stripe.
- Chris Bell led all scorers with 27 points for the Bears and was joined in double digits once again by Dai Dai Ames (25 points) along with Justin Pippen (14) and Lee Dort (10).
- K-State was paced by PJ Haggerty's 23 points along with 21 from Khamari McGriff, 20 from Nate Johnson and 16 from David Castillo.
- TT Carr scored his first points as a Bear when he went 2-for-2 from the free-throw line in the first half and finished with six total points.
- Carr also set career highs with six rebounds and five assists.
- Nolan Dorsey hit his first 3-pointer as a Bear with his strike in the first half.
- Dhiaukuei Manyiel Dut recorded a career-high three blocks.
- Chris Bell made a season-high seven 3-pointers — one short of his career high.
- Dai Dai Ames scored a season-high 25 points and tied his career high of seven assists.
- Ames also recorded a career-high five steals.
- For the second straight game, Ames missed only a single 3-pointer (6-of-7 vs. CSF, 5-of-6 at K-State).
- For the third straight game, Ames did not miss a free throw.
- John Camden had a season-high three assists.
- Ames (25) and Pippen (14) have both now scored in double digits in all four games this season.
- Dut scored his first points as a Bear tonight with his basket in the second half, and recorded his first career steal.
- Cal recorded a season-high 21 assists
- Cal had four players score in double digits for the fourth straight game.
- With 93 points scored vs. Cal State Fullerton and 96 at K-State, Cal has recorded back-to-back games with 90+ points scored for the first time since 2014.
 

BALANCED BEARS
All five Cal starters are averaging in double figures through the first four games of the year.
- Dai Dai Ames and Justin Pippen have hit double digits in all four games, with Chris Bell hitting the mark in the last three games.
 

ALL DAY DAI DAI
Dai Dai Ames leads Cal in scoring with 22.5 points per game thanks to an 11-of-13 effort from 3-point range in the Bears' last two games — only one miss in each game. He's also made all but one free throw this season (10-of-11).
- Ames is on pace to rank among Cal's best single-season scorers. His 22.5 points per game would rank him No. 3 all-time as a Bear.
Cal Single-Season Scoring Average
1. Ed Gray 1996-97 24.8
2. Lamond Murray 1993-94 24.3
3. Dai Dai Ames 2025-26 22.5
T4. Mark McNamara 1981-82 22.0
T4. Russ Critchfield 1967-68 22.0
T5. Ryan Anderson 2007-08 21.1
T5. Shareef Abdur-Rahim 1995-96 21.1
 

BELL RINGER
Chris Bell hit five 3-pointers in four minutes of play at Kansas State to help turn a 17-point deficit into a six-point margin with 37 seconds left. The Bears came up short in a 99-96 loss, although Bell finished with a season-high 27 points on 7-of-9 shooting from 3-point range.
 

FIRST TIME OUT
In Cal's season opener, seven newcomers scored their first points as Bears: Dai Dai Ames (18 points), Chris Bell (5), John Camden (22), Nolan Dorsey (2), Milos Ilic (4), Mantas Kocanas (2) and Justin Pippen (15). In their second season at Cal, sophomores BJ Fisher and Stephon Marbury II both checked in for their first official court time as Bears vs. CSUB.
Also making their Cal debuts vs. the Roadrunners were transfer Dhiaukuei Manyiel Dut and true freshmen Luke Butler and TT Carr.
Cal's season-opening win marked the 300th victory recorded by the Bears at Haas Pavilion.
 

HOT START
Cal's 3-0 start to 2025-26 was its first since the 2019-20 season when the Bears opened at 4-0.
- The Bears recorded 90+ points in the last two games —­ the first time Cal has done so since 2014.
- Cal scored a season-high 96 points at Kansas State on a season-best 56.5% shooting along with 53.6% from 3-point range.
 

CENTURY CLUB
Cal's 93-65 win over Cal State Fullerton on November 10 marked Mark Madsen's 100th career victory as a head coach.
 

ACC EXPERIENCE
As Cal enters its second season as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Bears boast a couple players who have already logged hours as members of the ACC prior to arriving in Berkeley. Dai Dai Ames comes to Cal after one season at Virginia, and Chris Bell joins the Bears after three seasons at Syracuse.
 

CAREER CLIMBERS
Several Bears are in reach of milestone marks in their collegiate careers this season. Keep an eye on each one as they climb on! (Totals entering Nov. 18 game vs. Presbyterian)
SR F Rytis Petraitis — 993 career points
SR F Chris Bell — 950 career points
GS C Milos Ilic — 484 career rebounds | 838 career points
 

NEW CREW
HC Mark Madsen has a haul of new talent on board for his third season at the helm of the Cal program. Of the 13 newcomers to the roster, nine are transfers and four are true freshmen.
 

LONG GAME
Of Cal's nine transfer additions, six are post players who stretch the Bears' size in the frontcourt. Spanning from 6-foot-7 Chris Bell to 7-footer Dhiaukuei Manyeil Dut, the group checks in at an average of 6-foot-9.
 

BACK FOR MORE
Cal returns three Bears who saw time in the starting lineup last season — F Rytis Petraitis (29 starts), G DeJuan Campbell (16) and F Lee Dort (1).
 

TV TIME
Cal is locked in with 19 televised tests in its second season in the Atlantic Coast Conference. All 18 of the Golden Bears' ACC regular-season games will be televised, along with a nonconference clash against UCLA at Chase Center as part of the Empire Classic.
In all, Cal will play four times on ESPN's family of networks – ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU – along with 15 games on the ACC Network. Cal's 11 nonconference home games will stream on ACCNX.
 

Mark Madsen is one of four NCAA Division I head coaches that played in the NBA and won an NBA title during their playing careers. Madsen is the only one of those four coaches to have won two NBA titles, both coming with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2001 and 2002.
Name (School) NBA Title(s)
Speedy Claxton (Hofstra) 2003, San Antonio
Mark Madsen (Cal) 2001, '02 (Los Angeles Lakers)
Darrell Walker (Little Rock) 1993, Chicago
Mo Williams (Jackson State) 2016, Cleveland
 

CALIFORNIA THROUGH AND THROUGH
"California Through and Through" is more than a slogan – it's a statement of identity, pride and our trajectory as Cal Men's Basketball. Just like our state, our program is engaging, diverse and inspiring. We have a rich history and legacy, and we have a bright future. Being California Through and Through means we celebrate our community and our place within it.
 

GET TICKETS
Season tickets for 2025-26 can be purchased by visiting CalBears.com/Tickets, calling 800-GO-BEARS (462-3277) or emailing goldstandard@berkeley.edu.
 

SUPPORT THE BEARS
Fans can support the Golden Bears through the Cal Men's Basketball Excellence Initiative.

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