February 28, 2026; Berkeley, California, USA; California Golden Bears guard Dai Dai Ames (7) drives between Pittsburgh Panthers defensemen Omari Witherspoon (8) and Cameron Cohen (2) during the second half at Haas Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Image Coming off a crushing loss in its bid to the at-large NCAA Tournament, California will be desperate for a win against lowly Georgia Tech in Atlantic Coast Conference action Wednesday in Atlanta.
Going head-to-head on the bubble, Cal (20-9, 8-8 ACC) won its third straight game at home against Pittsburgh on Saturday before dropping as many as 16 points in a Quad 3 loss. A loss to Georgia Tech (11-18, 2-14) would be the Golden Bears’ second straight Quad 3 loss and would likely end their tournament hopes.
Cal sits at No. 63 in the NET rankings with two East Coast games left in the regular season.
“We have to create our own energy. We have to create our own intensity,” Cal coach Mark Madsen said about finishing on the road. “We have a locker room full of tremendous competitors. We didn’t see it to the level we needed to (against Pitt). That’s up to me, because I have to help our players achieve fulfillment in terms of competitive passion and spirit.”
The Golden Bears shot just 22.7% (5-for-22) on 3-point attempts. They ranked third in the ACC with a 36.7% clip from beyond the arc.
Dai Dai Ames leads the Golden Bears in scoring with 16.4 points per game, followed by Justin Pippen (14.7) and John Camden (14.2).
Georgia Tech is limping toward the finish line ahead of its home finale. The Yellow Jackets, who dropped their 10th straight loss against Florida State on Saturday to drop out of ACC Tournament contention, have the most conference losses in a season in program history.
Georgia Tech has never lost to the Seminoles, 80-71, and has allowed at least 80 points in eight straight games. Coach Damon Stoudemire’s team has been reduced to double digits in 10 of its 14 conference games.
With two games remaining, the Yellow Jackets are playing purely for pride.
“I’m going to come to work every day and do what I have to do,” Stouderdamier said. “But what our guys have to realize is that at some point you have to stand up for something. That just means going out there and playing hard and giving your best effort. That’s all I want for next week.”
Kowacie Reeves Jr., playing his final game at McCamish Pavilion after three years with the program, leads the Yellow Jackets with 14.8 points per game, while Baye Ndongo is averaging 12.2 points and 8.2 rebounds.
–Field level media
