Looking to make the most of a run in which it has five of six games at home, Cal will play host to a rematch against North Carolina State on Wednesday at Berkeley, Calif.
Cal (11-11, 4-7 Atlantic Coast Conference) still has two home games remaining in its current run, counting the visit from NC State (9-12, 2-8). The teams met for the first time as conference foes on Jan. 18 at Raleigh, N.C.
The Golden Bears ended up earning a 65-62 victory over the Wolfpack in that earlier meeting after Cal’s Jovan Blacksher Jr. led a balanced attack with 14 points. DJ Campbell added 13 points as five Golden Bears scored in double figures. Cal has gone 2-2 since.
Andrej Stojakovic scored 10 points in the victory but has not played since, missing each of the past four games, first because of an illness and now because of a hip injury. He continues to lead the team with 18.9 points per game.
On Monday, Stojakovic was ruled “day-to-day and week-to-week” by Golden Bears coach Mark Madsen in a vague injury update. He merely went through non-contact drills in Monday’s practice.
“We need Andrej back,” Madsen said. “Andrej is someone who can drive (the lane) and finish with his length.”
Nowhere near its Final Four form of a season ago, NC State is on a six-game losing streak after a 68-58 loss to Clemson at home on Saturday.
Dontrez Styles scored a season-high 24 points for the Wolfpack and made a career-best six shots from 3-point range while going 9-for-14 overall, but the rest of the team went just 14-for-46 from the floor (30.4 percent).
The Wolfpack forced the Tigers into just five turnovers while scoring three points off those miscues, both season lows.
“I give our guys credit for the way they fought against a really good team, with all the adversity we went through,” NC State coach Kevin Keatts said. “We just have to get better, and we have to figure out these stretches (where the offense struggles). Our defense is still doing a good job of carrying us through most of these games.”
The programs are meeting for just the fourth time, with Cal holding a 2-1 advantage.
–Field Level Media
