How to Watch Louisville's ACC Opener at Cal

The Cardinals return to action following Christmas break for a game at the Golden Bears.
Mar 5, 2025; Louisville, Kentucky, USA;  Louisville Cardinals guard J'Vonne Hadley (1) dribbles against California Golden Bears guard Andrej Stojakovic (2) during the second half at KFC Yum! Center. Louisville defeated California 85-68. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images
Mar 5, 2025; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard J'Vonne Hadley (1) dribbles against California Golden Bears guard Andrej Stojakovic (2) during the second half at KFC Yum! Center. Louisville defeated California 85-68. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images | Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Christmas break is now in the rear view mirror, so now it's time for the Louisville men's basketball program to get back to work. Next up is a two-game West Coast trip, with the first leg being a matchup at Cal for their opening game in ACC play.

The first half of year two of the Pat Kelsey era at Louisville has, for the most part, been a successful one. The Cardinals are 10-0 in home and neutral court games, and 2-2 in Quadrant 1 games according to the NET - including a win over arch rival Kentucky. The only hiccup is that UofL has been smoked in their true road games, falling at Arkansas and Tennessee in a pair of ranked matchups.

As for the Golden Bears, they have a near-perfect mark to start year three under head coach Mark Madsen. While Cal hasn't faced as difficult of a non-conference schedule as Louisville has, they are still 12-1 up to this point in the season, which includes an impressive neutral court win over UCLA. Their lone loss on the year was a three-point loss at Kansas State in their only true road game played so far.

This will be the third all-time meeting between the two programs, with the series dead even at one game a piece. The first meeting came in the opening round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament, with the Golden Bears capturing a 77-62 victory. Then in the penultimate game of the regular season last year, the Cardinals earned an 85-69 victory.

No. 16 Louisville Cardinals (10-2, 0-0 ACC) at Cal Golden Bears (12-1, 0-0 ACC)

  • Date/Time: Tuesday, Dec. 30 at 9:00 p.m. EST
  • Place: Haas Pavilion in Berkeley, Calif.
  • TV: ACC Network - Play-by-play and analyst TBD.
  • Channel (Louisville)/Live Stream: Spectrum: 524; Dish: 402; DirecTV: 612.
  • Radio (Louisville): 93.9 FM - Paul Rogers (play-by-play) and Bob Valvano (analyst).

More Cardinals Stories

(Photo of J'Vonne Hadley: Jamie Rhodes - Imagn Images)

You can follow Louisville Cardinals On SI for future coverage by liking us on Facebook, Twitter/X and Instagram:

Facebook - @LouisvilleOnSI
Twitter/X - @LouisvilleOnSI
Instagram - @louisvilleonsi

You can also follow Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @Matt_McGavic on Twitter/X and @mattmcgavic.bsky.social on Bluesky


Published
Matthew McGavic
MATTHEW MCGAVIC

McGavic is a 2016 Sport Administration graduate of the University of Louisville, and a native of the Derby City. He has been covering the Cardinals in various capacities since 2017, with a brief stop in Atlanta, Ga. on the Georgia Tech beat. He is also a co-host of the 'From The Pink Seats' podcast on the State of Louisville network. Video gamer, bourbon drinker and dog lover. Find him on Twitter at @Matt_McGavic