Cal basketball fans, get ready for an exciting week at Haas Pavilion! Both the men's and women's teams are gearing up to host postseason games after being selected for national invitation tournaments on Selection Sunday.
The Cal men's basketball squad snagged the No. 2 seed in the Albuquerque region of the National Invitational Tournament. They'll face off against the University of Illinois Chicago on March 18. Meanwhile, the women's team earned the No. 3 seed in the Women's Basketball Invitational Tournament and will take on Santa Clara on March 19.
The men's team wrapped up the regular season with a solid 21-10 record, though they stumbled in the ACC tournament against Florida State. They were on the brink of an NCAA tournament spot before dropping three of their last four games.
Hosting the UIC Flames, who went 17-14 and made it to the Mountain Valley Conference championship game, promises to be a thrilling matchup. Under the guidance of third-year head coach Mark Madsen, the Bears hit the 20-win milestone for the first time since the 2016-17 season, marking the last time they hosted an N.I.T. game. Historically, Cal has a 13-8 record in the N.I.T., with their lone victory in 1999.
On the women's side, Cal's team is making its second appearance in the 32-team W.B.I.T. after an 18-13 season, bowing out to Syracuse in the ACC tournament's second round. They last hosted in the inaugural W.B.I.T. in 2024, making it to the second round after defeating Hawaii.
Head coach Charmin Smith has led her squad to a nonconference postseason tournament for the third consecutive year. Last season, they were an NCAA tournament No. 8 seed, narrowly missing a repeat March Madness appearance due to late-season losses to Miami and Clemson.
The women will host a formidable Santa Clara team, which finished 23-8 before falling to Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference semifinal.
Both teams have the potential to host multiple games at Haas Pavilion if they advance past their first-round matchups, as the higher-seeded team will host the first three rounds. The N.I.T. opener is set for an 8 p.m. tipoff on Wednesday, with the W.B.I.T. start time still to be announced.
Get your tickets and support the Bears as they aim to make deep runs in their respective tournaments!