Cal’s adjustment to life in the ACC hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing, especially when it comes to those long cross-country road trips. Their first East Coast swing ended with a pair of tough losses-an 84-60 rout at the hands of then-No.
23 Virginia, followed by a narrow 78-75 defeat at Virginia Tech. But as they gear up for their second trip east, this time to face Florida State in Tallahassee, the Golden Bears are carrying some much-needed momentum.
Cal (15-5, 3-4 ACC) has started to rediscover its footing after a midseason stumble. A three-game losing streak was snapped in emphatic fashion with an 84-78 upset of then-No.
14 North Carolina on Jan. 17.
That win was followed by a gritty 78-66 road victory over rival Stanford, marking the Bears’ first back-to-back wins in conference play.
Against Stanford, Cal didn’t dominate the glass-the Cardinal actually edged them out 43-41 in rebounds-but the Bears’ defense told the real story. They held Stanford to just 27.3% shooting from the field and a frigid 19.4% from beyond the arc.
That defensive effort snapped a troubling seven-game stretch where Cal opponents had been shooting 40% or better. It was a much-needed statement that this team can lock in when it matters.
Offensively, Cal leaned on the hot hand of John Camden, who delivered a breakout performance. The senior forward matched his season high with 25 points and added 10 rebounds, notching the team’s first double-double of the season.
He was lights out from deep, hitting 5-of-10 from three-point range-half of Cal’s 10 makes from beyond the arc. That long-range shooting proved critical in erasing a 16-point first-half deficit.
Camden’s resurgence couldn’t have come at a better time. After a cold stretch where he went just 3-for-24 from deep over four games (a rough 12.5%), he’s turned things around in a big way, hitting 12-of-21 (57.1%) from three over his last three outings. His confidence is clearly back.
“I started off rough in ACC play after a good nonconference,” Camden said. “I knew I just had to stay locked in, stay aggressive and keep shooting.”
That’s exactly what he’s done-and Cal is reaping the rewards.
Now, the Bears head to Tallahassee to face a Florida State team that’s had its share of struggles this season. The Seminoles (8-12, 1-6 ACC) are tied for last in the conference standings, but don’t let that record fool you. They’ve been playing better basketball lately.
Since a lopsided 113-69 loss to NC State on Jan. 10, Florida State has started to show some fight.
They’ve dropped three of their last four games by a combined 12 points, including a narrow 83-80 loss at SMU last Saturday. In between, they pulled off a 65-63 road upset over rival Miami-a reminder that this team is capable of catching fire.
“We’re moving in the right direction. The results, obviously, are not,” Seminoles head coach Luke Loucks said. “We have to continue to learn in these close games how important the details are.”
One of the bright spots for Florida State has been the play of Robert McCray V. The junior guard leads the team in scoring and ranks second in the ACC in assists with 6.5 per game.
After a rough outing against Wake Forest-where he had 12 points and 11 turnovers in a one-point loss-McCray has bounced back strong. Over his last two games, he’s combined for 41 points and 13 assists with just five turnovers, showing improved poise and decision-making.
So while Cal is trending upward, they’ll have to stay sharp against a Florida State squad that’s hungry to turn competitive losses into wins. For the Bears, this second ACC road trip is more than just another test-it’s a chance to show they’ve learned from the first one.
And if Camden keeps shooting like this, and the defense continues to clamp down, Cal might just be finding its rhythm at the right time.