Cal can’t afford to let Saturday’s opportunity slip away.
The Golden Bears have work to do when they visit Wake Forest for the regular-season finale in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Cal (21-9, 9-8 Atlantic Coast Conference) has won four of its last five games as it tries to remain in the NCAA Tournament conversation. The Bears, who are tied for eighth place in the ACC, are one victory away from their most regular-season victories since the 2015-16 season. Not coincidentally, that was the last time Cal made the NCAA Tournament.
Wake Forest (15-15, 6-11) fell short in an upset bid in Tuesday night’s 75-70 loss at No. 13 Virginia, marking the Demon Deacons’ third loss in four games.
“I’ve been impressed with our team’s resiliency all year long,” Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes said. “Except for a couple of times, we have played to the wire.”
Wake Forest guard Juke Harris has reached the 20-point mark in 16 games this season. He’s third in ACC scoring with 21.4 points per game, though he hasn’t been the Demon Deacons’ leading scorer in the last two games. Myles Colvin poured in 32 points when Wake beat Syracuse on Feb. 28, then Mekhi Mason had 26 at Virginia.
Wake Forest will hold either the No. 13 or No. 14 seed for the ACC tournament, which means a first-round game on Tuesday. The Demon Deacons have won their past three home games after dropping four consecutive home outings.
Cal has won three of its last four road assignments, the exception coming in double overtime Feb. 11 at Syracuse. Senior Lee Dort had a career-high 16 points when the Bears won 76-65 on Wednesday at Georgia Tech.
One of the keys for Cal was pushing the ball to the interior, resulting in 42 points in the paint.
“Our guys did a really nice job attacking the rim, getting in there,” Cal coach Mark Madsen said.
Dai Dai Ames has led the Bears in scoring in two straight games. He provides a team-high 16.4 points per game.
After Saturday’s game, the Bears will stay in North Carolina for the ACC tournament being held in Charlotte.
