Looking to take advantage of a stretch where five of their next six games are at home, Cal will host North Carolina State on Wednesday at Berkeley, Calif.
Cal (11-11, 4-7 Atlantic Coast Conference) still has two home games left in this stretch, including the matchup against NC State (9-12, 2-8). The teams first faced off as conference rivals on Jan. 18 in Raleigh, N.C.
In that game, Cal won 65-62, with Jovan Blacksher Jr. leading the way with 14 points. DJ Campbell added 13 points, and five Golden Bears scored in double figures. Since then, Cal has gone 2-2.
Andrej Stojakovic, who scored 10 points in that win, has not played since then due to illness and a hip injury. He remains the team’s leading scorer with 18.9 points per game.
On Monday, Stojakovic was listed as “day-to-day and week-to-week” by Cal head coach Mark Madsen, who gave a vague update on his condition. Stojakovic only participated in non-contact drills during Monday’s practice.
“We need Andrej back,” Madsen said. “Andrej is someone who can drive (the lane) and finish with his length.”
NC State is struggling this season, currently on a six-game losing streak after a 68-58 home loss to Clemson on Saturday.
Dontrez Styles scored a season-high 24 points in the loss, hitting a career-best six 3-pointers and going 9-for-14 from the field. However, the rest of the team shot just 30.4% (14-for-46) from the floor.
Despite forcing Clemson into just five turnovers, NC State only managed three points off those mistakes, which were both season lows.
“I give our guys credit for the way they fought against a really good team, with all the adversity we went through,” said NC State coach Kevin Keatts. “We just have to get better, and we have to figure out these stretches (where the offense struggles). Our defense is still doing a good job of carrying us through most of these games.”
The two teams are meeting for the fourth time, with Cal leading the series 2-1.
