Cal's ACC Basketball Schedule: Bears Host Duke, UNC in Mid-January

Cal’s men’s basketball team will play its first ACC game of the 2025-26 season on Tuesday, December 30, at home against Louisville, which is expected to be ranked in the top 15 when the preseason college basketball rankings are released next month.

But the big week as far as Cal fans are concerned comes in mid-January when perennial basketball powerhouses Duke and North Carolina both come to Berkeley in span of four days.

On Wednesday, Cal announced the dates of the Bears’ 2025-26 Atlantic Coast Conference games. Game times and television coverage will be announced at a later date.

The ACC had announced Cal’s conference opponents back in May, but it did not announce the dates of those games until now.

Although Cal’s first ACC game will be on a Tuesday, all of its other mid-week games will be played on Wednesdays.

Cal’s first two conference games will be at home. After the Tuesday game against Louisville, Cal will host Notre Dame three days later on Friday, January 2.

Cal then plays road games against Virginia and Virginia Tech before returning home to face two of the biggest names in college basketball – Duke and North Carolina.

Cal will host Duke on Wednesday, January 14, and the Blue Devils are likely to be ranked in the top 15 and possibly in the top five in the preseason polls after being No. 3 in the final regular-season rankings last season.

Then, on Saturday, January 17, Cal will host North Carolina, which is coming off a disappointing season but might sneak into the preseason top 25 this season.

Cal faces Stanford twice this season, but does not play North Carolina State at all.

Cal finished last season with a 14-19 record, including 6-14 in the ACC, but it will have a much different roster this season with a number of players transferring in and out of the program and the addition of freshmen that could have an impact. Mark Madsen will begin his third season as the Bears head coach in 2025-26.

Here is Cal’s entire ACC schedule for the 2025-26 season:

Tuesday, December 30 – Louisville at Cal

Friday, January 2 – Notre Dame at Cal

Wednesday, January 7 – Cal at Virginia

Saturday, January 10 – Cal at Virginia Tech

Wednesday, January 14 – Duke at Cal

Saturday, January 17 – North Carolina at Cal

Saturday, January 24 – Cal at Stanford

Wednesday, January 28 – Cal at Florida State

Saturday, January 31 – Cal at Miami

Wednesday, February 4 – Georgia Tech at Cal

Saturday, February 7 – Clemson at Cal