Category: NCAA

Cal’s Balanced Effort Keys Upset Of No. 18 UCLA, 80-72

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–Trailing 8-0 and scoreless for nearly four minutes to start, the Cal Bears were in desperate need for some continuity against No. 18 UCLA on Tuesday night for the Empire Classic championship game at the Chase Center.

Unfortunately, continuity was hard to find for both teams, each looking for a big win but flailing against a familiar opponent.

Cal did what it could, piecing together some competent individual play that fit almost seamlessly and put the Bruins on their heels.

Chris Bell seized momentum first with a series of made threes on his way to a game-best 22 points. That burst gave Cal a 20-12 lead that minutes earlier seemed unlikely.

Bench players Rytis Petraitis, TT Carr and DeJuan Campbell, in his season debut, picked it up from Bell, and helped Cal survive UCLA’s best stretch of the evening leading to halftime. The trio combined for 14 points, almost all off aggressive play to the basket, and that helped keep Cal in reach, down 41-36 at the break.

Bell and leading scorer Dai Dai Ames controlled the second half with Ames scoring all of his 14 points as Cal pulled away for an 80-72 win that ended a streak of 12 Cal losses in 13 games to their former Pac-12 rival.

Afterwards, Cal’s announcers lauded reserve post Milos Ilic, Bell highlighted Justin Pippen (13 points), and Coach Mark Madsen pointed to Campbell. A love fest prompted by the first big win of the season?

You bet.

“Every single player stepped up,” Madsen said.

“We have a bunch of guys that make us dynamic on offense,” said Bell, who scored at least 21 points for the third time in his first seven games as a Bear after transferring from Syracuse.

The Bruins fell to 5-2 with a four-point loss to No. 2 Arizona as their only other blemish. But something greater seems amiss in Westwood as coach Mick Cronin again expressed his frustration with his team, which he feels isn’t competitive enough or defensive-oriented as he would prefer.

“Our team attitude was terrible. It’s been a problem for a month,” Cronin said. “It affects performance. You get in a ring against somebody that wants to fight, you give them confidence early, you’re in for a fight aside from the fact that we can’t make a free throw.”

The Bruins missed 10 of their 23 free throw attempts, shot just 41 percent from the floor, and allowed Cal 20 more points than their average of 60 allowed coming in.

Donovan Dent, thought to be UCLA’s brilliant pickup in the transfer portal from New Mexico, struggled again shooting 1 for 7 and committing seven turnovers. Cronin, already verbal regarding his teams’ performance, may have added a little extra for Dent, who in today’s game is also a highly-compensated “amateur” acquisition.

“Until we get some leadership on our team at the guard position, it would help, and not panic with the ball,” said Cronin, thinly veiled. “Things don’t go well, we try to go one on five, get our shot blocked, get our fourth foul, we go one on five and get six, seven turnovers.”

The Bears have a few days of Thanksgiving and recuperation before hosting Utah on Tuesday.

Stanford Cardinal podcast Daniel Dullum: Stanford pulls away from Cal in 2nd quarter in 31-10 win; Cal fires coach Justin Wilcox

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Stanford Cardinal quarterback Elijah Brown (2) drops back on the Cal Bears in the Big Game at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto on Sat Nov 22, 2025 (Stanford Cardinal photo)

Stanford Cardinal podcast Daniel Dullum:

#1 After nine years as Cal Bears head coach Justin Wilcox was fired after the loss to the Stanford Cardinal on Saturday. Cal had a 10-7 lead on Stanford but couldn’t hold the lead and were shutout by the Cardinal in the second half.

#1 The Cal Bears were in the lead early in the Big Game against the Stanford Cardinal 10-7 but that was all she wrote for Cal as the Cardinal opened up on offense scoring two touchdowns in the second and fourth quarters to put this one away.

#2 The Cardinal got offensive help in the second quarter eclipsing the Bears at 1:05 for a 14-10 lead when Stanford running back Kendrick Raphael ran for 11 yards but fumbled only to be recovered by Darrius Davis who returned it for a touchdown.

#3 Stanford defense didn’t allow Cal to score for the rest of the game shutting out Cal in the third and fourth quarters.

#4 Stanford completed all their scoring in the fourth quarter with two touchdowns a four yard carry by running back Micah Ford for four yards to take a 24-10 lead at 14:56. At 10:01 Stanford quarterback Elijah Brown threw a 34 yard touchdown pass to CJ Williams for a 31-10 final.

