The 10-2 Pitt Panthers are back in action today for a 2:00 p.m. New Year's Day tip. They have not played since December 21st, and the last (only) conference game was back on December 7th at Virginia Tech. Now they get two conference games at home to start 2025.
As odd as it sounds, the California Golden Bears will travel across the country as a member of the ACC for the first time. It is not a common opponent, as the two teams have only played three times in the series history. Entering this game, the Golden Bears are 7-5 overall and 0-1 in the ACC. The program is led by Mark Madsen in his second season at the school. While he tries to establish the identity of his program, it has been a struggle at times. He won 13 games last season in his first year, which was a huge improvement over the 3-29 season in 2022-23 under Mark Fox.
The wins this season have been over Cal State Bakersfield, Cal Poly, USC, Air Force, Sacramento State, Mercyhurst, and Northwestern State. The five losses have been to Vanderbilt by 16, Missouri by 5, Stanford by 8, Cornell by 8, and San Diego State by 21. The Golden Bears have lost four of their last five games and currently around No. 133 in the KenPom rankings.
As a team, they shoot 52% from inside the arc, 74% from the line, and 37% from three. They score 78.9 points per game while allowing 75.8 Their assist to turnover ratio is negative at 10.6:13.9 and they make about 8.3 threes per game. It is a team that is relatively experienced with some scoring punch, but have generally been overwhelmed by more talented teams. Let's take a closer look at exactly who is making the trip to the Pete and how they figure to match up.
Jovan Blacksher Jr. vs. Jaland Lowe
Blacksher is an older guard with a ton of experience. He actually spent five seasons at Grand Canyon before transferring. The 5'11" senior has played in 132 games and has averaged double figures in five of his six seasons. This year at Cal, Jovan is averaging 13 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 3.6 assists. His assist production is countered with three turnovers per game. On the shooting front, he is converting just 38% from two but an impressive 42% from three. He has played in nine of the 12 games and has reached double figures eight times. His best game of the season was his 19-point effort against USC, but he just shot 0-6 and scored just two points against San Diego State last time out. Blacksher always seems to find his way to double digits, but it is not always efficient. That should play into Pitt's hands with Jaland Lowe on the other side. Lowe is coming off of two consecutive double doubles with assists, totaling 23 assists over his last two games. Lowe should be able to dictate tempo and control this game.
Advantage: Pitt
Andrej Stojakovic vs. Ishmael Leggett
If you are wondering if you are that old now, the answer is yes. Andrej is the son of former NBA player Peja Stojakovic. His 6'7" eldest son was a four-star recruit out of high school and is in his second season of major college basketball. He spent his freshman season at Stanford last year, averaging 7.8 points in 22.3 minutes. He decided to transfer to Cal and now finds himself in the ACC along with his former team. Andrej is the focal point of this offense under Madsen, and he has responded. He is quickly developing into one of the best young scorers in the conference. Andrej leads the team in scoring at 19.1 per game, to go with 4.8 rebounds. On the assist front, he has a negative assist to turnover ratio and averages just 1.6 assists. He is purely a scorer. Andrej has reached double figures in all 12 games this season and has seven games of 20 points or more. That includes a 31-point game against Northwestern State. Andrej shoots 50% from two and 36% from three. He also leads the team in made threes with 23. Stojakovic is a promising young scorer that is dangerous. With that being said, he is still a bit raw and needs to get stronger and adjusted to the physicality of the college game. In the San Diego State loss most recently, Andrej shot just 2-12 and scored 10 points.
Leggett is a very physical player and needs to attack him consistently. That should be able to negate some of the other scoring and production from Stojakovic. I really like Stojakovic's game and potential, but this is a tough matchup for him given Leggett's experience and strength.
Advantage: Pitt
Rytis Petraitis vs. Zack Austin
Rytis is a 6'7" junior that is a versatile combo forward. He spent two seasons at Air Force that were very productive, averaging 10.4 and then 15.7. It hasn't quite translated to his new home yet, as he is averaging just 7.8 points and 4 rebounds. He has only reached double figures in four of the twelve games. Against Missouri, he played the best game of his season with 17 points. Rytis has been very good inside the arc at 57%, but only shoots 28% from three this season. That has been the main issue, as he tries to settle into a new offense on the wing. Petraitis is capable and experienced, but he has not yet found his way in the ACC.
Finding his way is exactly what Zack Austin is doing. Last time out against Sam Houston, Zack scored 23 points and had one of his best games. Austin has developed into a legitimate three point threat. After shooting 30% from three last season, he is now currently at 45% and one of the more efficient deep shooters in the conference. It has been quite impressive to see how much Austin has developed this season. It has been a complete transformation that has allowed him to become a complete wing option.
