The AP preseason men’s college basketball media poll was released on Monday, and Cal will face seven teams ranked in the top 25, including three in the top 10.
The Bears are not ranked in either the AP or coaches preseason poll. In fact, Cal was not among the 44 teams in the AP poll or the 45 teams in the coaches poll that received votes.
The highest ranked team Cal will play this season is No. 2 Duke, which will host the Bears in their second ACC game on Saturday, January 2. Cal will open conference play three days earlier at North Carolina, which for one of the rare times is not ranked in the preseason poll.
Four of the Bears’ games against preseason top-25 teams will be played at Cal’s Haas Pavilion, and one will be at a neutral site in Nevada. Only two will be on the opponent’s home court.
Florida is ranked No. 1 in both preseason polls.
Cal’s seven games against preseason top-25 teams are as follows:
---Cal vs. 10th-ranked Houston in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, on Sunday, November 8
---No. 21 USC at Cal on Wednesday, November 11, three days after the Houston game
---No. 24 Vanderbilt at Cal on Sunday, December 6
---Cal at No. 2 Duke on Saturday, January 2
---No. 9 Virginia at Cal on Saturday, January 9
---Cal at 11th-ranked Louisville on Wednesday, January 13
---No. 14 Miami at Cal on Saturday, February 13
Cal played four of those teams last season and went 1-3 in those games.
The Bears won their first exhibition game this season against Loyola Marymount 60-59 and will play their second and final exhibition game this Saturday at Oregon State.
Cal’s first regular-season game is a home game against Adams State on Monday, November 2.
Cal is coming off a 22-12 season in which it reached the second round of the National Invitation Tournament.
The Bears went 9-9 in ACC play last season, and are picked to finish 15th in the preseason ACC poll this year.
Cal recently got a commitment from top-50 class of 2027 guard Gene Roebuck.
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