Cal did not get much love from the media who voted in the ACC preseason men’s basketball poll that was released Tuesday.
The Bears were picked to finish 15th in the 18-team conference. Last season, Cal was picked to finish 16th in the preseason poll and wound up tied with Stanford for ninth with a 22-12 record, including 9-9 in the ACC.
The Bears return just one starter from last season’s team, but have brought in a number of transfers and freshmen who are expected to help immediately.
Duke was nearly a unanimous pick to win the ACC regular-season title for the third straight year, followed by Virginia second and Louisville third
No Cal player was named to the preseason all-ACC first or second team or to the preseason ACC all-rookie team. Virginia's Thijs De Ridder was voted the preseason ACC player of the year, and Duke’s Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje is the preseason pick to be named ACC rookie of the year.
The starting times and TV designations of each of this season Cal men’s basketball games were released recently.
A number of Cal’s games will be on the ACC Network Extra channel, which requires a subscription, several will be on the ACC Network, and one will be on the Big Ten channel.
Cal’s first exhibition game, against Loyola Marymount on Friday, will be televised by ESPN+.
Here’s the lineup:
Friday, October 16 – Cal at Loyola Marymount (exhibition)
Starting time: 6 p.m.
TV: ESPN+
.
Saturday, October 24 – Cal at Oregon State (exhibition)
Starting time: 7 p.m.
TV: No TV, radio only
.
Monday, November 2 – Adams State at Cal
Starting time: 5 p.m.
TV: ACC Network Extra
.
Wednesday, November 4 – Radford at Cal
Starting time: 6 p.m.
TV: ACC Network Extra
.
Sunday, November 8 -- Cal vs. Houston at Lake Tahoe, Nevada
Starting time: 5:30 p.m.
TV: The CW
.
Wednesday November 11 – USC at Cal
Starting time: 8 p.m.
TV: ESPN2
.
Saturday, November 14 – Utah Tech at Cal
Starting time: 2 p.m.
TV: ACC Network Extra
.
Thursday, November 19 – East Texas A&M at Cal
Starting time: 7 p.m.
TV: ACC Network Extra
.
Monday, November 23 – Alabama State at Cal
Starting time: 7 p.m.
TV: ACC Network Extra
.
Saturday, November 2 – Cal vs. Minnesota at Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Starting time: 5 p.m. Pacific time (7 p.m. Central time)
TV: Big Ten Network
.
Wednesday, December 2 – Cal at Utah
Starting time: To be determined
TV: To be determined
.
Sunday, December 6 – Vanderbilt at Cal
Starting time: 5 p.m.
TV: ACC Network
.
Thursday, December 10 – Southeastern Louisiana at Cal
Starting time: 7 p.m.
TV: ACC Network Extra
.
Saturday, December 12 – UC Riverside at Cal
Starting time: Noon
TV: ACC Network Extra
.
Sunday, December 20 – Southern at Cal
Starting time: Noon
TV: ACC Network Extra
.
Tuesday, December 22 – Northeastern at Cal
Starting time: 3 p.m.
TV: ACC Network Extra
.
Wednesday, December 30 – Cal at North Carolina
Staring time: 1 p.m. Pacific time (4 p.m. Eastern time)
.
Saturday, January 2 – Cal at Duke
Starting time: 11:15 a.m. Pacific time (2:15 p.m. Eastern time)
.
Wednesday, January 6 – Florida State at Cal
Starting time: 6 p.m.
TV: ESPNU
.
Saturday, January 9 -- Virginia at Cal
Starting time: 1 p.m.
TV: ESPNU
.
Wednesday, January 13 – Cal at Louisville
Starting time: 4 p.m. Pacific time 7 p.m. Eastern time)
TV: ACC Network
.
Saturday, January 16 – Cal at Notre Dame
Starting time: 11 a.m. Pacific time (2 p.m. Eastern time)
TV: ACC Network
.
Saturday, January 23 – Stanford at Cal
Starting time: 6 p.m.
TV: The CW
.
Wednesday, January 27 – North Carolina State at Cal
Starting time: 6 p.m.
TV: ACC Network
.
Saturday, January 30 – Syracuse at Cal
Starting time: 2:30 p.m.
TV: ACC Network
.
Wednesday, February 3 – Cal at SMU
Starting time: 5 p.m. Pacific time (7 p.m. Central time)
TV: The CW
.
Saturday, February 6 – Cal at Syracuse
Starting time: 9 a.m. Pacific time (Noon Eastern time)
TV: The CW
.
Wednesday, February 10 – Virginia Tech at Cal
Starting time: 6 p.m.
TV: ACC Network
.
Saturday, February 13 – Miami at Cal
Starting time: 7 p.m.
TV: ESPN2
.
Wednesday, February 17 – Cal at Pitt
Stating time: 4 p.m. Pacific time (7 p.m. Eastern time
TV: ACC Network
.
Saturday, February 20 – Cal at North Carolina State
Starting time: 9 a.m. Pacific time Noon Eastern time)
TV: The CW
.
Wednesday, February 24 – Boston College at Cal
Starting time: 6 p.m.
TV: ACC Network
.
Saturday, February 27 – Wake Fores at Cal
Starting time: 1:30 p.m.
TV: ACC Network
.
Saturday, March 6 – Cal at Stanford
Starting time: 1 p.m.
TV: ACC Network
.
Tuesday, March 9, through Saturday, March 13 – ACC Tournament in Greensboro, North Carolina
TV: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN, ACC Network
.
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