How to Watch Clemson Tigers Basketball vs. California

Clemson basketball’s road trip continues in the Golden State, now heading to Berkeley, California to face Cal on Saturday night.

The Tigers prevailed in their first game of the trip on Wednesday night, winning a 66-64 bout with Stanford to win nine of their first 10 games of ACC play. Clemson overcame adversity, being down at the half before surging down the stretch in the win.

“Just really proud of our guys for finding a way to win this game,” head coach Brad Brownell said after the game. “Thought both teams played extremely hard. Stanford’s kids were aggressive. They got into us, thought we did the same.”

With the win, Clemson continue to extend a historic ACC streak. The Tigers won their 13th-straight ACC road game, dating back to last season. That is the longest active streak in the country and the third-longest in ACC history. Brownell will look for win No. 14 on Saturday.

However, the Golden Bears are not an easy team that Clemson will push around. Cal holds wins against UCLA, Miami and No. 14 North Carolina, beating that Tar Heel team at home and being a difficult matchup for the incoming Tigers.

Cal wins games with its offense, being the No. 7 scoring offense in the ACC at 75.6 points per contest. Its defense, on the other hand, is third worst in the conference at 76.8 points allowed a game. If Clemson, the second-best scoring defense, is able to hold off the Golden Bear attack and force droughts, the Tigers will up their odds at winning.

Head coach Mark Madsen’s team likes to rebound, however, leading the conference in offensive rebounds and third in total boards (37.5 average). Plenty of Cal players hit the glass with every shot and that will be a point of emphasis for Brownell.

The Golden Bears are led by Virginia transfer guard Dai-Dai Ames, averaging 17.2 points per game. He has eight games of 20 points or more. Justin Pippen, son of Scottie Pippen, is a supporting guard that scores an average of 15 a contest.

Brownell is high on this Golden Bears team, saying they’ve been “playing great basketball.”

“Mark’s done a great job up there and I haven’t studied them much because I’ve been concentrating on Stanford,” he said. “Seen them a little bit when I saw the game here, where they exploded offesnively, and they’ve got a lot of guys that are sharing the ball and they have some shot makers.”

The Tigers will look to continue momentum, picking up their 10th ACC win of the season, as well as gain momentum for an important week back home against Virginia Tech on Wednesday, then the No. 4 Duke Blue Devils on Valentine’s Day.

No. 20 Clemson Tigers (19-4, 9-1 ACC) vs. California Golden Bears (17-6, 6-5 ACC): What You Need to Know

Where: Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, Calif.

When: Saturday, Feb. 8, 8 p.m.

Watch: ACC Network

Play-by-play: Roxy Bernstein
Analyst: David Padgett

Radio: Clemson Athletic Network

Play-by-play: Don Munson
Analyst: Tim Bourret

Odds: Clemson is considered a 3.5 point favorite against Cal, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. The over/under is set at 137.5 points.

Editor’s Note: Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER

Series History: Clemson leads the series 2-1 overall in its history. The Tigers have won the last two against the Golden Bears, last winning at Littlejohn Coliseum on Jan. 4, 2025 in a 80-68 victory.