Tag: Cal Golden Bears

Getting to know UNC’s next basketball opponent: California Golden Bears

Here’s a few factoids you should know about the Cal Golden Bears’ basketball program.

The North Carolina Tar Heels are riding their best stretch of college basketball season, winning their last three games and climbing back into the NCAA Tournament picture.

UNC started its winning streak with a close, 1-point win at Notre Dame. After dominating SMU at home, North Carolina escaped rival NC State, 63-61, in Raleigh on a game-ending sequence from Jalen Washington.

The Tar Heels (11-6, 4-1 ACC) now return home, facing conference newcomer Cal for a 7 p.m. tip-off on Wednesday, January 15.

If you like watching Pac-12 basketball, you may know a bit about the Golden Bears (8-8, 1-4). If you didn’t watch Pac-12 hoops – or even if you did – we’re here to tell you a bit about UNC’s next opponent.

Historically, Cal is a strong program when you focus on the 1990s and early 2000s. The Golden Bears even won an NCAA Championship, way back in 1959, beating West Virginia in the title game.

Cal hasn’t been the same since former head coach Mike Montgomery retired after the 2013-2014 season, with the Golden Bears only making one Big Dance (2015-2016) since. Cal is coached by Mark Madsen, its third head coach since the 2016-2017 campaign, hoping to capture its first winning campaign since.

The Golden Bears have just one win in 2025, a comfortable 75-61 home win against Virginia on January 8, then lost to Virginia Tech – by three points – three days later. Cal’s offense is middle-of-the-road, ranking 10th in the ACC at 77 points per game, while its defense allows 75.5 points per game (fourth-highest in ACC).

The Golden Bears enjoy a fairly balanced scoring attack, thanks to four double-digit points per game averages. Andrej Stojakovic, son of NBA legend Peja Stojakovic, leads Cal (and sits 12 in Division I) with 20.3 points per game.

North Carolina should beat the Golden Bears comfortably, but a big night from Stojakovic could doom the Tar Heels.

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Cal equipment guy gets Senior Bowl offer after clobbering ‘helmet thief’

Saving a helmet could lead an equipment person to the Senior Bowl

The biggest hit after The Big Game between Cal and Stanford on Saturday was noticed.

The Cal equipment guy took off and tackled a fool trying to make off with a Golden Bears helmet.

On Monday, Jim Nagy, director of the Senior Bowl, took to Twitter and said if anyone knows the equipment person to please reach out so the game could offer him a staff position for the week in Mobile, Alabama.

The guy who took the video as seen it been viewed almost one million times.

Miami stuns Cal with 25-point comeback in second half

Miami with an epic comeback against Cal

Cal was on the verge of a program-defining victory late Saturday in Berkley. The Golden Bears led the Miami Hurricanes by 25 points midway through the third quarter.

Cam Ward led a mesmerizing comeback that concluded with a 92-yard drive over 1:16. Ward hit Elijah Arroyo with a five-yard pass with 26 seconds remaining. The PAT was good and the Hurricanes had a stunning 39-38 victory.

Ward threw for 437 yards and two touchdowns as Miami overcame a 35-10 deficit.

Did the officials miss an ineligible player downfield on the touchdown?

Cal’s final drive ended when Francisco Mauigoa intercepted a Fernando Mendoza pass.

Former Hurricane and NFL great Michael Irvin sweated out every second of the comeback.

Cal student makes 700K kick on ‘College GameDay’

A Cal student hit a field goal on ‘College GameDay’ for 700K

ESPN’s “College GameDay” has plenty of interesting angles. On Saturday, the one that features a student trying to kick a field goal took on a lot of pressure.

Daniel was wide right on his first kick. Not too much pressure with 100K on the line for the Cal student and 600K for Hurricane Helene relief funds as he stepped into the football with $700,000 at stake.

The Calgorithm wasn’t in his favor but Daniel drilled the kick.

Cal fans shamed Nick Saban into removing his crimson tie on College GameDay

Don’t show up to Cal on game day wearing red!

ESPN’s College GameDay made its first visit to Berkeley, California on Saturday, descending deep into the Calgorithm as the show threw itself at the mercy of a Golden Bears fanbase that’s taken the ACC by storm.

That mercy was not granted to anyone wearing red. It’s certainly understandable. This is Cal’s moment. Those fans simply don’t want to see the primary color of their hated rivals up at Stanford anywhere near campus on Saturday.

