Cal Basketball: Mark Madsen's Team Set to Play Nov. 20 & 22 at SoCal Challenge

Bradley, TCU and Tulane also are involved, although matchups have not been announced.

New coach Mark Madsen’s Cal basketball team will participate in the SoCal Challenge, a two-game event at San Juan Capistrano on the Orange County coast the week of Thanksgiving.

The Bears are included in the tournament’s Surf Division, along with Bradley, TCU and Tulane. Games will be played on Monday, Nov. 20 and Wednesday, Nov. 22 but matchups and game times have not been announced.

SoCal Challenge

The SoCal Challenge also features a Sand Division, whose participants have yet to be announced.

All games will be played at The Pavilion, a 2,000-seat facility at JSerra High School in San Juan Capistrano.

Cal is 2-1 all-time vs. TCU, 2-0 vs. Tulane and has never faced Bradley.

Cal has not revealed any other games on its schedule for this season as it transitions to Madsen in his first year as coach.

The Bears are coming off a 3-29 season — worst in program history — and have suffered six consecutive seasons under former coaches Wyking Jones and Mark Fox.

Madsen, the former Stanford and NBA power forward, came to Cal from Utah Valley, where he was 28-9 last year and compiled a four-year record of 70-51. He has suggested he believes the Bears could flip the script and win 20 games or more next season.

The Bears’ roster has been made over, with five Division I transfers and two high school signees joining five returning players.

Cover photo of Mark Madsen courtesy of Cal Athletics

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