Tag: NCAA MBB

Wilkinson’s 21 points not enough, as three-headed Wake Forest beast downs Bears 76-66

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Cal Bears Andrej Stojakovic takes warm ups before the game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Sat Feb 8, 2025 (Cal Bears X photo)

Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025

Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, California

Wake Forest Demon Deacons 76 (18-6)

California Golden Bears 66 (12-12)

By Stephen Ruderman

BERKELEY–Jeremiah Wilkinson scored 21 points, but it wasn’t enough, as Cal fell back to .500 with a 76-66 loss at the hands of Camer Hildreth, Hunter Sallis, Reid Efton and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

Cal got back over .500 with a 74-62 win over NC State on Wednesday night. Saturday, they would be in for a challenge against the 17-6 Wake Forest Demon Deacons.


The Bears amped and ready to go out of the gate. Jovan Blacksher Jr. hit a three 25 seconds in to start the day. Mady Sissoko then hit a hookshot 36 seconds later to put the Bears out to an early 5-0 lead.

Even though the Bears held onto a steady lead in the opening minutes, Wake Forest made their charge. They tied the game at 13-13 on a layup by Jake Harris, and then they took their first lead of the game, 16-15, a minute and 25 seconds later on a free throw from Cameron Hildreth.

Wake Forest opened up their lead to six points at 24-18 with 6:45 to go in the first half, and appeared ready to pull away with it. However, Cal quickly closed the deficit to 24-23 after Jeremiah Wilkinson hit a three and Andrej Stojakovic hit one in the paint. 

Efton Reid extended Wake Forest’s lead to 26-23 with a layup, but Rytis Petraitis tied the game with a three, and Blacksher put the Bears back ahead with a three of his own. Efton then hit a three to re-tie it, and Hunter Sallis took an alleyoop for a dunk to put Wake Forest back ahead 31-29.  

That would be the score as the game moved to the second half. Wake Forest held a small lead for the first two minutes and 46 seconds until Wilkinson tied it with a three. 

The game would remain neck and neck over the next few minutes, as Wake Forest would twice retake a miniscule lead, and Cal would tie it again both times. However, after Wilkinson hit two from the line to make it 42-42 with 14:51 left, everything would suddenly change.

Wake Forest scored eight unanswered points to take a 50-42 lead. Wilkinson hit a much-needed three to close it to 50-45, but Wake Forest did not let up. They ended up going on a 20-5 run to take a 62-47 lead and put the game away.

The only real excitement in the game’s final minutes was a near-fight that Head Coach Mark Madsen had to sprint to the middle court to break up. He had to restrain two young and tall basketball players, which is no small task for a coach. But hey, when you’re in a hurry to make sure two of your guys don’t get suspended, I guess it comes naturally. 

Really, three guys carried Wake Forest to victory Saturday. Camer Hildreth scored 23 points; Hunter Sallis scored 20; and Reid Efton scored 19. The three of them combined for 62 of Wake Forest’s 76 points. 

Wilkinson of course led the scoring for Cal with 21 points. After Wilkinson, Blacksher scored 12, and Stojakovic scored 10.

The Bears fall back to .500 at 12-12, and things won’t get any easier for them when they head to Durham, North Carolina to take on the Duke Blue Devils on Wednesday. Duke is only number two in the entire country, so no pressure.

Cal will also head to Georgia Tech next Saturday, and they will conclude their three-game road trip much closer to home, as they will go just down the road from Berkeley to Palo Alto to take on the Stanford Cardinal the following Thursday.

Cal Bears podcast with Stephen Ruderman: Cal frustrations come out in 76-66 loss to Wake Forest

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Cal Bears guard Jeremiah Wilkinson (0) takes the ball up the floor against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Sat Feb 8, 2025 (Cal Bears X photo)

On the Cal Bears podcast Stephen Ruderman:

#1 One thing you can say about the visiting Wake Forest Demon Deacons (18-6) is they’ve kept their shots falling and staying ten points ahead of the Cal Bears (12-11) all game long Saturday at Haas Pavilion.

#2 Wake Forest’s leading scorer Cameron Hildreth was hitting his shot and lead the Deacons in scoring in this on.

#3 Another thing that was working for Wake Forest was they were getting their share of shots that were falling.

