NCAA Tournament March Madness
#65 California
Bubble Watch | Bracketology
Chat with the Bracketologist | How does this work?
Projection: next four out
California's résumé reads like a team that can flash brilliance but has been undone by damaging losses, with signature wins such as the neutral-site victory over UCLA, a road triumph at Stanford and a gritty road win at Miami balanced against lopsided setbacks to Louisville and Duke and bad losses at Virginia, Virginia Tech and Syracuse. The Golden Bears have shown they can beat quality opponents at home against North Carolina and in tight fashion against Notre Dame, yet defensive lapses in marquee games and a tough road defeat at Kansas State undermine those moments. With remaining opportunities that include a home date with Stanford, a high-profile matchup with SMU and conference games against Pittsburgh, Georgia Tech on the road and a road trip to Wake Forest, there is still a path to repair the résumé, but the severity of the earlier losses means California needs clear statement results away from home or against top opponents to move onto the right side of the bubble.
| Date | Opponent | Ranking | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11/3 | CS Bakersfield | 318 | W87-60 |
| 11/6 | Wright St | 148 | W77-67 |
| 11/10 | CS Fullerton | 173 | W93-65 |
| 11/13 | @Kansas St | 105 | L99-96 |
| 11/18 | Presbyterian | 285 | W67-57 |
| 11/21 | CS Sacramento | 253 | W91-67 |
| 11/25 | (N)UCLA | 42 | W80-72 |
| 12/2 | Utah | 125 | W79-72 |
| 12/6 | Pacific | 103 | W67-61 |
| 12/13 | Northwestern LA | 286 | W79-70 |
| 12/19 | Morgan St | 353 | W97-50 |
| 12/21 | Columbia | 205 | W74-56 |
| 12/30 | Louisville | 15 | L90-70 |
| 1/2 | Notre Dame | 82 | W72-71 |
| 1/7 | @Virginia | 20 | L84-60 |
| 1/10 | @Virginia Tech | 64 | L78-75 |
| 1/14 | Duke | 3 | L71-56 |
| 1/17 | North Carolina | 29 | W84-78 |
| 1/24 | @Stanford | 74 | W78-66 |
| 1/28 | @Florida St | 77 | L63-61 |
| 1/31 | @Miami FL | 40 | W86-85 |
| 2/4 | Georgia Tech | 161 | W90-85 |
| 2/7 | Clemson | 33 | L77-55 |
| 2/11 | @Syracuse | 67 | L107-100 |
| 2/14 | @Boston College | 150 | W86-75 |
| 2/21 | Stanford | 74 | 63% |
| 2/25 | SMU | 37 | 42% |
| 2/28 | Pittsburgh | 109 | 75% |
| 3/4 | @Georgia Tech | 161 | 67% |
| 3/7 | @Wake Forest | 72 | 41% |