Cal is set to open the 2024-25 season Monday night when it hosts Cal State Bakersfield at Haas Pavilion to open Year 2 under Mark Madsen. The Bears have once again revamped their roster with Madsen and his staff again looking to the transfer portal to rebuild the group following a wave of departures this spring.

There are 10 scholarship newcomers that have joined Cal’s team after beginning their careers at other programs along with freshman guard Jeremiah Wilkinson.

What it all means is that the Bears will have to spend the early portion of the season building chemistry as they prepare for their first season as part of the ACC.

“We knew coming in that we had such a diverse group coming from so many different programs, it’s been an emphasis point to really accelerate the teaching process — starting in the summer. We built some great teaching videos that the guys could watch on their own on a voluntary basis, then we were able to come in and teach them.

“I do think we’re further ahead this year than we were last year.”

Who: Cal (0-0) vs. Cal State Bakersfield (0-0)

When: 8:30 p.m. PT

Where: Haas Pavilion | Berkeley, California

TV/streaming: ACCNX | Greg Mescall (PxP) & Ben Braun (Analyst)

Radio: 810 AM | Justin Allegri (PxP)

All-time series: Cal leads 3-2

Odds: Cal (-13.5), O/U (137.5) – via BetMGM

- Cal’s identity with a rebuilt roster

The Bears have a number of new faces joining together under the Cal flag this season, and each of those players has served a different type of role at their previous programs. Cal needed to rely heavily on a smaller group of players throughout last season led by star Jaylon Tyson, but Madsen and his staff have built this year’s team with the plan of having more balance.

Cal became a tough out last year and was competitive in a number of games throughout the course of the season thanks to an inherent toughness displayed by the group. As Madsen continues to build his pro-like system in Berkeley, there will be a premium on how well the players move the ball to bring success.

“I think we have a very unselfish group,” Madsen said. “We have a group that really gets excited to make their teammates better. We have a group that, at times, is very fiery. You want that competitive fire on the court. We see that with these players.”

- Who emerges as the go-to player in crunch time?

While it may take some time for Cal’s identity to develop over the course of the season, it shouldn’t take long to see who the alpha dog is on this year’s squad. There are certainly plenty of candidates for Madsen and his staff. There are a number of veterans who have played in a lot of games over the course of their careers such as Grand Canyon transfer Jovan Blacksher Jr., Mady Sissoko (Michigan State) and Christian Tucker (UTSA) plus productive juniors such as Rytis Petraitis (Air Force), DJ Campbell (Western Carolina) and BJ Omot (North Dakota).

Mix in a former McDonald’s All-American like Stanford transfer Andrej Stojakovic, and the Bears have options when it comes down to the final minutes in a game.

“We have no shortage of guys that can put the ball in the hole,” Madsen said last week.

- Rematch with the ‘Runners

This is the second meeting in as many seasons early in nonconference play between the Bears and Roadrunners. Cal knocked off CSUB, 83-63, last November in the third game of the season behind strong outside shooting from a variety of players, though it was Jalen Cone’s seven 3-pointers that highlighted the performance.

As a team, the Bears hit 15 3-pointers in the game with 11 of those shots coming in the first half last year against Rod Barnes’ team. There were also 18 assists and just 8 turnovers as Cal played one of its cleanest games of the year.

That same formula is what Madsen is looking for Monday night at Haas Pavilion.

“I wanna see great defense,” the Cal head coach said. “I want to see people share the basketball. I think if we play tremendous defense and the ball is moving, I think it keeps everyone involved and I think it will really help us win.”

The Bears had lost their last two meetings with CSUB prior to last year’s win but currently hold a 3-2 lead in the all-time series.

Cal

G Jovan Blacksher Jr. - The GCU transfer battled injury during the latter part of his career with the Antelopes but is back home in the Bay Area and should get an opportunity to be a prime scoring threat this season. Blacksher will have an opportunity to reignite his career with the Bears following a rough two seasons in which he worked through an ACL injury. Prior to the injury, the Oakland native averaged 15.8 points and 4 assists as a junior. Last season he averaged 4.8 points as a sixth man at Grand Canyon.

G Andrej Stojakovic - The transfer wing from Stanford was one of the biggest portal additions for the Bears this offseason. Landing the former McDonald’s All-American was a coup for Madsen and his staff, and gives Cal a potential centerpiece to build around for the future. The sophomore averaged 7.8 points and 3.4 rebounds in 32 appearances across the Bay last season. He will get a clean slate in Berkeley and should be one of the more intriguing players to track this year for the Bears beginning Monday night.

CSUB

G Marvin McGhee III - The Roadrunners relied heavily on one player for the bulk of their scoring last season and Kaleb Higgins eventually led CSUB with 17.9 points. Second on that list was McGhee, who is back for his senior season as the top returning scorer. The 6-foot-4 Atlanta native averaged 8.3 points and led the team with 62 made 3-pointers last season. McGhee, whose younger brother Marvin McGhee IV is also on the team this year, scored 6 points (on two 3-pointers) and grabbed 3 rebounds in last year’s meeting with the Bears.

F Fidelis Okereke - Another returning starter to know about Monday night for the Roadrunners is the 6-foot-6 forward from Carson, California who began his career at Cal State Northridge. Okereke is the prototypical mid-major forward who is a bit undersized but is capable of using physicality in the paint. He was second on the team in rebounds last season and third in blocked shots last season. Okereke scored 5 points and had 1 steal in last year’s contest against Cal.