The show’s host, Rece Davis, didn’t get the message before arriving for the show’s broadcast at 6 a.m. local time. He learned quickly enough about his mistake.

But the Cal fans weren’t done. Because former Alabama coach Nick Saban was on the set wearing his crimson tie, too. Now, he may be the greatest college coach of the modern era, but if you’re in the Bay Area wearing red around Cal fans, none of that matters.

Which meant the GameDay crowd spent hours jeering Saban and chanting “take it off” before he finally gave in. It sure seems like he didn’t have much of a choice.

Credit to Saban for being a good sport about it all. But everyone on set should’ve known better — even if they’ve never been to Berkeley before.

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Remembering the time Marshawn Lynch took a celebratory joy ride on an injury cart at Cal

Here’s hoping Marshawn Lynch will make his College GameDay entrance like this.

Whether it was in the NFL or at Cal in college, Marshawn Lynch cemented himself as a fun and sometimes unpredictable character, delivering so many memorable moments.

For Week 6 of the college football season, Lynch is returning to Cal as the guest picker on ESPN’s College GameDay show on Saturday, and his appearance is practically guaranteed to be memorable as well. And we’re hoping he makes a grand entrance, perhaps riding in on a cart like he did way back when.

After an overtime win against Washington, the Golden Bears running back commandeered an injury cart in celebration and drove it all over the field and creating a moment that’s now synonymous with his name.

In 2018, Lynch explained how that incredible injury-cart ride happened:

“It was meant to happen: The keys was in there, it was facing in the direction I needed to go, so I slid in that thing, and I started yoking that mother [expletive].”

Of course, Lynch made a similar entrance on College GameDay.

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4 pettiest moments from college football Week 2: Auburn (and Paul Finebaum) are down bad

And Lane Kiffin makes an appearance, because of course

Week 2 of college football always feels a bit less petty than Week 1.

It’s not Week 2’s fault. When fans have all offseason to prepare for the first game of the year, there’s always going to be a bit more smack talk — and a lot more comeuppance.

Never fear, Week 2 this season wasn’t totally devoid of pettiness. And a lot of that has to do with a few SEC teams learning they play some dang good football out West, too.

But we begin in Kentucky, where another white out game has been ruined by the visiting team.

Eastern Kentucky tries (and fails) to ruin Western Kentucky’s white out

This was a very good try by Eastern Kentucky after Miami (FL) successfully pulled off this trick in Week 1 against Florida. However, unlike Florida, Western Kentucky’s white out went on as planned. Also unlike Florida, the Hilltoppers went on to smack their in-state opponent, 31-0.

Then they got to really rub it in.


EKU falls to 0-2 by a combined score of 87-7. Woof.

Arkansas’ Marquise Robinson “domination” talk backfires at Oklahoma State

Remember a year ago when South Alabama shockingly upset Oklahoma State 33-7 in Stillwater? Marquise Robinson does. The defensive back had two solo tackles and an interception for the Jaguars. So after transferring to Arkansas for the 2024 season, he was all amped up for another trip to Stillwater.

“I feel like when we got back this time it’s gonna be a domination,” Robinson said leading up to the game.

You know who else remembers that game? Everyone in Stillwater. And they heard Robinson’s words, too. Maybe if Arkansas had played him, the Razorbacks wouldn’t have choked away a 14-point lead at halftime. Instead, the Cowboys won 39-31 in double overtime and quarterback Alan Bowman got to throw Robinson’s words right back in his face.

Auburn and Paul Finebaum get a taste of California love

The California Golden Bears arrived in Auburn as 10.5-point underdogs and left with one of the most satisfying wins of the season so far.

Not just because the ACC school (still weird!) forced five turnovers while out-gaining the Tigers, 332 yards to 286. Not just because Cal held Auburn to two scores in the 21-14 victory. But because the typical SEC elitests never even believed Cal could compete in this one.

Whoops!

And, naturally, Lane Kiffin got in on the fun.

ASU rings the bell after beating Mississippi State

Speaking of former Pac-12 teams asserting their dominance over the SEC, Arizona State — picked to finish last in the Big 12 — couldn’t wait to troll Mississippi State after picking up a 30-23 victory in Tempe.

No cowbells necessary in the desert. Just victory bells. And also a nice reminder that before we knew them as the Sun Devils, Arizona State’s team in the 1920s were officially recognized as the Bulldogs — 40 years or so before MSU changed to that name.