#4 In the second half Cal was behind on an average of ten points and just couldn’t get enough offense against the Deacons to make up the difference. The game got physical and at one point frustrating for Cal as head coach Mark Madson had to come out on the court to restrain his players who were jawing with a Demon Deacon player.

#5 Cal tries it again this time at Duke University who are number two in the nation at 21-2. The Blue Devils are first are 12-0 at home and have won seven in row. Cal with the loss to Wake Forest on Saturday come into Duke with a 2-6 away record. Cal is playing .500 ball having won three of their last six games.

Stephen Ruderman covers Cal basketball for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cardinal Attacked by Demon Deacons 79-73; drop first ACC home game, on a Late Wednesday Night on the Farm

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Stanford Cardinal forward Donavin Young (2) keeps the ball away from Wake Forest Demon Deacons guard Cameron Hildreth (6) at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto Wed Feb 5, 2025 (Stanford Cardinal X photo)

By Michael Roberson

STANFORD, Calif. — The Stanford Cardinal (15-8, 7-5 ACC) were unable to exorcise the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (17-6, 9-3 ACC) and subdue their East Coast visitors at venerable Maples Pavilion, 79-73, and their home conference unbeaten streak (5-1) comes to an end on Hump Day.

The Cardinal started the conference contest with a Ryan Agarwal 3-pointer and momentum very early in the half. The Demon Deacon immediately responded with a 6-0 run and put themselves into the lead moments later. Both teams exchanged leads and ties frequently in the first 20 minutes of gameplay. As a matter of fact, there were 7 lead changes and 6 ties before recess.

Wake Forest also had an 8-0 run and led by as many as 9 points in the first stanza. Stanford was in front by a maximum of 5 points during that same block of time.

By halftime, the Demon Deacons were able to hold on to a three point advantage, 40-37. This was with major help from their senior guard Cameron Hildretth. He was the only player on both teams in double-digit scoring territory, with 15 points. Senior forward Maxime Raynaud led the Cardinal with 9 points and 6 rebounds.

The second half was similar to Groundhogs Day, because Agarwal opened the final 20-minute segment with another trey. Wake Forest also liked the special day, because they responded again with a hefty run, trumping the momentous jumper from beyond the arc.

They both had a similar back and forth battle in the second half. There were 10 more lead changes, and an additional 6 ties. A barnburner was happening, most appropriately, on the proverbial Farm.

Six other players, on both sides, eclipsed the 10+ points plateau, in the second half. That prompted a nip and tuck fight to the 40 minute buzzer. As that time frame elapsed, the Demon Deacons’ evilness prevailed, to the tune of a six point victory, 79-76. Maples Pavilion suffered its first loss of the inaugural ACC venture.

Raynaud led the Cardinal with yet another double-double (16 points and 10 rebounds) and was within range of a triple-double, with 6 assists. Junior forward Chisom Okpara (14), Agarwal (12) and Oziyaha Sellers (10), were the other players with at least 10 points to their tallies.

As for the Demon Deacons, Holdreth led all players with 22 points. He had three other teammates in double-digit scoring: Hunter Sallis (19) added 7 rebounds and 5 assists to his total, Ty-Laur Jackson (14) also grabbed 6 rebounds, and Tre’Von Spillers (12) contributed 5 rebounds to his team.

Stanford will next be in action Saturday, February 8, as they host North Carolina State Wolfpack at 4:00 PM PT, on the ACC Network. Wake Forest travels across the Bay, on the same date, to take on Cal at 2:00 PM, also on the ACC Network.

Golden Bears cruise to 74-62 win over Wolfpack

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Cal Bears guard Jovan Blackshear Jr (10) raises a hand to teammates against the NC State Wolfpack at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Wed Feb 5, 2025 (Cal Bears X)

By Daniel Dullum
Wednesday, February 5, 2025

California continued to enjoy success in Atlantic Coast Conference men’s basketball Wednesday, as the Golden Bears defeated North Carolina State 74-62 at Haas Pavilion.

Jovan Blacksher led Cal (12-11 overall, 5-7 ACC) with 18 points, followed by Jeremiah Wilkinson with 14 points. Joshua Ola-Joseph added 13 points and Mady Sissoko pulled down 13 rebounds.

Andre Stojakovic returned to the Golden Bears lineup from illness and contributed six points. He hadn’t played since Jan. 18, also against NC State.

