Cal Men's Basketball vs. Cal State Bakersfield Live Chat: The 2024 Season-Opener is Here
Go Bears!
How to watch Cal v. Cal State Bakersfield college basketball
When: Monday, Nov. 4, 2024
Tip-Off Time: 8:30 p.m. Pacific
Where: Haas Pavilion in Berkeley, Calif.
TV: ACCNX (ACC Network via ESPN+)
Radio: Cal Bears Sports Network on KGO 810 AM or The Varsity Network app
The California Golden Bears complete a Monday double-header for men and women at Haas Pavilion when they play their season opener against Cal State Bakersfield.
Here’s a look at the new Cal Bears squad, via Cal Athletics:
3. Been There Before
Two of Cal's transfers – graduate center Mady Sissoko and graduate guard Jovan Blacksher Jr. – both reached the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 last March with Michigan State and Grand Canyon, respectively.
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Sissoko played in 121 career games across four NCAA Tournament squads at Michigan State and averaged 5.5 rebounds per game while shooting nearly 60% from the floor in the past two seasons. Blacksher, a former All-WAC first-team selection and the 2022-23 WAC Preseason Player of the Year, was a member of three NCAA Tournament teams with the Antelopes and has fully recovered from a knee injury that sidelined him for 11 months starting in early January 2023. The Oakland native averaged 11.0 points, 3.5 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 123 career games for Grand Canyon.
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4. Switching Sides
Sophomore guard Andrej Stojakovic will play for the Golden Bears this season after starting his collegiate career in the South Bay with rival Stanford. Stojakovic, a former McDonald's All-American and five-star recruit out of Jesuit High School in Carmichael, averaged 7.8 points and 3.4 rebounds per game across 32 contests for the Cardinal last year. The smooth-shooting, 6-foot-7 guard is the son of 13-year NBA veteran Peja Stojakovic.
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5. Experienced Group
Though Cal's 2024-25 roster is a nearly brand-new cast from a season ago, the locker room is filled with experienced collegiate players. Cal ranks sixth among ACC teams in career Division I minutes played (14,876) entering the season. Including Sissoko and Blacksher – who have played in a combined 244 games – the Bears added seven transfers who have at least two seasons of experience, including Joshua Ola-Joseph (junior, Minnesota), DeJuan (DJ) Campbell (junior, Western Carolina), BJ Omot (junior, North Dakota), Christian Tucker (senior, UTSA) and Rytis Petraitis (junior, Air Force).
Go Bears! Get year two of the Mark Madsen era on the right foot!
Go Bears! This will be a fun team to watch with good length, depth and energy.
Oakland’s own Blacksher is a PG’s PG. He’s the real deal. The Bears have several players that could run the offense this year if needed. Way more versatile and deeper than last year’s team.