The number of times Cal basketball will be on television this fall/winter makes it tough to forget that basketball season starts in November.
Cal's Dec. 5 game vs. Iowa State in the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series will tip at 8 p.m. and air on ESPNU. The Bears' first two games of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic in Berkeley - vs. Murray State Nov. 9 and vs. Detroit Nov. 11 - will also be on ESPN.
ESPN2 will feature Cal three times, starting with the Bears' two games in New York in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. Cal will face Syracuse at 4 p.m. PT Nov. 19 and will play either North Carolina or Ohio State Nov. 20.
The Bears' third appearance on ESPN2 will occur at Kansas Dec. 22 in a game set to begin at 6 p.m. PT.
CBS gets in on the fun too, with some good old-fashioned revenge games.
CBS will come to Haas Pavilion on Saturday, Jan. 23 to air the Cal-Oregon State game at 11 a.m. The network will also show the Bears' game at UCLA Feb. 6, with tipoff slated for 1 p.m.
FSN has already confirmed eight more games. To get the full list, go to the link above.
After the jump we look at why a trip to Minnesota is special for Devin Bishop, announcements about the Cal-Texas series, Brian Holley updates, everything Minnesota-related from their uniform choices to previews of tomorrow's game, 2009 NCAA champs women's swimming picking up where they left off, and more.
- Cal's athletic department confirms the Cal-Texas home-and-home series in 2015 and 2016.
- Brian Holley hopes to play Saturday. He's worked too hard and developed too much as a player to miss any opportunity to contribute.
- ESPN bloggers Ted Miller and Adam Rittenberg discuss the upcoming Big Ten-Pac-10 showdowns this weekend.
- More on the Bears' emphasis of the need to be mentally strong on the road. Meanwhile, Minnesota needs to work on establishing a more consistent offense.
- The trip to Minnesota will be special for Devin Bishop, who twice committed there before ending up at Cal.
- The Bear Will Not Quit has a comprehensive preview of Cal-Minnesota.
- Officials at TCF Bank Stadium believe most mishaps from last weekend will be resolved. The Gophers are going to wear their all-gold uniforms tomorrow. Dave Pasch and Bob Griese will be tomorrow's announcers with Chris Spielman on the sidelines.
- Scouts Inc examines three of Cal's pro prospects: Tepper, Alualu, and Best. The Decker-Thompson matchup will be a great test for both NFL-bound players. JO has more on the Syd and Decker.
- No. 7/8 men's soccer shuts out San Francisco 3-0. Davis Paul, the first Golden Bear to score against SF, will be conflicted as he roots for St Mary's (his sister's team) as they take on Cal.
- Women's swimming excels in its first event, as fourteen of the top fifteen finished belonged to Cal.