Florida State Seminoles Face Cal Golden Bears in West Coast Showdown

BERKELEY, Calif. — The Florida State Seminoles men’s basketball team (13-5, 4-3 ACC) tipped off their two-game West Coast road trip Wednesday night against the California Golden Bears (9-9, 2-5 Pac-12) at Haas Pavilion. The Seminoles, coming off a 2-0 homestand, aimed to overcome the challenges of cross-country travel and time zone adjustments.

ESPN Bet listed the Seminoles as 2.5-point favorites ahead of the 9 p.m. ET matchup, broadcast on the ACC Network. The game marked a Quad 2 opportunity for Florida State, as Cal ranks 122nd in the NET rankings.

Cal, led by head coach Mark Madsen, has struggled with consistency this season but boasts a 7-3 home record. The Golden Bears are coming off their best win of the year, a victory over North Carolina State, but face a Seminoles team that has found its rhythm after a blowout loss to Clemson earlier this month.

Florida State’s perimeter defense will be tested against a Cal team that ranks 176th in the nation in three-point percentage (33.6%) and averages just 7.3 made threes per game. However, the Golden Bears excel in the paint, ranking 46th in offensive rebounds per game (10.7) and scoring 22% of their points from free throws, which ranks 39th nationally.

Key players to watch include Cal’s Andrej Stojakovic, the son of NBA legend Peja Stojakovic, who averages 18.9 points per game. The 6’7’’ guard dropped 30 points against Clemson earlier this season but struggled in recent East Coast games. Freshman Jeremiah Wilkinson, Cal’s second-leading scorer, is known for his streaky shooting, while 6’9’’ center Mady Sissoko, a transfer from Michigan State, leads the team in rebounds with 6.9 per game.

For Florida State, head coach Leonard Hamilton will rely on his team’s defensive length to disrupt Cal’s offensive flow. The Seminoles’ ability to handle the Golden Bears’ physicality in the paint and capitalize on their perimeter struggles could determine the outcome of this late-night clash.