Cal Men Picked Near the Bottom in Preseason ACC Basketball Poll

Cal did not get much love from the media who voted in the ACC preseason men’s basketball poll that was released Tuesday.

The Bears were picked to finish 15th in the 18-team conference. Last season, Cal was picked to finish 16th in the preseason poll and wound up tied with Stanford for ninth with a 22-12 record, including 9-9 in the ACC.

The Bears return just one starter from last season’s team, but have brought in a number of transfers and freshmen who are expected to help immediately.

Duke was nearly a unanimous pick to win the ACC regular-season title for the third straight year, followed by Virginia second and Louisville third

Preseason ACC men's basketball poll | The ACC

No Cal player was named to the preseason all-ACC first or second team or to the preseason ACC all-rookie team. Virginia's Thijs De Ridder was voted the preseason ACC player of the year, and Duke’s Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje is the preseason pick to be named ACC rookie of the year.

The starting times and TV designations of each of this season Cal men’s basketball games were released recently.

A number of Cal’s games will be on the ACC Network Extra channel, which requires a subscription, several will be on the ACC Network, and one will be on the Big Ten channel.

Cal’s first exhibition game, against Loyola Marymount on Friday, will be televised by ESPN+.

Here’s the lineup:

Friday, October 16 – Cal at Loyola Marymount (exhibition)

Starting time: 6 p.m.

TV: ESPN+

Saturday, October 24 – Cal at Oregon State (exhibition)

Starting time: 7 p.m.

TV: No TV, radio only

Monday, November 2 – Adams State at Cal

Starting time: 5 p.m.

TV: ACC Network Extra

Wednesday, November 4 – Radford at Cal

Starting time: 6 p.m.

TV: ACC Network Extra

Sunday, November 8 -- Cal vs. Houston at Lake Tahoe, Nevada

Starting time: 5:30 p.m.

TV: The CW

Wednesday November 11 – USC at Cal

Starting time: 8 p.m.

TV: ESPN2

Saturday, November 14 – Utah Tech at Cal

Starting time: 2 p.m.

TV: ACC Network Extra

Thursday, November 19 – East Texas A&M at Cal

Starting time: 7 p.m.

TV: ACC Network Extra

Monday, November 23 – Alabama State at Cal

Starting time: 7 p.m.

TV: ACC Network Extra

Saturday, November 2 – Cal vs. Minnesota at Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Starting time: 5 p.m. Pacific time (7 p.m. Central time)

TV: Big Ten Network

Wednesday, December 2 – Cal at Utah

Starting time: To be determined

TV: To be determined

Sunday, December 6 – Vanderbilt at Cal

Starting time: 5 p.m.

TV: ACC Network

Thursday, December 10 – Southeastern Louisiana at Cal

Starting time: 7 p.m.

TV: ACC Network Extra

Saturday, December 12 – UC Riverside at Cal

Starting time: Noon

TV: ACC Network Extra

Sunday, December 20 – Southern at Cal

Starting time: Noon

TV: ACC Network Extra

Tuesday, December 22 – Northeastern at Cal

Starting time: 3 p.m.

TV: ACC Network Extra

Wednesday, December 30 – Cal at North Carolina

Staring time: 1 p.m. Pacific time (4 p.m. Eastern time)

Saturday, January 2 – Cal at Duke

Starting time: 11:15 a.m. Pacific time (2:15 p.m. Eastern time)

Wednesday, January 6 – Florida State at Cal

Starting time: 6 p.m.

TV: ESPNU

Saturday, January 9 -- Virginia at Cal

Starting time: 1 p.m.

TV: ESPNU

Wednesday, January 13 – Cal at Louisville

Starting time: 4 p.m. Pacific time 7 p.m. Eastern time)

TV: ACC Network

Saturday, January 16 – Cal at Notre Dame

Starting time: 11 a.m. Pacific time (2 p.m. Eastern time)

TV: ACC Network

Saturday, January 23 – Stanford at Cal

Starting time: 6 p.m.

TV: The CW

Wednesday, January 27 – North Carolina State at Cal

Starting time: 6 p.m.

TV: ACC Network

Saturday, January 30 – Syracuse at Cal

Starting time: 2:30 p.m.

TV: ACC Network

Wednesday, February 3 – Cal at SMU

Starting time: 5 p.m. Pacific time (7 p.m. Central time)

TV: The CW

Saturday, February 6 – Cal at Syracuse

Starting time: 9 a.m. Pacific time (Noon Eastern time)

TV: The CW

Wednesday, February 10 – Virginia Tech at Cal

Starting time: 6 p.m.

TV: ACC Network

Saturday, February 13 – Miami at Cal

Starting time: 7 p.m.

TV: ESPN2

Wednesday, February 17 – Cal at Pitt

Stating time: 4 p.m. Pacific time (7 p.m. Eastern time

TV: ACC Network

Saturday, February 20 – Cal at North Carolina State

Starting time: 9 a.m. Pacific time Noon Eastern time)

TV: The CW

Wednesday, February 24 – Boston College at Cal

Starting time: 6 p.m.

TV: ACC Network

Saturday, February 27 – Wake Fores at Cal

Starting time: 1:30 p.m.

TV: ACC Network

Saturday, March 6 – Cal at Stanford

Starting time: 1 p.m.

TV: ACC Network

Tuesday, March 9, through Saturday, March 13 – ACC Tournament in Greensboro, North Carolina

TV: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN, ACC Network

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