Cal Basketball: Golden Bears to Face Ole Miss at Hall of Fame Event in San Antonio

First-year coach Mark Madsen's squad will be part of a Dec. 16 triple-header.

The Cal men’s basketball team will face Ole Miss for the first time ever, on Saturday, Dec. 16 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio as part of the 2023 Hall of Fame triple-header.

The Bears, under first-year coach Mark Madsen, expected to be markedly improved after stumbling through a wretched 3-29 campaign, their fifth consecutive losing season.

Photo courtesy of Cal Athletics

Ole Miss is coming off a subpar season of its own, going 12-21 last year and finishing last in the Southeastern Conference.

The Rebels also will feature a new coach this season with the arrival of Chris Beard, who fashioned a record of 171-73 in eight seasons at three schools before being fired by Texas on Jan. 5.

Beard had been charged with a third-degree felony for family violence when he allegedly choked his financee. The charge was subsequently dismissed because the prosecutor didn’t believe he could win a conviction, and a month after that Beard was hired by Ole Miss.

The Cal-Ole Miss game will feature two of the nation's  highest-rated transfer recruiting classes, according to SI.com. The Rebels' class is ranked No 8 nationally and Cal's is one spot back at No 9.

The Hall of Fame event will also include Tennessee vs. North Carolina State and a women’s game between Baylor and Miami.

TV information and game times have not been announced.

Cal previously announced it will participate in the SoCal Challenge at San Juan Capistrano on the coast of Orange County during Thanksgiving week.

The Bears are joined in the four-team field by TCU, Tulane and Bradley. Games will be played on Monday, Nov. 20 and Wednesday, Nov. 22, but pairings have not yet been announced.

Cover photo of Cal coach Mark Madsen by Rob Schumacher, USA Today

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo