By R.L. Bynum
No. 14 North Carolina (14–3, 2–2 ACC) at California (13–5, 1–4)
When: 4 p.m. ET Saturday
Where: Haas Pavilion, which is 2,805 miles from the Smith Center, the farthest for an ACC game in UNC program history (17 miles farther away than Stanford’s Maples Pavilion) and Carolina’s first game there in 54 years; Wednesday’s loss to No. 6 Duke drew 11,201, Cal’s first sellout in two seasons.
TV: ACC Network: Wes Durham play-by-play, Dennis Scott analyst (they also worked Wednesday’s Duke-Cal game)
Radio: Tar Heel Sports Network (affiliates list; streams on the Varsity Network app); Jones Angell play-by-play, Tyler Zeller analyst
Line: UNC +12½
Over/under: 48½
Coaches: Mark Madsen (110–93 in 7th season; 40–42 in third season at Cal) and Hubert Davis (115–48 overall and 58–26 in the ACC in fifth season, all at UNC; was 228–95 in nine seasons as a UNC assistant coach)
UNC projected starters: Kyan Evans, Seth Trimble, Jarin Stevenson, Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar
Series: UNC leads 5–1 (see list below), including winning 64–61 on Dec. 22, 1972, in the first meeting and the only one at Cal.
Quad designation: Cal’s NET ranking is 68, making this a Quad 1 game. With UNC’s NET ranking at 30, it’s barely a Quad 1 game for Cal
Common opponents: none
California results
— 1–4 in Quad 1 games: win over UCLA; losses vs. Duke, at Virginia, vs. Louisville and at Virginia Tech
— 1–1 in Quad 2 games: win vs. Notre Dame; loss at Kansas State
— 4–0 in Quad 3 games: home wins vs. Wright State, Pacific, Columbia and Utah
— 6–0 in Quad 4 games: home wins over Cal State Fullerton, Presbyterian, Cal State Bakersfield, Northwestern State, Sacramento State and Morgan State.
— 0–3 against teams currently ranked: losses vs. Louisville, Duke and at Virginia
Nov. 3: 87–60 win vs. CSU Bakersfield
Nov. 6: 77–67 win vs. Wright State
Nov. 10: 93–65 win vs. Cal State Fullerton
Nov. 13: 99–96 loss at Kansas State
Nov. 18: 67–57 win vs. Presbyterian
Nov. 21: 91–67 win vs. Sacramento State
Nov. 25: 80–72 win vs. UCLA in San Francisco (Bruins were No. 18 at the time)
Dec. 2: 79–72 win vs. Utah
Dec. 6: 67–61 win vs. Pacific
Dec. 9: 93–71 win vs. Dominican
Dec. 13: 79–70 win vs. Northwestern State
Dec. 19: 97–50 win vs. Morgan State
Dec. 21: 74–56 win vs. Columbia
Dec. 30: 90–70 loss vs. No. 20 Louisville
Jan. 2: 72–61 win vs. Notre Dame
Jan. 7: 84–60 loss at No. 16 Virginia
Saturday: 78–75 loss at Virginia Tech
Wednesday: 71–56 loss vs. No. 6 Duke
Projected Cal starters
No. 7 | G | Dai Dai Ames (top photo) | 6–2, 190 | junior | Virginia transfer
— Team-leading 17.3 points (9th in the ACC), 48.8 FG% (11th in the ACC); team-leading 43.4 3P% (1.8 3s per game, 24th in the ACC), 85.7 FT% (4th in the ACC), 1.8 rebounds; totals of 46 assists, 28 turnovers and 17 steals
— Cal is his third school, after playing at Kansas State as a freshman and Virginia as a sophomore
— Started 27 games for the Cavaliers last season, averaging 8.7 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists
— Scored career-high 27 points on 11 of 16 shooting last season at Pitt
— Scored season-high 25 points at Kansas State (5 3-pointers) on Nov. 13 and vs. Utah on Dec. 2
— Scored a season-high six 3-pointers Nov. 10 against Cal State Fullerton
— Scored Cal’s final 11 points to key the Bears’ rally to beat Notre Dame on Jan. 2 (highlights below)
No. 10 | PG | Justin Pippen | 6–3, 190 | sophomore | Michigan transfer
— 14.4 points (18th in the ACC), 37.1 FG%, 33.7 3P%, 80.7 FT% (14th in the ACC), 3.6 rebounds; totals of 64 assists (4.0 per game, 12th in the ACC), 35 turnovers, 12 blocks, 34 steals (2.1 per game, 2nd in the ACC); 1.8 assist-to-turnover ratio (18th in the ACC)
— Son of Hall of Fame player Scottie Pippen and brother of Memphis Grizzlies player Scotty Pippen Jr.
