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Cal Golden Bears
About Cal Basketball
It still sounds unnatural for a team from California to be playing in a conference named for the Atlantic Coast. But it also accurately sums up the new realities of the changing landscape of college athletics.
Under the direction of coach Mark Madsen, who played his college ball for rival Stanford, the Bears went 14-19, with a 6-14 ACC record. Although it was their eighth straight losing season, the 14 wins represent their most since also winning 14 in 2019-20.
Things haven’t always been so tough for Cal.
The Golden Bears were once the gold standard of college basketball, dominating the sport during the 1950s under the direction of legendary coach Pete Newell. They won the NCAA championship in 1959 and returned to the national title game again in 1960, losing to Ohio State in Newell’s final season.
Except for a brief run of success in the 1990s with the arrival of future NBA stars Jason Kidd and Lamond Murray and NFL tight end Tony Gonzalez, the program hasn’t been the same since.