Cal led 34-30 at halftime. A key factor in the Golden Bears’ win was their defense, which held NC State to 2 of 12 shooting over the final 6 1/2 minutes. The Wolfpack (9-13 overall, 2-9 ACC) missed nine shots during that stretch.

A Rytis Petraitis 3-pointer put the Golden Bears up 47-46 with 13 minutes remaining in the second half. Petraitis later gave Cal 62-54 lead with under seven minutes to go. Cal put the finishing touches on the victory with a 10-0 run, giving them a 72-57 advantage with 90 seconds to play.

Marcus Hill led the Wolfpack with 20 points. NC State has lost seven consecutive games.

This Saturday, the Golden Bears host Wake Forest at 4 p.m., while NC State visits Stanford.

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson: Cardinal host the Orange Wednesday night at Maples

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Stanford Cardinal guard Oziyah Sellers (4) takes a jump shot over the Florida State Seminoles guard Bostyn Holt (3) at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Sat Jan 25, 2025 (Stanford Cardinal X photo)

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson:

#1 It was a hard fought effort by the Stanford Cardinal (14-6) against the Florida State Seminoles (13-7) as the Cardinal came away with a seven point win over the Seminoles 78-71.

# 2 The Cardinal have now won 11 of their last 12 games at home and this season is the first time the Cardinal have gone 11-1 in their first 12 games since the 2020 season. Against the ACC teams the Cardinal are 4-0 for a perfect home record.

#3 Stanford’s Oziyah Sellers led with 27 points and shot 10-16 from the field and was four for six outside the three point line. Benny Gealer and Jaylen Blakes both in double figures and scored 13 points each. Maxime Raynaud had eight point and grabbed a season high of 14 rebounds.

#4 Stanford’s Ryan Agarwal scored the first five points of Saturday. Stanford led early in the game 18-10 and Agarwal had a 7-0 run from Sellers in the middle of the first quarter. Sellers also was hitting the three pointers with three 3 pointers in the first 20 minutes. Chisom Okpara hit a shot from behind the arc with 20 seconds half heading into the half.

#5 The Cardinal face the Syracuse Orange (9-11) on Wed Jan 29th. The Orange lost their last game 77-73 to Pittsburgh Panthers (13-6) 77-73. The Orange are 12th in the ACC. The Orange have lost their last two games. The Cardinal have the home floor and a three game win streak going into this game against the Orange on Wed Jan 29 at 8:00pm.

Michael Roberson does the Stanford Cardinal podcast each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Sellers & Cardinal made Seminoles’ adventure on the Farm unpleasant, 78-71; Still Perfect at home (ACC)

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Stanford Cardinal guard Oziyah Sellers (4) is the post game guest on the ESPN ACC Network after leading the Cardinal with 27 points defeating the Florida State Seminoles at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Sat Jan 25, 2025 (Stanford Cardinal X photo)

By Michael Roberson

STANFORD, Calif. — Led by Oziyah Sellers’ career high 27-point performance, Stanford Cardinal (12-6, 6-3 ACC) remain unbeaten at home (Maples) and the Bay (Haas) in Atlantic Coast Conference play, after they defeated the Florida State Seminoles (13-7, 4-5 ACC) 78-71, on an overcast afternoon in Palo Alto.

Stanford scored the first points of the game, on a Ryan Agarwal layup. FSU tied it up at two, but trailed until a little more than six minutes into the contest.

Florida State took their first and only lead (10-9) on a dunk by redshirt-senior Jamir Watkins. Stafford went on a 9-0 run directly after that, with Oziyah Sellers providing seven and Maxime Raynaud chipping in the other two. The Cardinal held on to the advantage on the scoreboard all the way to recess.

Standord’s lead reached as high as 10 points, but settled at eight after 20 minutes of gametime play, 33-25.

Sellers was the only player with 10+ points (13), and he converted three treys for his beloved Cardinal. Watkins led the Seminoles with 8 points and 5 rebounds.

Sellers got the second half started off right for the Cardinal, as he made a layup less than 30 seconds into the second stanza. Stanford also increased the lead back into double-digits (13), and managed to hold on for the rest of the game, despite FSU’s efforts.

The Seminoles did lessen the deficit below ten points several times, but the home team was not as hospitable enough to give up the entire lead for their Sunshine State guests. The tree bent, but was not broken. They finished the conference battle with 7-point advantage, 78-71.

