Having disposed of outclassed opponents, 18th-ranked UCLA and former longtime Pacific-12 Conference rival Cal will meet in the Empire Classic on Tuesday night at San Francisco.
The Bruins (5-1), now of the Big Ten, and Golden Bears (5-1), from the Atlantic Coast Conference, are no strangers. They have faced each other since 1921, with UCLA winning 12 of the last 13 games since 2017.
The teams both bolted from the Pac-12 before the 2024-25 season, then didn’t schedule each other last season. The last time they met was on Feb. 10, 2024, when UCLA won 61-60 on the road.
The Bruins bounced back from a 69-65 neutral-site loss to then-No. 5 Arizona on Nov. 14 by earning 79-48 and 86-46 home wins over Sacramento State and Presbyterian, respectively.
UCLA coach Mick Cronin made a statement before the victory over Sacramento State by keeping four starters on the bench at the beginning of the game. The veteran coach said it was a reward for bench players who had been impressive at practice and then put on a show by taking an early 13-0 lead against the Hornets.
High-energy defense remained evident when the regular starting lineup, minus Tyler Bilodeau (knee injury), returned against Presbyterian. Bilodeau might miss Tuesday’s game as well.
“The last couple of games, our team attitude has been something I could be proud of,” Cronin said. “It’s amazing how guys play better when they have the right attitude and the right approach.”
Brandon Williams started in place of Bilodeau and scored 11 points with seven rebounds. Cronin called it Williams’ “best game of his career as a Bruin.”
Cal is expected to focus on the defensive end as well. Coach Mark Madsen was last seen beaming about his team’s effort at the opponent’s end of the court following a 91-67 home win over Sacramento State on Friday.
The Golden Bears beat Presbyterian 67-57 at home last Tuesday after allowing 99 points in a three-point road loss to Kansas State on Nov. 13.
Golden Bears guard Justin Pippen was the standout of Friday’s defensive lockdown, a game in which Sacramento State shot 26.9% from the field.
“We ask a lot of Justin because he can do so many things on the court,” Madsen said of the Michigan transfer. “It’s challenging to play the point guard position. Our guards defensively, they were outstanding. Ball-screen coverage, one-on-defense, contesting shots … they were really, really good.”
The Golden Bears will have to be on top of their defensive game against the Bruins, who have four regulars shooting over 40% on 3-pointers, led by Eric Dailey Jr. at 46.7%. Skyy Clark is at 45.0% and scored a season-high 22 points in Friday’s win over Presbyterian.
Cal’s offensive standout has been Chris Bell, who has averaged 20.7 points over his past three games. The product of nearby De La Salle High, who began his college career at Syracuse, made 12 of his 22 attempts from 3-point range in the three-game stretch and is scoring 15.7 points on the season.
– Field Level Media