— Averaged 6.7 minutes per game last season for the Wolverines
— Scored career-high 24 points on Dec. 9 against Dominican (highlights below)
— Has three 3-pointers in six games, most recently in Cal’s 72–71 home win Jan. 2 over Notre Dame
No. 22 | F | Chris Bell | 6–7, 195 | senior | Syracuse transfer
— 13.3 points, 44.3 FG%, 33.7 3P%, team-leading 89.7 FT% (leading the ACC), 2.6 rebounds; totals of 13 assists, 22 turnovers, 12 blocks, 10 steals
— Started all 32 games as a sophomore with the Orange (averaging 12.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 27 minutes) and the first 13 last season (averaging 9.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 21.5 minutes)
— His season high last season was 23 points on 7 of 12 3-point shooting on Feb. 18 against Pittsburgh
— Scored career-highs of 30 points and eight 3-pointers for Syracuse against Louisville on Feb. 7, 2024 (highlights below). He also scored eight 3s on Feb. 20, 2024, against N.C. State
— Scored season-high 28 points (with four 3-pointers) on Dec. 19 against Morgan State (highlights below)
— Has multiple 3-pointers in six games, including seven on Nov. 13 at Kansas State
No. 2 | F | John Camden | 6–8, 220 | graduate | Delaware transfer
— 13.1 points, 44.3 FG%, 38.5 3P% (5th in the ACC; 2.5 3s per game, 8th in the ACC), 83.7 FT%, 4.6 rebounds; totals of 30 assists, 16 turnovers, 6 blocks, 11 steals
— Cal is his fourth school. Played freshman season at Memphis (suffered season-ending injury in the opener), the next two seasons at Virginia Tech and made All-CAA Second Team last season at Delaware, leading the Blue Hens in scoring (16.8 points per game) and rebounding (5.5).
— Scored a career-high 36 points (with 8 3-pointers), last season against William & Mary in the CAA tournament.
— Scored season-highs of 25 points and six 3-pointers on Dec. 13 against Northwestern State (highlights below)
— Has 25 career games with at least three 3-pointers, including a career-high nine for Delaware against St. John’s on Dec. 28, 2024, when he scored 35 points.
No. 34 | F | Lee Dort | 6–10, 235 | senior | Vanderbilt transfer in his second season at Cal
— 8.7 points, team-leading 61.7 FG%, 70.2 FT%, team-leading 7.6 rebounds (11th in the ACC); totals of 19 assists, 19 turnovers, 18 blocks, 8 steals
— Played only one game for the Commodores two seasons ago after playing 17 as a freshman. Played 33 games for Cal last season, averaging 3.6 points, 4.6 blocks and 14.3 minutes per game
— Scored career-high 15 points twice this season: Nov. 3 against Cal State Bakersfield and Nov. 18 against Presbyterian; his best game since then was 14 points Wednesday against Duke.
— Had four blocks Dec. 21 against Columbia
More on Tar Heels
— Heels’ NET ranking falls to season-low as NCAA résumé takes hit
— UNC couldn’t stop what Wilson says was ‘the same play, pretty much’
— Dreadful defense, another elite guard burn Tar Heels again
— Watch, read about best games, biggest individual efforts in Smith Center history
UNC’s keys to the game
Pace and shot selection — UNC is at its best when it plays fast but under control. Cal will try to slow possessions, force late-clock decisions, and turn the game into a half-court battle. The Tar Heels need to push opportunistically without settling for quick, contested shots.
Rebounding margin — This is always a UNC calling card, although a 33–23 advantage against Stanford wasn’t enough. Offensive rebounds can break Cal’s defensive effort and create easy points. If Cal can limit second chances and hold its own on the glass, it could keep the game within reach.
Inside strength vs. perimeter reliance — UNC wants the ball inside with post feeds, drives, and paint touches that collapse the defense. Cal’s priority will be to keep UNC out of the lane, be physical and force jump shots. How efficiently UNC scores inside could dictate the afternoon.
Cal’s 3-point shooting — Cal needs perimeter scoring to stretch the floor and keep UNC honest. If the Bears, who make 35.31% of their 3-point attempts (6th in the ACC, 109th in the country) and 8.6 per game (9th, 122nd), knock down open threes like Stanford, Wake Forest and SMU did, it changes defensive coverage and crowd energy. The Bears have double-digit 3-pointers in nine games this season, including 15 twice. Cold shooting makes the Bears’ margin for error thin. The mistakes on switches against Stanford can’t be repeated at Cal. UNC has won 17 consecutive games when it scores more 3-pointers.
Defensive discipline without fouling — UNC’s athleticism can overwhelm, but fouls give Cal free points and slow tempo. Staying solid in help defense and limiting trips to the line is key. But it’s been a mighty struggle defensively in league play for the Tar Heels.
Avoid turnovers — Road games magnify turnovers. UNC needs clean entries and strong decisions against pressure after turning the ball over 11 times at Stanford. Cal will look to create steals to generate transition opportunities and easy baskets.
Early energy vs. late execution — UNC wants to establish control early. Cal’s goal is to hang around and make it a one- or two-possession game late, where execution, free throws and poise decide it. The final minutes didn’t go well at Stanford.
Notes
— Cal began the season 12–1, the program’s best start since the 1959–60 team went 28–1 and made the NCAA tournament championship game. The Bears are 1–4 since then, though, all ACC games and have lost their last three games.
— The Bears have to players who are sons of former NBA stars: starter Justin Pippen (father is Hall of Fame player former Chicago Bulls star Scottie Pippen) and reserve Stephon Marbury II (father Stephon Marbury Sr. played 24 seasons in the NBA and the Chinese Baskeball Association).
— Reserve graduate Campbell transfer guard Nolan Dorsey, who has also played two seasons at Holy Cross and one at New Mexico, played his high school ball at Raleigh’s Millbrook High School.
— Cal’s field-goal percentage (45.0%) is 14th in the ACC, but it is the best free-throw shooting team in the league (79.3%). Chris Bell leads the ACC at 89.7%, Dai Dai Ames is fourth at 85.7% and Pippen is 14th at 80.7%.
— The Bears are one of the worst rebounding teams in the league: Last in rebounds (34.4 per game; 15th in league play at 30.4) and offensive rebounds (9.4; 17th in league play at 8.2) and 17th in rebounding margin (-1.8; last in league play at -11.8).
— Caleb Wilson leads the country with 55 dunks and Henri Veesar is sixth with 37. Either has led UNC in scoring and rebounding in 15 of 17 games and the have accounted for 45.4% of the team’s scoring, 48.6% of its rebounding, 47.9% of field goals and 50.2% of free-throw attempts.
— SMU, Wake Forest and Stanford have combined to shoot 55.0% from the floor (99 of 180) and make 48.9% of their 3-point attempts (44 of 90).
— Carolina has set program records for most 3-pointers allowed in two consecutive games (30; 14 by the Deacons and 16 by the Cardinal), three consecutive games (44; 14 by SMU, 14 by WF and 16 by Stanford) and four consecutive games (56; 12 by Florida State, 14 by SMU, 14 by WF and 16 by Stanford).
— UNC opponents have shot better than 50% in five of the last six halves (Wake Forest shot 44% in teh first half). That happened twice in the previous 28 halves (second half against Michigan State and first half against Kentucky.)