#5 The win was Stanford’s home win of the season. The Cardinal improve their record to 3-7 and all three of their wins came from winning at Stanford Stadium this season.

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Daniel Dullum is heard Sundays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

128th Big Game/Stanford Cardinal game wrap: Cardinal snatch axe from paws of Golden Bears 31-10, on a cool Saturday Evening on the Farm

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Stanford Cardinal players left to right defensive end Zach Buckley (98), offensive lineman Simone Pale (55), and defensive lineman Zach Rowell (97) join in the celebration of bringing the axe back to Stanford University after defeating the Cal Bears at Stanford Stadium on Sat Nov 22, 2025 (Stanford Cardinal photo)

By Michael Roberson

STANFORD, Calif. — A Big Game crowd of 50.039 experienced cross-Bay, conference (ACC) battle, with the Stanford Cardinal (4-7, 3-5 ACC) obtaining the axe from the California Golden Bears (6-5, 3-4 ACC) 31-10 inside Stanford Stadium.

Although Cal opened the game with possession of the ball, neither team scored on their opening drives. A little more than 10 minutes into the first quarter, the Golden Bears got onto the scoreboard first. Redshirt-Junior kicker Chase Meyer booted a 40-yard field goal, to put the visitors up by three, 3-0.

The first 15 minutes of gameplay ended with that same score, with either team doing much on offense, The crowd of both schools wanted and anticipated more action in the second quarter.

Quarter number two did bring more action to the masses. However, the Cardinal faithful did not see an offensive explosion, but a stellar defensive force.

A few ticks over two minutes into the second stanza, Stanford redshirt-junior safety Jay Green scooped up a Cal fumble for a49-yard touchdown. The Cardinal took a four points lead, 7-3. More than eight minutes later, Cal put up points offensively. Freshman quarterback Jason-Keawe Sagapolutele scored from 7 yards out on a keeper. The Bears regained the lead by three, 10-7..

The Cardinal marched down the field, getting inside the “Red Zone” by the two-minute timeout. After several attempts for a touchdown, they settled for a field goal attempt, with a little over a minute before recess. The kick was blocked by senior safety Dru Polidore Jr. All momentum switched to California, and Stanford’s offense and special teams could not score.

The Bears had possession of the ball in their own Bear territory, with less than a minute until halftime, and had the worst case scenario happen to the team. They coughed up the ball again, with Cardinal sophomore safety Darrius Davis grasping the gift and carrying it to paydirt for a 17 yard score. Stanford went back up by four, 14-10.

When the mid-game whistle blew, that last score stood at intermission., 14-10 Stanford.

The Cardinal had possession of the ball to start the second half, but more of the same on offense persisted. They could not get into the end zone, but did get into field goal range. Just over four minutes into the half, senior Emmett Kenney missed a 35-yard attempt, to the dismay of the home fans.

About eight minutes later he had another opportunity. This time from 36 yards from the goalposts. Kenney was successful on that particular attempt. The cardinal extended their advantage to seven, 17-10.

The Golden Bears managed to lose possession of the ball immediately upon receiving it after the Cardinal score. Stanford parlayed that golden opportunity to another score, over two quarters. They had the ball near the goal line as the third quarter ended, and continued at the beginning of the fourth.

Four seconds into the final quarter, sophomore running back Micah Ford scampered in for a 4-yard TD. The Cardinal went up by 14 points, 24-10. They were not finished.

Less than two minutes of elapsed time, the Cardinal reached the end zone again. This score was a 34 yard bomb from Elijah Brown to CJ Williams for SIX. with the subsequent extra point, the Cardinal tied their high score output of 31 points. They also led by 21 points. 31-10.

Despite Cal’s efforts to score again in the waning moments, the score remained the same after 60 minutes of regulation play, 31-10 for the Tree.

The Cardinal will next be in action back here on the Farm next Saturday, November 29, hosting the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at 7:30 PM PT on ESPN. Cal heads back across the Bay to host SMU on the same date at TBD.

Can We Help You? Cal Says “Yes” In Surprising 31-10 Big Game Loss To Stanford

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By Morris Phillips

STANFORD, CA–Stanford, limping through a rough season with a 3-7 record, desperately needed to find some confidence.

And Cal, with the ability to really mess with Stanford’s collective pysches, seemingly decided instead to soothe then aid their bitter rival.