Sellers led all scorers with his 27, while Jaylen Blakes and Benny Gealer both offered 13 points to the equation. Although the double-double French King (Raynaud) was a little below stellar, he tallied eight points and and 14 rebounds.

The Seminoles also had three players with double-figure scoring. Jamir Watkins (20) and 8 rebounds, Malique Ewin (16) and 7 rebounds, in addition to Daquon Davis’ (14) contribution to their cause.

The Cardinal will next be in action, Wednesday, January 29, as they host the Syracuse Orange at 8:00 PM PT. on ESPNU. The Seminoles go back to Tallahassee to host the Virginia Tech Hokies on the same date, at 7:00 PM ET, also on the ACC Network.

Golden Bears work overtime to beat Hurricanes 98-94

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Cal Bears guard Christian Tucker (22) lets everyone know that guard Jeremiah Wilkinson (0) scored 30 points in their win over the Miami Hurricanes at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Sat Jan 25, 2025 (Cal Bears X photo)

By Daniel Dullum

Saturday, January 25, 2025

Thanks to big nights from Jeremiah Wilkinson and DJ Campbell, California held off Miami (Fla.) 98-94 in overtime Saturday in Atlantic Coast Conference men’s basketball at Haas Pavilion.

Wilkinson bagged a career-high 30 points and Campbell scored a season-high 22 points to lead the Golden Bears (11-9 overall, 4-5 ACC). Wilkinson was 10 of 22 – including one 3 – from the field and 9 of 10 at the line. Campbell hit 5 of 12 shooting with 9 of 11 free throws.

Javan Blacksher Jr. Scored 11 points and Mady Sissoko grabbed 10 of the Golden Bears’ 41 rebounds in a game had 11 lead changes and was tied 10 times.

The Hurricanes (4-16 overall, 0-9 ACC) forced overtime when Matthew Cleveland took an inbounds pass and hit a 3-pointer with 4.6 seconds remaining in regulation, tying the game at 79-79.

In overtime, Campbell tallied six points during a 9-2 Cal run that gave the Golden Bears an 88-81 lead. Cal stretched its lead to 94-86 with 24 seconds left in the extra period. Miami wasn’t finished, however, as A.J. Staton-McCray sank back-to-back 3-pointers, pulling the Hurricanes to within 95-92 before Cal put the game away at the foul line.

Cleveland led the Hurricanes with 30 points and eight rebounds off the bench. Brandon Johnson added 16 points and eight boards. Paul Djobet scored 12 points and Jalil Bethea had 11 points and six rebounds.

Cal travels to Dallas Wednesday to face Southern Methodist for a 

Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael Roberson: Cardinal host Hurricanes Saturday night at Maples Pavilion

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Stanford Cardinal forward Donavon Young (2) takes a jump shot against the Miami Hurricanes at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto on Wed Jan 22, 2025 (Stanford Cardinal X photo)

On the Stanford Cardinal podcast with Michael:

#1 Stanford Cardinal didn’t give an inch defeating the Miami Hurricane 88-51 on Wednesday night to improve their record to 13-6. The Cardinal are 5-3 and Stanford has an outstanding home record at 10-1.

#2 The Cardinal are 10-1 for the first time since 2019-20. Stanford’s Maxime Raynaud has a nation leading 16th double-double for this season. Raynaud scored 28 points, went 10-17 and 4-6 from behind the three point line, with 12 rebounds.

#3 Raynaud past Hank Luisetti who played on the 1938 Cardinal and is 25th on Stanford’s all time scoring list. Raynaud also moves past Josh Huestit class of 1914 for eighth on the all time rebounds list.

#4 Raynaud’s outing marked his 12th 20-point game of the season.

#5 The Florida State Seminoles are next up for the Stanford Cardinal on Sat Jan 25 a 4:00pm PST tip. The Seminoles lost to the Cal Bears at Haas Pavilion on Wednesday night 88-51. The Seminoles 13-6 are sixth in the ACC and are 3-3 on the road.

Join Michael Roberson for the Stanford Cardinal podcast each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cardinal Stave off Hurricanes 88-51, on a Chilly Late Night on the Farm

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Stanford Cardinal forward Maxime Raynaud (42) drives the ball against the Miami Hurricanes Lynn Kidd center (1) at Haas Pavilion in Palo Alto on Wed Jan 22, 2025 (Stanford Cardinal X photo)

By Michael Roberson

STANFORD, Calif. — The Bay Area weather was calm and cool , as the Stanford Cardinal (13-6, 5-3 ACC) reduced the Miami Hurricanes (4-15, 0-8 ACC) to a Category 1,(88-51) inside the cozy confines of Maples Pavilion.