Advantage: Pitt
Joshua Ola-Joseph vs. Guillermo Diaz Graham
Ola-Joseph is a 6'7" junior that transferred in after two seasons at Minnesota. In the Big 10, he averaged a respectable 7.4 and 7.5 points. Now out west, Joshua is averaging 8.2 points and 4.3 rebounds. In 12 games, he has reached double figures four times this season. His most impressive outing was a 21-point and 8-rebound game against Cornell. That has been the outlier for the most part though, and he is coming off of a scoreless effort in just 12 minutes against San Diego State. The natural ability is there for the 6'7" athlete, but he has not been consistent at all this season.
Guillermo Diaz Graham had to feel good when he saw that first three go down in the Sam Houston game. It had been a brutal stretch for him prior to that, but seeing two go through the net may go a long way towards getting him back on track. Neither one of these forwards are going to dominate on the glass or anywhere in the stat sheet. Guillermo probably has a bit more upside in this matchup if he is making shots, but Ola-Joseph's floor is a bit higher.
Advantage: Even
Mady Sissoko vs. Cam Corhen
Sissoko is another transfer for Coach Madsen. Mady spent four years at Michigan State, serving as a rotational contributor for the latter two seasons. His best year there came in 2022-23, when he averaged 5.1 points and 6.6 rebounds. In all, Mady has started 59 of the 124 games that he has appeared in. Sissoko is a 6'9" senior that is a physical post player. On the season, he is averaging 6.9 points and 6.8 rebounds. He has reached double figures in five of the 21 games. Against San Diego State, Mady had five points and 11 rebounds. He is definitely a presence that will leave his mark, but there just isn't a lot of upside.
Cam Corhen also had a recent rough stretch, but responded with a nice game against Sam Houston. Since his dominant game against Wisconsin back on November 24th, he didn't surpass six points over a four game stretch prior to his 15 point effort against Sam Houston. He has a physical opponent in this one, but he should be able to use his athleticism and skill to make an impact. The key will be to respond to the physicality that Sissoko will present. Until we see that from Corhen, it is hard to predict.
Advantage: Even
Bench
At full strength, Cal has a nice deep rotation. However, they have dealt with injuries to several players early this season. The bench is led by 6'1" freshman Jeremiah Wilkinson. He has probably played well enough to be a starter, but he is working off of the bench effectively for now. Wilkinson is adding 11.8 points per game on 59% from two and 35% from three. He has hit double figures seven different times with two 20-point efforts. His 23 points against Air Force was basically the difference, and then he also had 25 against Mercyhurst and 19 at Missouri. He is a legit scoring spark as soon as he touches the floor. 6'8" sophomore B.J. Omot has been a factor with 10.8 points and 3 rebounds, but he has not played since November 17th due to injury. It is unclear what his current status is and whether or not he could play in this game. 6'2" junior DJ Campbell is another contributor in the back court, averaging 7 points per game. Him and Wilkinson allow the staff to go smaller in the backcourt depending on matchups. 6'10" junior Lee Dort is another physical presence. He is contributing 3.8 points and 6.1 rebounds. The main rotation is eight players without Omot. Beyond that group, 6'3" junior guard Christian Tucker adds 2.6 points and 6'9 freshman forward Spencer Mahoney averages 2.2 points.
Pitt's bench is thin at the moment, but Brandin Cummings is really developing and his scoring average is up to 7.7 after an incredible performance against Sam Houston. That bodes well for the depth once Damian Dunn returns. Right now at this moment, California gets the slight edge on the bench.
Advantage: California
Mark Madsen vs. Jeff Capel
Many of us will remember Mark Madsen as a rugged power forward. He had a great career at Stanford, and was then the ultimate role player that scratched and clawed his way to a long NBA career. The 48-year old played at Stanford from 1996-2000. Then he played for the Lakers for three seasons, and then the Timberwolves for six seasons until 2009. From there, he got into coaching, something that he always seemed destined for after watching him play. His coaching career started as an assistant for the Utah Flash in 2009-10. Then he returned to Stanford as an assistant in 2012. From there, he turned it into leading the LA Defenders for a season in 2013. Following that season, he became an assistant for the Lakers from 2013-19. After that season, he returned to college with the acceptance of the Utah Valley head coaching gig. In four seasons there, he went 70-51 and won the regular season championship twice. His diverse resume and success there helped land him the California job.
Cal is not an easy job, and it never has been for whatever reason. Madsen took over a program that won three games all season long the prior season. So while he is just 20-24 overall at Cal, it has been more impressive than the numbers show. It may be a struggle in the ACC this season, but he has added a lot of experienced transfers and has a nice piece to build around in Stojakovic. It won't be easy, but Madsen has never lacked energy and toughness. It remains to be seen how it will play out for Madsen, but we are getting a better feel for Coach Capel and his staff each year. The league looks wide open with only a couple of really good teams, so he once again has his team in a nice spot to take advantage.
Advantage: Pitt
