The Recent History of the Stanford-Cal Basketball Rivalry Game

One team will pull ahead in the race for a spot in the NCAA tournament with a win

Mar 12, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Stanford Cardinal guard Benny Gealer (5) with the ball as California Golden Bears guard Andrej Stojakovic (2) and forward Rytis Petraitis (31) defend in the second half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

This weekend, Stanford takes on Cal in another edition of the Bay Area rivalry, and this one is going to be one of the biggest we've seen in awhile.

Stanford is entering the game at a solid 14-5, winning three of their last five, and sitting at 3-3 in ACC play after playing a tough schedule to start things off. Wins over No. 14 Louisville, No. 16 North Carolina, and St. Louis has risen up above the rest as key wins for the Cardinal.

Cal has had an identical start to the year, going 14-5 as well. A recent win over No. 16 North Carolina builds momentum, and the Bears are still riding off the early season win over No. 18 UCLA, which looks better every single day as the Bruins continue succeeding.

But instead of looking ahead, let’s take a look at some of the history behind the Stanford-Cal basketball rivalry.

History of the rivalry

The two teams have surprisingly matched up 177 times against one another, with the first edition coming back in 1959, where Cal won 56-53. But while the Bears won the opener, it was the Cardinal that have the majority of the wins. Stanford has gone 98-79 in the program's histories, being especially dominant throughout the late 90’s and early 2000’s.

At Maples Pavilion, Stanford has gone 28-6 against the Bears. The last Cal win in Palo Alto was back on March 7, 2019. In this weekend's game, Stanford will be at home, creating an enormous advantage for the Cardinal as they have build up some momentum over the years.

Stanford has dominated recent battles, going 10-6 since the turn of the decade, with wins at home, on the road and at neutral sites.

Last season, the Cardinal played the first rivalry game on the road, where they won 89-81 after a strong performance from Maxime Raynaud, Jaylen Blakes, and Oziyah Sellers. In the return game, Raynaud and Sellers dominated, and Ryan Agarwal hit the game-winning shot to give the Cardinal the season sweep.

The two matched up again in the ACC tournament, where Stanford won in overtime, despite 37 points from former Cardinal Andrej Stojakovic. That ran Stanford’s win streak over the Bears to five games, where it currently stands.

This season, both of these programs appear to be completely equal. Both teams have star players, big wins, and a hectic home court to travel to. But most importantly, they want to beat their rivals.

Stanford wants to continue their streak up to six games, proving their dominance in the rivalry and throughout the Bay Area. Cal is desperate to end their losing streak, and bring the rivalry back to what it once was.

This game also has big stakes for each program, as both are on the bubble when it comes to a spot in the NCAA tournament in March. The winning team will place themselves ahead for the time being, with another matchup at Cal scheduled for a month from now. This game will air on ACC Network at 5 p.m. (PT).