Hard to understand? Yes, but the Big Game inherently comes with a few twists. Need someone to explain how Cal’s dominating start that saw them limit Stanford to 6 yards of offense in the first quarter, and 71 yards at halftime, also saw them trailing 14-10? Don’t ask coach Justin Wilcox for clarity.


“I wish I had a good answer for that,” Wilcox said when asked how 13 penalties doomed his team. “Whether it’s a little bit of nervous energy, I wish I could tell you. There’s no good reason, there’s no excuse for it.”

Stanford coach Frank Reich wasn’t mystified. Instead, he vividly recounted the gifts his team received in their moment of need.

“We were struggling on offense,” Reich said. “It’s one thing for the defense to keep you in the game while you’re struggling. It’s another thing for them to score two touchdowns and go in with a lead and you feel like you haven’t even made a first down. I just think that really kind of injected us with some confidence.”

No excuse for three fumbles, the first two resulting in scoop-and-score touchdowns for Stanford and their halftime lead. Cal’s scoreless second half, a sign that halftime demands and adjustments didn’t take hold, was another head scratcher.

Two weeks of preparation–after the Bears’ most impressive win of the season at Louisville–to unleash a disintegrating effort riddled by mistakes? Again, Wilcox was put under the microscope and forced to answer the biggest question.

“There should be high expectations… everybody’s got them,” Wilcox responded when pointedly asked if he’s still the guy to lead the program. “We have them. The players and the coaches have them. And I feel their pain. I understand. We work really hard at this… the coaches and the players do. It’s not an excuse to go out and play like that.”

Simply, the Cardinal couldn’t have gotten it done without Cal’s help. Throughout the season, Stanford’s offense has been more miss than hit with an uneven run game and a pass game that was handed to redshirt freshman quarterback Elijah Brown just two weeks ago. Their slow start was expected. But instead of Cal continuing to inflict damage, they called an ambulance loaded with their own turnovers and penalties. After that, Stanford merely needed to ingest their medicine and gracefully lift the Axe for the first time in six seasons.

Cal Bears podcast Stephen Ruderman: Cal runs away with another win defeats Sac State at Haas

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Cal Bears forward Chris Bell (22) throws down against the Sacramento State Hornets at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Fri Nov 21, 2025 (Cal Bears MBB X photo)

Cal Bears podcast Stephen Ruderman:

#1 The Cal Bears (5-1) ran away with this one Friday night at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley defeating the Sacramento State Hornets (3-4) 91-67. The Bears in the first half had a 47-33 lead coming away the half.

#2 The Bears got lots of offense Friday night with four players finishing in double figures, Chris Bell 21, Justin Pippin 16, and Dai Dai Ames 16 points and John Camden 14.

#3 The Bears controlled the boards, the paint, the passing game and held the Hornets in check stopping any kind of come back.

#4 The Hornets were just froze out in the second half at one point the Bears had a 20 point lead on them in the second half. The Bears scoring leader from Tuesday night John Camden was the last Bear to get into double figures.

#5 It’s off to Chase Center in San Francisco and the UCLA Bruins on Tue Nov 25th. The two former Pac 12 teams will tip off at 7:00pm. The Bruins have won five of their last six games and have won three of their last five games.

Stephen Ruderman is a Cal Bears basketball beat writer at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Chris Bell scores 21 in 91-67 Cal route of Sac State

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Taking a jump shot the Cal Bears Dai Dai Ames (7) against the visiting Sacramento State Hornets at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Fri Nov 21, 2025 (Cal Bears X photo)

Friday, Nov. 21, 2025

Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, California

Sacramento State Hornets 67 (3-4)

California Golden Bears 91 (5-1)

By Stephen Ruderman

BERKELEY–Chris Bell had a big night with 21 points, and the Bears obliterated the Sacramento State Hornets 91-66

The Hornets made the trek from just up the road in Sacramento for this one. Despite the fact that the Hornets are in the lesser-known Big Sky Conference, there are some big names surrounding that team.

Former NBA point guard Mike Bibby became the team’s head coach during the spring. Bibby then brought in Hall-of-Famer—and former rival from their Kings v Lakers days—Shaquielle O’Neal to be the team’s general manager. Shaq’s son, Shaqir O’Neal, committed to play at Sac State, and played Friday night.

The fact that the Bears were playing another lesser-known team was no guarantee. In fact, Cal had to fight their way to a 67-57 win over the Presbyterian Blue Hose on Tuesday.