Miami actually got the party started, by scoring the first point of the conference contest. Senior forward Brandon Johnson converted one of two free throws, giving them their only lead. Stanford went on an avalanche of a run (7-0), then proceeded to double that push minutes later.

Stanford got the lead up to as high as 23 points in the initial half. However, the Hurricanes did produce some heavy winds, as they slightly cut into the large deficit, trailing by 13 late in the half. Junior guard Oziyah Sellers hit a three with less than a minute until recess.

The Cardinal held a 16-point lead at halftime, 37-21. Balanced scoring for the Cardinal, as only one player eclipsed the ten-point plateau. Sellers reached 10 points on his last basket of the half. Maxime Raynaud added nine points and snagged eight rebounds.

Senior center Lynn Kidd led the Canes with eight points and five rebounds. Miami seemed to feel they were still in the game at the midway point.

Miami opened the second half as if they were going to make a comeback. They made an immediate 5-0 run, putting themselves within 11 points of the Cardinal lead..Senior guard Matthew Cleveland made those points on a three-pointer and layup.

Raynaud decided that he was going to end the Hurricane comeback, and went on a personal run of his own. as he added 19 points to his first half tally and snatched four more rebounds to his total.

As the final half of the game progressed, Stanford ballooned the gap to a whopping 39 points with less than five minutes of regulation time on the clock.Miami did score nine more points in the the second half, than in the first, but unfortunately for them, the home team added 14 to their already 16-point advantage.

After 40 minutes of action, the Cardinal kept their perfect home conference record (3-0) intact, winning by 37 points, 88-51. Technically,they are undefeated in the entire Bay Area, as they won an ACC road game in Berkeley, at the beginning of conference play.

Stanford presented five players with at least ten points in the game. Raynaud led the way with another double-double, offering 28 points, 12 rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Both Jaylen Blakes and Chisom Okpara contributed 12 points and two assists each, but JB also stole the ball thrice. The aforementioned Sellers remained at ten points of production, while Ryan Agarwal scored 11 points and captured five carrums.

Miami had two players with double-digit scoring. Matthew Cleveland put up a team-leading 23 points, while Lynn Kidd chipped in ten points and seven rebounds for the South Florida visitors.

Stanford will next be in action Saturday, January 25, hosting Florida State at 4:00 PM PT, on the ACC Network. Miami heads across the Bay to Berkeley on the same date to face California at 5:30 PM PT, on ESPNU.

Cal Bears WBB podcast with Morris Phillips: Cal battles Stanford on the Hill Thursday

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Cal Bears center Michelle Onyiah (0) takes a shot over the Wake Forest Demon Deacons forward Kennedy Moore (15) at LVJM Coliseum in Winston-Salem NC on Sun Jan 19, 2025 (Cal Bears photo)

On the Cal Bears WBB podcast with Morris Phillips:

#1 Cal Bears who are Cal is 17-3, 5-2, 11 scheduled games remaining, nine against teams below them in the ACC standings and 11-0 at Haas Pavilion.  Marta Suarez led with 16 points with nine assists, Ioanna Krimili and Lulu Twidale scored four three pointers and both finished with 14 points on Sunday in Cal’s 67-55 win over the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (7-12) in Winston-Salem NC.

#2 Michelle Onyiah scored ten points and grabbed ten rebounds with her fifth double-double of the season.

#3 Krimili was aggressive in getting the basketball early scoring their first eight points for a 10-2 start that put Cal in front 23-19 for Cal’s first lead four minutes in the second quarter and never look back.

#4 Morris, after getting crushed by Duke 72-38 on Thursday how important was it for them to turn around on Sunday and get that win against Wake Forest to end their road trip to Tabacco Road?

#5 Cal tips off against their cross bay rival the Stanford Cardinal (10-8) Thu Jan 22 for a 7:00pm PST start. The Cardinal are 13th in the ACC. Stanford has almost been flawless at home with a 9-1 record. Do you see the Bears not being intimidated and getting business done or could it be a battle for them at Maples Pavilion?

Join Morris Thursdays for the Cal Bears podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com