The holiday break is over and the Pitt basketball team is ready to get into the teeth of ACC play. The Panthers are off to a 1-0 league start thanks to an earlier win over Virginia Tech, but now face a stretch of 19 consecutive ACC games.
It starts today with league newcomer Cal coming to the Petersen Events Center for a 2:00 p.m. New Year’s Day tip with coverage on the ACC Network. The Golden Bears enter this game with a 7-5 record. In its last game, Cal was smacked around by No. 23 San Diego State, 71-50, back on December 21st. Now after the long layoff, Cal is making its first trip to the East Coast as a member of the ACC with today being its inaugural road game in the league.
The Golden Bears currently rank No. 126 in the NET rankings, good for 13th in the 18-team conference. Not much was expected of Cal after they were picked to finish 16th in the ACC preseason poll.
Mark Madsen, a Stanford graduate, is in his second year guiding the program in Berkeley. He is now in his sixth year as a Division-1 coach, with a previous stop at Utah Valley, prior to arriving at Cal. Madsen is best known for being a member of the Los Angeles Lakers NBA Championship teams in 2001-02.
If early 2000’s NBA is now on your mind, then it’s worth noting Cal’s best player is 6’7” sophomore Andrej Stojaković, the son of former Sacramento Kings star Peja Stojaković. The younger Stojaković averages 19.1 points per game, currently third in the ACC.
Pitt needs to be in a ‘handle business’ mode as it enters ACC play. The Panthers positioned themselves well in the non-conference schedule as they sit No. 11 in the NET rankings, which trails only Duke in terms of ACC teams. Jeff Capel’s team in a quest to get back into the NCAA Tournament, and protecting their home court in league play will play a big role in them reaching their goal.
Can Pitt start the New Year off right? The Panther-Lair.com staff gives their picks.
Stephen Gertz (9-3, 4-8 ATS) - Starting the ACC portion of the schedule against one of the worst teams in the conference should bode well for the Pittsburgh Panthers. While they cannot look past the California Golden Bears, they are not the kind of team that has given Pitt problems. Cal turns the ball over at a very high rate and does not defend the three-point line all that well. If the Panthers can rebound the ball well on the defensive end and play their game, they should win this game by double-digits. The Golden Bears' guard trio, while impressive, are a little undersized and I would still favor Pitt's backcourt in this one. If Zack Austin can make life difficult for Andrej Stojakovic, then it makes Cal's attempt at a road victory that much harder. I think this is a game where the Panthers find ways to effectively score at all three levels and win comfortably.
Prediction: Pitt 83-68
Jim Hammett (10-2, 6-6 ATS) - The college basketball season can be a little choppy around the holidays. Pitt only played four games in the month of December, with its last contest happening on December 21st. The Panthers will need to shake off the rust quickly as the team dives into the full ACC slate beginning today. Cal can present some challenges, as Andrej Stojakovic is one of the best pure scorers in the ACC. The Golden Bears have three other players who average double figures, and this should be a step up in competition from Pitt's previous two wins over Eastern Kentucky and Sam Houston. Or maybe it won't be. Despite this being a conference game, Pitt is a 14-point favorite in today's game. Pitt seems to have the upper hand across the board, and of course gets the benefit of playing at home, where the Panthers are 7-0 this season. I could see Pitt starting a little slow out of the gates with the long layoff and holiday season playing a role, but the Panthers will continually pull away throughout the game thanks to their backcourt of Jaland Lowe and Ishmael Leggett.
Prediction: Pitt 80-64
Matt Steinbrink (9-3, 2-10 ATS) - California is struggling, losing four of their last five games. Their only significant win thus far is USC by 5, and they played Missouri and Stanford competitively. They shoot the ball fairly well as a team but they struggle to take care of the ball and play efficiently against better talent. Pitt did a great job on DeVries of West Virginia earlier in the season, and I view Andrej Stojakovic as a young raw comp for him. As long as Zack Austin and the Panthers make things difficult for Stojakovic, the Golden Bears could have trouble finding efficient scoring. These long layoffs around the holidays are always difficult to work around, but California is also dealing with it and traveling across the country. I expect stretches of a competitive game, but Pitt just being too much at home.
Prediction: Pitt 83-68
Houston Wilson (10-2, 5-7 ATS) - Pitt has excelled during the non-conference portion of their schedule, positioning themselves with a strong NCAA Tournament resume. Today, they aim to secure their second conference win against Cal. While Cal has managed just one victory over a Power Five opponent this season, their overall performance has been challenging. Cal will face a challenge today on the road and Pitt should take care of business as they have the better overall roster.
Prediction: Pitt 83-72
Chris Peak (10-2, 7-5 ATS) - It's been a long time since we've seen Pitt in action, but the Panthers will be back at it today with a home game against Cal. It's not technically the ACC opener, but it feels like it and I'm going to view it as such. I wonder how Pitt will do after more than a week off, but I also don't necessarily think Cal will present a great challenge that can take advantage of any rust the Panthers might have. The Golden Bears don't seem to have the tools to win this game, and I think this Pitt team has taken care of business well. I expect the Panthers' guards to lead the way for a strong victory to start 2025.
Prediction: Pitt 88-68