No one scored in the first minute of the game, but Dai Dai Ames hit a three to open the scoring for the Bears. Then, we suddenly had a lot of action. In fact, it looked like we were going to have a hard-fought struggle on our hands, as O’Neal hit a three to give the Hornets a 12-8 lead.

John Camden hit a three to put the Bears back ahead. Chris Bell then scored two with a dunk, and hit a three to open Cal’s lead to 18-12.

While the Hornets gave the impression that this would be a close one, this one would turn out to be all Bears. The Bears had opened up a 23 point lead—43-20—with 5:09 remaining in the first half.

To give the Hornets’ credit, they kept fighting. Sac State went on a 13-4 run to close the gap to 47-33 at the half.

John Camden hit a three to start the second half, and Lee Dort followed that up with a dunk. Mark Lavrenov was fouled, and hit two from the line to get two points for Sac State. However, Camden and Dore shined in the early minutes of the second half to put the game away. The Bears had their 23-point lead back—58-35—just under three minutes into the second half.

The Bears eventually expanded their lead to 34—81-47—with 8:59 to go. From there, I guess the Bears were a bit nice, as the Hornets did close out the game with a 20-10 run to make it a 91-67 final for just a measly 24-point win for the Bears.

Though, you could say there was some drama at the end of the game. Mantas Kocanas was holding the ball for the Bears in the final seconds, and two Hornets were trying to steal it from him. After getting tired of it, Kocanas just threw the ball off the legs of Taj Glover, and Kocanas got hit with a tech. I have no clue if it was serious or playful, but nothing came out of it, and Glover hit both shots from the line.

It was Chris Bell’s night. In addition to his 21 points, Bell was 7-for-11 in field goals. Dai Dai Ames and Justin Pippen both scored 16. John Camden, who scored 20 points in Cal’s win against Presbyterian on Tuesday, scored 14 Friday night.

The Bears have once again taken advantage of non-conference play to get off to a 5-1 start for the second-straight year.

However, things will be a bit tougher for the Bears, as they will take on their old Pac-12 rivals, the 19th-ranked UCLA Bruins, across the bay at the Chase Center in San Francisco next Tuesday night. Tipoff will be at 7 p.m.

Big Game/Cal Bears podcast Morris Phillips: Can Bears Sagapolutele command the offense against Stanford?

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Cal Bears quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele makes a pass against the Louisville Cardinal at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium in Louisville on Sat Nov 8, 2025 (AP News photo)

Cal Bears podcast Morris Phillips:

#1 How critical will freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele be in this matchup, and can he command the offense under Big Game pressure?

#2 Which Cal running back — Kendrick Raphael or LJ Johnson Jr. — is best suited to exploit Stanford’s run defense, and how might their usage shape the game plan?

#3 Can Cal’s passing attack, featuring Jacob De Jesus and Trond Grizzell, generate enough big plays to stretch Stanford’s defense?

#4 On defense, how will linebacker Cade Uluave’s leadership and production factor into Cal’s ability to slow down Stanford’s offense?

#5 What impact could ball-hawking defensive back Hezekiah Masses have on the game, and how might his presence influence Cal’s secondary strategy.

Morris Philips does the Cal Bears podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Camden scores 20 in surprisingly-close 67-57 Cal win over Presbyterian

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Cal Bears forward John Camden (2) can make baskets with his eyes closed against the Presbyterian Blue Hose at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Tue Nov 18, 2025 (Cal Bears X photo)

Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2025

Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, California

Presbyterian Blue Hose 57 (3-4)

California Golden Bears 67 (4-1)

By Stephen Ruderman

John Camden led the way with a 20-point night, as the Bears returned home for a surprisingly-close 67-57 win over the Presbyterian Blue Hose.

The Bears nearly pulled off an impossible comeback their last time out in Manhattan, Kansas last Thursday. However, they took one on the chin, 99-96 to the Kansas State Wild Cats, for their first loss of the season.

As the Bears got underway tonight back home in Berkeley, they took on the lesser-known Presbyterian Blue Hose from Clinton, South Carolina. That did not mean that this would be an easy time for the Bears.

Cal had a hard time pulling away in the first half. Chris Dort made a layup to make it 27-20 with 4:49 to go until halftime, and the Bears finally appeared to have established a lead. However, the Blue Hose clawed back with a 9-2 to run to tie the game at 29-29 with 48 seconds to go. Fortunately, Milos Ilic made a layup, and Cal went into the half with a 31-29 lead.

