Bears Challenge Syracuse At Haas

Kevin Cerritos/Cal Athletics

Lee Dort and the Golden Bears host their first of three straight home games against Syracuse on Saturday.

MBB1/31/2025 10:45 AM | By: Cal Athletics

Cal At Home For 3 Consecutive ACC Contests

BERKELEY – The California men’s basketball team will look to rebound from a midweek loss at SMU when it hosts Syracuse in Haas Pavilion on Saturday night. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. PT and the contest will be televised nationally on ESPN2, as well as 810 AM.
 
GAME INFORMATION

• Date & Time: Saturday, Feb. 1 | 7 p.m. PT
• Location: Berkeley, California | Haas Pavilion
• Watch: ESPN2 | Dave Pasch (PxP) & Theo Pinson (Analyst)
• Listen: 810 AM & Varsity Network App | Justin Allegri (PxP) & Theo Robertson (Analyst)
• Live Stats: Statbroadcast

INSIDE THE MATCHUP – CAL vs. SYRACUSE

• Series record: Syracuse leads, 3-1
• Cal and Syracuse clashed four times in a six-season span between 2009-14, each time in a neutral setting.
• The Bears lost their first three meetings with the Orange, including a 66-60 defeat in the 2013 NCAA Tournament Round of 32 in San Jose, before winning the most recent meeting 73-59 on Nov. 20, 2014, in the 2K Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York.
• Syracuse (9-12, 3-7 ACC) has lost three straight games and is 1-8 away from home (1-5 in true road games) this season.

STARTING FIVE
1. No Place Like Home
The Golden Bears (11-10, 4-6 ACC) are back in Haas Pavilion for three straight ACC home games starting Saturday against Syracuse. It’s a pivotal stretch for Cal, which is 9-3 inside Haas this season and 3-1 in its past four conference home games, including a sweep of Florida State and Miami last week. Cal is 15-5 at home since the start of January 2024 and got hot down the stretch last season, winning six of its final eight home games.
 
2. Strength In Numbers
The Bears have had to battle through injuries to key players of late, highlighted by leading scorer Andrej Stojakovic’s three-game absence due to a hip injury and an illness. Stojakovic (18.9 points per game – third in the ACC) was joined by starting center Mady Sissoko (concussion protocol) on the injury report Wednesday at SMU; it was Sissoko’s first missed game of the season and followed a torrid stretch in which he averaged 9.8 points on 75% shooting, 9.1 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game in six contests between Jan. 8-25.
 
Cal is 2-1 in three games without Stojakovic and has had multiple players step up on the offensive end, highlighted by Jeremiah Wilkinson (21.3 PPG in first three career starts), DJ Campbell (22-point effort vs. Miami) and Rytis Petraitis (season-high 18 points at SMU). The Bears have also averaged 13.3 assists per game in that three-game span, nearly three more than their season average (10.6 APG).
 
3. Rising Star
Freshman guard Jeremiah Wilkinson was named ACC Co-Rookie of the Week for the second time this season on Monday after averaging 24.0 PPG in games against the Seminoles and Hurricanes last week. Wilkinson, who has started the last three games in Stojakovic’s absence, added a 16-point effort at SMU on Wednesday, bumping his season scoring average to 13.1 PPG, tied for the fourth best among ACC freshmen. The left-hander has scored double figures in 15 of the past 17 games.
 
4. All Grit
Rytis Petraitis has won over the Golden Bear fan base with a do-it-all style of play, and he’s made the Bears a more dynamic team as a result. While much of Petraitis’ game doesn’t show up in the box score, he’s made his presence felt in ACC play with two double-doubles in the past three games – 18 points, 10 rebounds at SMU; 12 points, 13 rebounds (eight offensive) vs. Florida State – a 3.17 assist-to-turnover ratio (19 to 6) and 3.1 offensive rebounds per game.
 
5. Attack The Rim
The Bears are scoring more than 67% of their points in the paint or at the free throw line this season, signaling an emphasis on getting to the rim. Cal leads the ACC (24th nationally) with 17.3 free throws made per game and has scored 40-plus paint points five times, including in back-to-back games last week against Florida State and Miami.
 
UP NEXT
Cal’s home stand continues with a rematch against NC State on Wednesday. Tipoff is at 8 p.m. PT in Haas Pavilion.
 
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.
 
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