 


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Florida football’s home-and-home with Cal Golden Bears nixed

The Florida-Cal series could be the first of the Gators’ non-conference slate to get the axe as the SEC eyes a 9-game schedule.

Florida football’s scheduled home-and-home series with the California Golden Bears set for 2026 and 2027 was canceled on Wednesday, Action Network’s Brett McMurphy first reported.

Originally announced in February 2020 — merely a month before the COVID pandemic began shutting down sports — the first of the two non-conference games was slated to take place at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Sept. 19, 2026. The Gators would then travel out to Berkeley, California, on Sept. 4, 2027.

The change of plans is likely due to massive changes in the collegiate football landscape over the past few years, including the rash conference realignments that have occurred. With the Southeastern Conference pondering an expansion of its league schedule, non-conference such as this one could be on the chopping block in the coming seasons.

Florida’s remaining non-conference opponents

2024: vs Miami, vs Samford, at Florida State

2025: vs South Florida, at Miami, vs FAMU, vs Florida State

2026: at N.C. State, vs Campbell, at Florida State

2027: vs Florida State

2028: vs Colorado, at Arizona State, at Florida State

2029: at Colorado, Florida State

2030: at UCF, at Florida State

2031: vs Arizona State, at Notre Dame, Florida State

2032: Notre Dame, N.C. State, at Florida State

2033: vs UCF, Florida State

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Hawaii’s top 2025 recruit QB Jaron Keawe Sagapolutele commits to Cal

It’s a big recruiting win for the Golden Bears as the program kicks off its move to the ACC.

Three-star quarterback Jaron Keawe Sagapolutele is headed to Berkeley, California, where he’ll look to continue the strong tradition of Cal Golden Bears QBs throughout the school’s history, from Joe Kapp to Steve Bartkowski to Craig Morton to Aaron Rodgers and Jared Goff.

The top-ranked class of ‘2025 recruit in Hawaii, Sagapolutele chose the Cal over Utah State, Oregon State and Boise State.

He made the official announcement via X.

It’s a significant recruiting win for the Golden Bears and head coach Justin Wilcox, who leads the program into its first season in the new-look ACC. And helps rebound from the decommitment of Hughson (Calif.) three-star quarterback Robert McDaniel last week.

And the 6-foot-3 lefty has plenty of room to grow, which only adds to the overall intrigue by the nod to the Bay Area.

While he’s currently listed as a three-star QB, his arm talent has been turning heads all summer, including at the Elite 11 Finals, and it wouldn’t be a shock if Sagapolutele moves up the ladder as the 2024 season kicks off.

Overall, the progression into 2025 makes the James Campbell (Ewa Beach, Hawaii) slinger one to keep an eye on.

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Pac-12 gets snubbed and SEC gets rewarded one last time

The SEC thrives at the Pac-12’s expense. It’s a tale as old as time.

The USC Trojans were snubbed for the NCAA Baseball Tournament one year ago in 2023. This year, another team from the Pac-12 got snubbed. The Cal Golden Bears got the short end of the stick. Florida, on the other hand, got into the tournament despite a 28-27 record of undeniable mediocrity in the SEC. One last time, SEC favoritism trumped Pac-12 merit. It’s a story we know all too well here in the West.

Gators Wire has more on Florida making the NCAA Baseball Tournament despite its mediocre record:

“Florida will face regional No. 2 seed Nebraska and Oklahoma State will face Niagara in the opening round on May 31. The Gators get the early game. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET and will air on ESPN+. The winners and losers of the first two games will play on Saturday. The regional bracket is double elimination.

“The winner of the Stillwater Regional will go on to face the winner of the Clemson Regional, which features Vanderbilt, Coastal Carolina and High Point University.

“A record 11 SEC teams made the Field of 64.

“Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee and Texas A&M are hosting regionals. Alabama, LSU, Mississippi State and South Carolina are the other at-large bids.”

Florida did play a tougher schedule than Cal. There’s no argument there. The whole discussion revolves around the idea that a .500 team (or close to it) deserves a bid over a team which went 36-19, as Cal did. Strength of schedule matters, but if a team doesn’t win many games, what’s the point of playing games? Cal was 17 games above .500. Florida was one game above .500. Much as the NFL frankly shouldn’t allow sub-.500 teams into the playoffs, and the NBA should do the same, college baseball shouldn’t allow teams in if they aren’t at least five games over .500. That is not too much to ask.

Oh, well: The SEC gets favorable treatment at the Pac-12’s expense. One more for the road.

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