— Before the SMU game, the Tar Heels had held six consecutive opponents to below 40% shooting for the first time since the 2014–15 season.
— The Tar Heels’ 8.47 3-pointers per game is just under the school record of 8.67 by the 2018–19 team but the 25.06 attempts per game is more than the record of 23.94 taken by that 2018–19 team.
UNC season statistics
All games
ACC games
Cal season statistics
All games
ACC games
Statistical comparison
All games/ACC games
| Category | UNC | Cal |
| NET ranking | 30 | 68 |
| Points per game | 82.2/84.8 | 78.5/66.6 |
| Scoring defense | 68.7/85.5 | 70.1/78.8 |
| Scoring margin | +13.5/-0.8 | +8.4/-12.2 |
| FG% | 48.1/50.0 | 45.0/38.2 |
| 3P FG % | 33.8/34.3 | 35.3/26.8 |
| 3P per game | 8.5/8.5 | 8.6/6.8 |
| FT% | 67.9/66.3 | 79.3/81.8 |
| FG% defense | 39.3/49.6 | 41.9/45.2 |
| 3FG% defense | 32.7/43.1 | 30.6/30.3 |
| Opponent 3P/game | 8.0/14.0 | 7.5/9.2 |
| Rebounds per game | 40.9/36.3 | 34.4/30.4 |
| Offensive rebounds/game | 11.9/11.5 | 11.6/8.2 |
| Rebounding margin | +8.2/+7.3 | -1.8/-11.8 |
| Assists per game | 17.1/16.5 | 14.4/12.2 |
| Turnovers per game | 10.2/10.8 | 9.7/8.8 |
| Assist-to-turnover ratio | 1.7/1.5 | 1.5/1.4 |
| Turnovers forced/game | 9.6/9.3 | 12.3/9.65 |
KenPom comparison
| Category | UNC | Cal |
| Overall ranking | 35 | 83 |
| Offensive efficiency | 121.2 (33) | 114.0 (98) |
| Defensive efficiency | 101.8 (52) | 103.7 (74) |
| Possession length | 16.4 (74) | 17.0 (131) |
| Effective FG% | 55.2 (52) | 52.8 (121) |
| Turnover % | 14.7 (44) | 14.6 (40) |
| Offensive rebound % | 35.1 (61) | 26.7 (305) |
| FTA/FGA | 41.0 (64) | 38.1 (127) |
| 3FGA/FGA | 42.2 (134) | 42.3 (131) |
| Assist/FG% | 59.7 (39) | 56.9 (85) |
| Strength of schedule | 83 | 141 |
Series: UNC 5, Cal 1
| Team | League | Overall | NET* |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 6 Duke | 5–0 | 16–1 | 3 |
| No. 22 Clemson | 5–0 | 15–3 | 28 |
| Miami | 4–0 | 15–2 | 31 |
| No. 16 Virginia | 4–1 | 15–2 | 14 |
| N.C. State | 3–1 | 12–5 | 29 |
| Syracuse | 3–1 | 12–5 | 64 |
| Stanford | 3–2 | 14–4 | 63 |
| No. 14 North Carolina | 2–2 | 14–3 | 30 |
| No. 24 SMU | 2–2 | 13–4 | 32 |
| Virginia Tech | 2–3 | 13–5 | 55 |
| No. 20 Louisville | 2–3 | 12–5 | 20 |
| Notre Dame | 1–3 | 10–7 | 74 |
| Wake Forest | 1–3 | 10–7 | 59 |
| Pittsburgh | 1–3 | 8–9 | 101 |
| California | 1–4 | 13–5 | 68 |
| Georgia Tech | 1–4 | 10–8 | 163 |
| Boston College | 0–4 | 7–10 | 183 |
| Florida State | 0–4 | 7–10 | 134 |
* — Through Thursday games
Tuesday’s results
No. 22 Clemson 74, Boston College 50
Miami 81, Notre Dame 69
No. 16 Virginia 79, No. 20 Louisville 70
Syracuse 94, Florida State 86
Wednesday’s results
Stanford 95, No. 14 North Carolina 90
Pittsburgh 89, Georgia Tech 66
SMU 77, Virginia Tech 76
No. 6 Duke 71, California 56
Saturday’s games
No. 16 Virginia at SMU, noon, ESPN2
Notre Dame at Virginia Tech, noon, ACC Network
Georgia Tech at N.C. State, noon, The CW
Syracuse at Boston College, 2 p.m., ACC Network
Miami at No. 22 Clemson, 2:15, The CW
No. 14 North Carolina at California, 4 p.m., ACC Network
No. 6 Duke at Stanford, 6 p.m., ACC Network
