Cal Eyes Redemption vs. Syracuse After Tough Loss to Clemson
It’s crunch time for Cal men’s basketball-and the margin for error is shrinking fast.
The Bears just wrapped up a two-game homestand that was a tale of two very different performances: a hard-fought 90-85 win over Georgia Tech followed by a humbling 77-55 loss to No. 20 Clemson. And if you caught head coach Mark Madsen’s postgame comments after that Clemson game, you know he didn’t sugarcoat a thing.
“This game is the one game in the moment that we have to play phenomenally, and we didn’t do that,” Madsen said. “We did not do the things that it takes to win. We did not stay together as a unit, and we did not execute our game plan on either side of the ball.”
That wasn’t just frustration talking-it was an honest assessment of a game where Cal came out flat and never found its rhythm. The Bears posted their lowest scoring output of the season, and their offense looked out of sync from the jump. Graduate forward John Camden, who had been on a tear with a 19-point average over his previous five games, managed just 4 points-and those came in garbage time.
Now, with their NCAA Tournament hopes hanging in the balance, the Bears head to Syracuse for a critical showdown that could help steady the ship-or sink it.
Despite their recent struggles-losing six of their last seven-Syracuse still holds a top-75 NET ranking. That makes Wednesday’s game a Quad 1 opportunity for Cal, the kind of résumé-builder that selection committees pay close attention to come March. In short: it’s a big one.
Syracuse is led by sophomore forward Donnie Freeman, who’s been a bright spot since returning from an early-season foot injury. He’s averaging 17.6 points and 8.3 rebounds in ACC play, and he brings a physical presence inside that Cal will need to account for. Freeman’s been making headlines both on and off the court-yes, even for his viral Uncrustables-eating technique-but his production speaks for itself.
The Orange backcourt is no slouch either. Senior J.J.
Starling, junior Naithan George, and senior Nate Kingz are all scoring in double figures while shooting north of 40% from the field. That trio has helped keep Syracuse competitive, even amid their recent skid.
One name that hasn’t quite found his footing yet is freshman Kiyan Anthony, the son of NBA legend Carmelo Anthony. He was benched in Syracuse’s recent 72-59 loss to Virginia, and it’s clear he’s still adjusting to the college game. While the potential is there, Cal will look to take advantage of his inexperience if he sees the floor.
For Cal, there’s an added layer of intrigue in this matchup: senior forward Chris Bell will face his former team for the first time since transferring from Syracuse. Bell spent three seasons with the Orange, where he made a name for himself as a sharpshooter-especially in conference play, where he hit 44.3% from deep last season.
His coach couldn’t speak highly enough of him earlier this week.
“Bell’s work ethic is that of an NBA player. He obviously is an elite shooter, but he’s so much more than that,” Madsen said. “When he went into the portal and we called over to Syracuse … it was overwhelmingly how much they love him, and they were going to miss him.”
Bell, for his part, is treating this like just another game. “I don’t really know any of them, to be honest, to know what I would expect,” he said after the Clemson game. “But I know (Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry), so just being ready for them to play hard, things like that … I think it’s just going to be another game for us.”
For Cal, it’s not just another game-it’s a chance to bounce back and prove they can handle adversity. The Bears will welcome the change in pace after facing Clemson’s suffocating defense, which leads the ACC in most major categories.
Syracuse, on the other hand, has been far more generous on the defensive end. In conference play, the Orange are allowing 77.7 points per game and letting opponents shoot 46.4% from the field.
That said, Cal will need to be much sharper from beyond the arc than they were against Clemson, where they shot just 30.8% from three. If the Bears can find their stroke and tighten up defensively, they’ve got a real shot to walk out of the Carrier Dome with a season-defining win.
Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. PST on the ACC Network. For Cal, the road to March starts now.