Preview
Miami-Florida at California
When: 8:30 PM ET, Saturday, January 25, 2025
Where: Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, California
By Field Level Media
On a two-game conference winning streak in its first season in the Atlantic Coast Conference, Cal will be out for even more in a matchup against the Miami Hurricanes on Saturday at Berkeley, Calif.
The Golden Bears (10-9, 3-5 ACC) are coming off a 77-68 home victory over Florida State on Wednesday after a victory at North Carolina State on Jan. 18.
Cal's most recent win came while playing without leading scorer Andrej Stojakovic (18.9 points ppg), who was out with an illness. Jeremiah Wilkinson scored 18 points for the Golden Bears, while Joshua Ola-Joseph and Mady Sissoko each added 14.
A 3-pointer from DJ Campbell gave Cal the lead for good with 11:32 remaining. Sissoko and Rytis Petraitis each grabbed 13 rebounds. The Golden Bears shot just 37.7 percent from the floor but made 19 of 22 free throws. The Seminoles went 3 of 5 from the line.
"It was really a question of just players stepping into roles for a really great player that we missed," Cal head coach Mark Madsen said about the absence of Stojakovic, who is also a key on-ball defender. "And guys stepped up. They did a really great job."
The Golden Bears added 24 offensive rebounds that they turned into 21 second-chance points.
Miami (4-15, 0-8) continues to struggle during a season of transition. The Hurricanes are 0-7 under interim coach Bill Courtney after longtime coach Jim Larranaga stepped down last month.
The Hurricanes' most recent loss was an 88-51 blowout at Stanford on Wednesday to extend their overall losing streak to eight games.
Matthew Cleveland scored 23 points for Miami, while Lynn Kidd added 10 as the duo combined to shoot 12 of 22 from the floor (54.5 percent). The rest of the team was 8 of 35 (22.9 percent).
Cleveland, the Hurricanes' top scorer at 14.3 points per game, reached at least 20 points for the sixth time this season.
Nijel Pack, the team's second-leading scorer at 13.9 points per game and the leader in assists (4.3), missed his ninth consecutive game with a foot injury. Jalen Blackmon (7.9 points) has missed the past two games.
"The first thing for us is to be better and have a competitive spirit," Courtney said in advance of the loss to Stanford. "Whenever we have hit adversity this year, we haven't reacted the way we should. ... For us, it's really not about the opponent, it's about ourselves."
--Field Level Media
Stats and Records
Team Comparison
|
W/L |
Strk |
Home |
Away |
Neutral |
Day |
Night |
Conf |
Miami-Florida |
4-15 |
L8 |
4-7 |
0-4 |
0-4 |
3-9 |
1-6 |
0-8 |
California |
10-9 |
W2 |
8-3 |
2-5 |
0-1 |
2-3 |
8-6 |
3-5 |
Last Meeting
|
Miami-Florida |
California |
Date |
Away |
Home |
Pts |
Reb |
FG% |
Pts |
Reb |
FG% |
No previous meeting. |
Player Stats
Points |
Player |
Total |
FG% |
FTM |
Miami-Florida |
N/A |
California |
N/A |
Rebounds |
Player |
Total |
Off |
Def |
Miami-Florida |
N/A |
California |
N/A |
Assists |
Player |
|
Miami-Florida |
N/A |
California |
N/A |
Rebounds |
Player |
Total |
Off |
Def |
Miami-Florida |
L. Kidd
|
131 |
49 |
82 |
California |
M. Sissoko
|
137 |
54 |
83 |