Justin Pippen is quickly making a name for himself at Cal, which at 7-1 is off to its best start since 2016-17.
The Golden Bears continue their eight-game home stretch with a matchup against Pacific (7-2) on Saturday.
Pacific extended its winning streak to four with an 80-65 road victory over Air Force on Wednesday.
Elias Ralph averages 18.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 1.3 steals per game to lead the Tigers, who will be tested by a Cal team that has won four straight in impressive fashion.
Pippen, son of NBA Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen, scored a career-high 23 points and made three 3-pointers in a 79-72 home win over Utah on Tuesday.
Dai Dai Ames scored a season-high-tying 25 points to lead the Bears, who shot 45.5% from the field. Cal avoided a letdown after beating then-No. 18 UCLA 80-72 on Nov. 25 in San Francisco.
“If you have a lapse (against Utah), if you don’t come out and play well, then that previous win against UCLA doesn’t mean as much,” Cal coach Mark Madsen said. “You have to be able to have the maturity and poise to be able to handle success, to not get complacent.”
Cal will need to be careful not to overlook Pacific, off to its best start since 2013-14. Ralph scored a career-high 31 points in Wednesday’s win over Air Force, while Kajus Kublickas added 13 points, seven assists and six rebounds.
Guided by second-year coach Dave Smart, Pacific is facing Cal for the first time since Nov. 10, 2023, when the Tigers emerged with an 87-79 victory.
The Golden Bears are an entirely different team. Madsen has upgraded his roster with the addition of transfers such as Pippen, who played in 28 games at Michigan last season.
Pippen is averaging 14.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.6 assists while leading the team with nine blocked shots.
“Justin Pippen is coming into his own,” Madsen said. “His game is unfolding naturally in front of the university, the fans and his teammates. He’s a great team player. … As a point guard, he has a tremendous feel for when to attack and when to back the ball out and call a play and execute.”
