Cal State Bakersfield vs. California Picks and Prediction for Monday, November 3, 2025
Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners (0-0) vs. California Golden Bears (0-0)
The 2025-26 college basketball season starts Monday, November 3, with plenty of interesting matchups around the country, including the non-conference showdown at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley, CA, so we’ve prepared the Cal State Bakersfield vs. California prediction to get you covered.
The Roadrunners meet the Golden Bears for the third straight season, and California aims for its third consecutive victory over Cal State Bakersfield. These two teams opened the previous season, and California beat Cal State Bakersfield 86-73 as a 13-point home fave with a total of 137.5 points.
Read more about this Cal State Bakersfield vs. California prediction, and check out all our NCAAB picks for Monday’s massive card. The tip-off at Haas Pavilion is set at 10:00 PM ET.
Cal State Bakersfield enters a new era
Cal State Bakersfield would like to make some progress after failing to win more than 14 games in four straight seasons. They went 14-19 overall and 8-12 in conference play in 2024-25. The Roadrunners exited in the first round of the Big West Tournament, suffering a 71-66 defeat to UC Santa Barbara.
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Two months ago, head coach Rod Barnes decided to step away from the program after 14 years. Assistant coach Mike Scott was named the interim head coach, and the Roadrunners were picked to finish 10th in the Big West in a preseason coaches poll.
Cal State Bakersfield lost its leading scorer from the previous season, as senior guard Jemel Jones (18.9 PPG) transferred to New Mexico State. Senior wing Corey Stephenson (11.4 PPG, 5.7 RPG) transferred to Florida International, while senior guard Marvin McGhee (10.0 PPG) left the program to join UT Rio Grande Valley.
The Roadrunners return 33.0% of minutes played and 25.8% of scoring from their 2024-25 roster. The 6-foot-3 guard CJ Hardy (9.5 PPG, 2.1 APG) is back for his senior year, junior forward Ronald Jessamy (8.9 PPG, 5.8 RPG) arrived from Tennessee State, while senior guard AJ George (2.0 PPG) transferred from SMU. George was tallying 10.6 points per game for Long Beach State two years ago.
California hopes for better days
The California Golden Bears joined the ACC last season. They went 14-19 overall and 6-14 in conference play in Mark Madsen’s second season at the helm. The Golden Bears beat Virginia Tech 82-73 in double overtime in the first round of the ACC Tournament before losing to Stanford 78-73 in the second round.
California lost nearly all of its key players from the previous season. Andrej Stojakovic (17.9 PPG, 4.7 RPG), Jeremiah Wilkinson (15.1 PPG), Jovan Blacksher Jr. (10.5 PPG, 2.5 APG), Mady Sissoko (8.3 PPG, 8.2 RPG), and Joshua Ola-Joseph (7.2 PPG, 3.8 RPG) are all done with the program.
Senior guards DJ Campbell (7.8 PPG, 2.5 RPG) and Rytis Petraitis (8.2 PPG, 5.7 RPG) are both back. The Golden Bears acquired six guys via the transfer portal, and most of them will play important roles in 2025-26.
Senior center Milos Ilic arrived from Loyola (MD), where he was notching 14.4 points and 7.5 rebounds this past season. Senior forward John Camden (16.8 PPG, 5.5 RPG) was a beast at Delaware, while junior guard Dai Dai Ames averaged 7.0 points and 2.0 assists with Kansas State and Virginia in the last two years.
Cal State Bakersfield vs. California Pick
Spread Pick for Cal State Bakersfield vs. California
- California (4 units)
The Roadrunners ranked 22nd in offensive rebound percentage (35.6%) and 28th in 3-point percentage (37.2%) last season. However, their defense was awful. Cal State Bakersfield was 307th in adjusted defensive efficiency (113.2 points allowed per 100 possessions) and 324th in opposing effective field goal percentage (54.3%).
Moreover, the Roadrunners were 360th in opposing free-throw rate (.469). I don’t see them improving early in the new season, so I will take the Golden Bears in this game. California was 37th in the nation in free-throw rate last season (.347). The Golden Bears will dominate the Roadrunners in the paint.
Over/Under Pick for Cal State Bakersfield vs. California
- Over (4 units)
Neither side prefers to play at a fast pace, but given the Roadrunners’ defensive issues from the previous season, I have to take the over. California will lean on Milos Ilic and John Camden, and this duo will torture the Roadrunners in the paint.
The Golden Bears will need some time to gel, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Their 3-point defense was pretty bad last season (349th in opposing 3-point percentage, 37.6%). I expect the Roadrunners to score enough points to push the total over the line.
