Cal men’s basketball is starting to look like a team that believes it belongs in March.
Just days removed from a statement win over then-No. 14 North Carolina, the Bears walked into Maples Pavilion and did something they hadn’t done since 2019 - beat Stanford on its home floor.
And they didn’t just squeak by. After trailing by as many as 16 points, Cal flipped the script with a dominant second-half surge and walked out with a 78-66 win, snapping a nearly seven-year drought in Palo Alto.
The headline stat? Stanford’s freshman sensation Ebuka Okorie, who came into the rivalry averaging over 22 points a game, was held to just 14 points on a brutal 1-for-16 shooting night.
That’s not a typo. One-for-sixteen.
Cal’s defense made life miserable for the Cardinal’s go-to scorer, forcing him into tough looks and keeping him off balance all night.
Meanwhile, Cal forward John Camden put together a performance that will be remembered in this rivalry for a long time. The grad transfer poured in a game-high 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds - the Bears’ first double-double of the season - and did it with a calm, veteran presence that helped steady the team when things looked bleak early.
And bleak might be an understatement. Cal’s first-half start was a mess.
Turnovers, missed rotations, and a Stanford team that came out firing had the Bears in a 29-13 hole. Head coach Mark Madsen didn’t sugarcoat it.
“They came out and absolutely got us on our heels,” Madsen said. “Had us totally out of rhythm.”
But even in the middle of that early avalanche, something started to shift. Sophomore guard Justin Pippen - yes, that Pippen - stepped up and calmed the chaos. He hit a couple key shots, made the right reads, and helped the Bears find their footing.
“It was super bleak,” Madsen admitted. “(Pippen) really settled us down, and that was a huge contributor to allowing us to gain a little bit of momentum.”
From there, Cal caught fire. The Bears rattled off a 25-5 run to close the first half, turning a 16-point deficit into a 38-34 lead heading into the break. The half ended with a defensive stop that had the Cal bench on its feet and the contingent of traveling fans making themselves heard in enemy territory.
The second half picked up right where the first left off. Cal’s defense stayed aggressive, and the offense kept humming.
But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. A key injury to senior center Lee Dort and a few sloppy possessions opened the door for Stanford to claw back.
The Cardinal tied things up at 60 behind a couple of free throws and a jolt from the home crowd.
That’s when the Bears’ depth and resilience kicked in.
Senior guard Chris Bell, who’d been quiet for most of the night, drilled a massive three to swing momentum back Cal’s way. Then came another burst - a 9-0 run powered by Camden’s hot hand and some gritty work on the glass from senior guard DeJuan Campbell, who came up with a couple of clutch putbacks.
And just in case Stanford had any thoughts of another rally, Bell slammed the door shut - literally - with a thunderous putback dunk that sent a message: this one was over.
Cal’s defensive effort on Okorie was the backbone of the win, but the offensive contributions up and down the roster were just as crucial. Camden’s 25 and 10 led the way, Pippen added 18, junior guard Dai Dai Ames chipped in 11, and Bell finished with 10, including that exclamation-point dunk.
After the game, Pippen pointed to the team’s poise as the key to the comeback.
“We stayed composed and we stayed together,” he said. “We knew we were going to go on a run, we knew they were going to go on a run. We were just ready for anything.”
Now sitting at 15-5 overall and 3-4 in ACC play after an 0-4 start, Cal is beginning to look like a legitimate NCAA Tournament contender. And with Stanford also hovering around the tournament bubble, this win could carry real weight come Selection Sunday.
Next up: a road swing through Florida, with matchups against Florida State and Miami. If Cal keeps playing like this - defending with intensity, getting balanced scoring, and staying composed in big moments - they won’t just be dancing in March. They’ll be a team nobody wants to face.