Cal Did Not Get Into NCAA Tournament but Fared Well Against Teams That Did

Cal did not get selected for the NCAA tournament, but they played eight teams that did earn berths to March Madness. The Bears went 4-4 in those eight contests against NCAA teams.

Cal is still looking for its first NCAA tournament berth since 2016. The Bears were not among the first four out of the 68-team March Madness field, according to selection committee spokesman Keith Gill, so they were a ways from getting in.

Here are the eight NCAA tournament teams Cal played during the regular season:

UCLA, a No. 7 seed in NCAA tournament

Cal-UCLA game, November 25, in San Francisco. Result: Cal won

Cal ended a streak of 17 consecutive losses when it upset then-No. 18 UCLA 80-72 at Chase Center in San Francisco. At that time it was the best Bears’ win the Mark Madsen era. Chris Bell scored 22 points while hitting 5-of-7 three-pointers, and and Cal went 11-for-22 from long range as a team.

Louisville, a No. 6 seed in NCAA tournament

Cal-Louisville game, December 30, in Berkeley. Result: Cal lost

Cal was 12-1 when was served a reality check by then-No. 16 Louisville, which dominated the Bears 90-70 before a crowd of 6,012 at Haas Pavilion. Louisville led by as many as 21 points in the first half and the Cardinal never felt threatened thereafter.

Virginia, a No. 3 seed in NCAA tournament

Cal-Virginia game, January 7, in Charlottesville, Virginia. Result: Cal lost

Cal made just one of its first 14 shots in the second half, helping then-No. 23 Virginia break away to a one-sided 84-60 victory over the Bears. Cal was 3-for-19 on three-point shots, including 0-for-10 in the second half.

Duke, a No. 1 seed in NCAA tournament

Cal-Duke game, January 14, in Berkeley. Result: Cal lost

In front of a sellout crowd at Haas Pavilion, Cal stayed with the sixth-ranked Sun Devils for much of the game. The Bears trailed by just three points with 10 minutes left in the second half, but Duke took control with a 12-1 run that led to a 71-56 Duke victory.

North Carolina, a No. 6 seed in NCAA tournament

Cal-North Carolina game, January 17, in Berkeley. Result: Cal won

Cal picked up its best win of the 2025-26 season when it beat 14th-ranked North Carolina 84-78. It was the highest-ranked team Cal defeated since the Bears knocked off 11th-ranked Oregon 83-63 on Februray 11, 2016, nearly 10 years ago. Cal nearly blew a 20-point, second-half lead against the Tar Heels, which got within three points with 18.8 seconds left before a crowd of 8,077.

Miami, a No. 7 seed in NCAA tournament

Cal-Miami game, January 31, in Coral Gables, Florida. Result: Cal won

This 86-85 Cal victory might have been more significant that the win over North Carolina because this win was on the road. DK Dut, a 7-foot sophomore who had played just 26 minutes all season coming into the game, scored the go-ahead basket on a putback with 56 seconds left, blocked two shots in his seven minutes of playing time and altered the Hurricanes’ last-second attempt at a game-winner.

Clemson, a No. 8 seed in NCAA tournament

Cal-Clemson game, February 7, in Berkeley. Result: Cal lost

Cal played one of its worst games in the 77-55 loss o 20th-ranked Clemson. Cal scored one point during a 13-minute stretch of the first, helping the Tigers to a 19-point halftime lead. Cal never got closer than 15 points in the second half.

SMU, a No. 11 seed in NCAA tournament

Cal-SMU game, February 25, in Berkeley. Result: Cal won

Cal’s 73-69 victory over the Mustangs put the Bears in position for an NCAA berth because all of their three remaining game looked winnable. This was Cal’s 20th win of the season, the first time in nine years Cal reached that plateau. Cal hung on my making free throws down the stretch while SMU finished 11-for-26 from the foul line.