Things remained close at the beginning of the second half, and Presbyterian even took a pair of leads. In fact, Carl Parrish hit a three to give the Blue Hose a 44-43 with 12:17 left to go.

The Bears were staring down the barrel at a potential loss to the type of lesser-known team they are supposed to clobber. Perhaps that sent a burst of energy into the Bears, as Dai Dai Ames and John Camden hit threes to put Cal back ahead, 49-44.

From there, the Bears mostly had control of the game, though a jumper by Jonah Pierce allowed the Blue Hose to cut Cal’s lead to 53-51 with 6:13 left. The Bears then regained a rather-comfortable lead, and they were ultimately able to win it by 10 at 67-57.

In addition to Camden’s 20-point night, Lee Dort scored 15, and Chris Bell followed with 14.

The Bears are now 4-1 on the season.

Cal will take on the Sacramento State Hornets here at Hoss on Friday night. Tipoff will be at 7 p.m.

Las Vegas Raiders podcast Tony Renteria: Raiders need to focus on both ball sides of the ball as Cleveland comes calling Sunday

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Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) heads to the locker room after the loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football Nov 18, 2025 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas (AP News photo)

Las Vegas Raiders podcast Tony Renteria:

#1 Tony another rough one for the Las Vegas Raiders (2-8) on their homefield losing to the visiting Dallas Cowboys (4-5-1) on Monday Night Football. It was a real “Turn out the lights the party is over” as the Raiders were clobbered 33-16 at Allegiant Stadium.

#2 Raiders quarterback Geno Smith tried to get some passing yards going but Dallas just broke through the Las Vegas offensive line and scored a whopping 21 points in the second quarter.

#3 For Smith 27-42, 238 yards, one touchdown and one interception. No doubt on trying to get anything going it was a frustrating evening for Smith in another loss chalked up by the Raiders.

#4 The Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott pretty much had command and got some time to throw the football going 25-33, 268 yards, and four touchdowns.

#5 Raiders try to pick up the pieces and go at it again next Sun Nov 23 against the Cleveland Browns (2-8) who are having their own problems having lost their last three games in a row. How do you see this match up this coming Sunday at Allegiant with Cleveland?

Join Tony Renteria after every Raiders home and away game at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose State Basketball dominates Bethesda in their home opener 110-56

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San Jose Spartans Japhet Moupadele (21) gets the throw down against the Bethesda University Flames at Provident Credit Union Arena in San Jose on Mon Nov 17, 2025 (SJSU Spartans photo)

By Ryan Hannagan and Lincoln Juarez

San Jose, Calif–The Spartans (1-3) buried the Flames (0-4) under a relentless first half surge, turning an early 9-8 deficit into a 15-0 run that broke the game open and came away with a 110-56 victory at Provident Credit Union Arena. San Jose State led 54-24 at the break and never let up in a wire to wire blowout.

SJSU guard Colby Garland scored a team high 17 points, and Roseborough added 12, all in the first half to pace the Spartans’ balanced offense. Camron Durr led Bethesda with 11 points.

San Jose State dominated nearly every statistical category. The Spartans shot 65% from the field (43 of 66) and 52% from 3 point range (12 of 23), while holding Bethesda to 30% shooting overall. SJSU outrebounded the Flames 55-18 and outscored them 60-18 in the paint.

The only brief scare for SJSU came early in the second half, when Garland went down awkwardly after a collision under the basket. He returned quickly and said afterward the issue wasn’t serious.

“Oh I’m actually feeling pretty good,” Garland told Sports Radio Service. “…I injured this ankle early in preseason, so it’s been lingering. It tightened up a bit, but I went to the back, got a few massages and went right back out there. I feel good.”

San Jose State opened the game hitting shots at a high clip but struggled with turnovers early. Once the Spartans cleaned up their possessions, the offense exploded behind strong ball movement and physical interior play. Bethesda briefly slowed the run with a 3 pointer midway through the half, but the Spartans controlled the rest of the night.

SJSU’s starters combined for 64 points, including strong showings from Jermaine Washington and Yaphet Moundi, who opened the second half with a 3 pointer to extend the margin.

With the win, SJSU is now 1-3, while Bethesda falls to 0-4.

San Jose State returns to action later this week looking to build on its first victory of the season.