February 25, 2026; Berkeley, California, USA; California Golden Bears guard Justin Pippen (10) reacts during the second half of the game against the SMU Mustangs at Haas Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Image Cal still has hopes of making the NCAA Tournament despite the turbulence of Atlantic Coast Conference play.
Those hopes would likely be dashed if the Golden Bears lose against a struggling Pitt team on Saturday in Berkeley, California.
Cal (20-8, 8-7 ACC) recorded the team’s third straight win with a 74-69 win over SMU on Wednesday. The Golden Bears are currently the first team in the NCAA Tournament in ESPN’s latest bracket projections heading into the weekend.
“Pitt faces a huge test coming here, but (the win) means something because our goal has always been since we got here to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament,” Cal coach Mark Madsen said after the SMU win. “We said it early on. We defined it clearly. We’re not there yet. We have a long way to go to get there, but this was an important step and cornerstone in that direction.”
Dai Dai Ames is Cal’s leading scorer with 16.6 points per game, but struggled against the Mustangs, scoring a season-low two points on 1-of-10 shooting. Justin Pippen (24) and Chris Bell (20) filled the gap and helped the Golden Bears lead throughout the bubble matchup.
Pitt (10-18, 3-12) is playing solely for pride at this point. The Panthers snapped a five-game skid against fellow ACC bottom feeder Notre Dame on Feb. 21, but failed to find momentum in Wednesday’s 75-67 loss at Stanford, blowing a seven-point lead following a hot start in California.
Panthers coach Jeff Capel heard no excuses for the extensive travel that followed his team’s loss at Stanford.
“This is my first time,” Capel said. “I thought we were ready to play. Other than playing good teams in Stanford and Cal on Saturday (I don’t know if it would be more difficult), the travel is what it is. It’s probably more difficult for them. We have to do it every other week.”
Cameron Corhen leads the Panthers in both scoring (12.8 ppg) and rebounding (7.2 ppg). He scored 22 points against the Cardinal, his most since opening the season, and added eight rebounds, four assists and two steals.
–Field level media