Wake Forest at Florida State, 6 p.m., ESPN
No. 20 Louisville at Pittsburgh, 8 p.m., ESPN2
Tuesday’s games
N.C. State at No. 22 Clemson, 7 p.m., ACC Network
Florida State at Miami, 7 p.m., ESPNU
SMU at Wake Forest, 9 p.m., ACC Network
Wednesday, Jan. 21, games
Notre Dame at No. 14 North Carolina, 7 p.m., ESPN2
Pittsburgh at Boston College, 7 p.m., ACC Network
Virginia Tech at Syracuse, 9 p.m., ACC Network
| Date | Month/day | Time | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 24 | Friday | L, 78–76 | vs. No. 11 BYU in SLC | Exhib. |
| 29 | Wednesday | W, 95–53 | vs. Winston-Salem St. | Exhib. |
| November | ||||
| 3 | Monday | W, 94–54 | vs. Central Arkansas | 1–0 |
| 7 | Friday | W, 87–74 | vs. Kansas | 2–0 |
| 11 | Tuesday | W, 89–74 | vs. Radford | 3–0 |
| 14 | Friday | W, 97–53 | vs. N.C. Central | 4–0 |
| 18 | Tuesday | W, 73–61 | vs. Navy | 5–0 |
| Fort Myers Tip-Off | ||||
| 25 | Tuesday | W, 85–70 | vs. St. Bonaventure | 6–0 |
| 27 | Thursday | L, 74–58 | vs. No. 12 Michigan State | 6–1 |
| December | ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge | |||
| 2 | Tuesday | W, 67–64 | at Kentucky | 7–1 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 7 | Sunday | W, 81–61 | vs. Georgetown | 8–1 |
| 13 | Saturday | W, 80–62 | vs. USC Upstate | 9–1 |
| 16 | Tuesday | W, 77–58 | vs. ETSU | 10–1 |
| CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta | ||||
| 20 | Saturday | W, 71–70 | vs. Ohio State | 11–1 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 22 | Monday | W, 99–51 | vs. East Carolina | 12–1 |
| 30 | Tuesday | W, 79–66 | vs. Florida State | 13–1, 1–0 ACC |
| January | ||||
| 3 | Saturday | L, 97–83 | at SMU | 13–2, 1–1 |
| 10 | Saturday | W, 87–84 | vs. Wake Forest | 14–2, 2–1 |
| 14 | Wednesday | L, 95–90 | at Stanford | 14–3, 2–2 |
| 17 | Saturday | 4 p.m. | at California | ACCN |
| 21 | Wednesday | 7 p.m. | vs. Notre Dame | ESPN2 |
| 24 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | at No. 16 Virginia | ESPN |
| 31 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | at Georgia Tech | ACCN |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Monday | 7 p.m. | vs. Syracuse | ESPN |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | vs. No. 6 Duke | ESPN |
| 10 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | at Miami | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 14 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | vs. Pittsburgh | ESPN |
| 17 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | at N.C. State | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 21 | Saturday | 1 p.m. | at Syracuse | ABC |
| 23 | Monday | 7 p.m. | vs. No. 20 Louisville | ESPN |
| 28 | Saturday | 6:30 or 8:30 | vs. Virginia Tech | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| March | ||||
| 3 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | vs. No. 22 Clemson | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | at No. 6 Duke | ESPN |
| 10–14 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament | Spectrum Center, Charlotte |
Photo via @CalMBBall
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