Stanford Men's Basketball Falls Short in Rivalry Matchup Against Cal

Cardinal unable to overcome early deficit in 72-66 loss to Golden Bears

Feb. 24, 2026 at 1:19am

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On Saturday, the Stanford men's basketball team fell to their in-state rivals, the California Golden Bears, by a final score of 72-66 in Berkeley. Cal forward Chris Bell led the way for the home team with 20 points and 4 rebounds, while Stanford was paced by strong performances from redshirt sophomore forward Aidan Cammann (19 points, 6 rebounds) and freshman point guard Ebuka Okorie (17 points, 13 rebounds).

Why it matters

This loss stings for Stanford, as they were swept by Cal in the regular season series. The Cardinal were hoping to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive, but this defeat makes their path to the Big Dance more difficult. Meanwhile, the win boosts Cal's tournament resume as they continue to fight for a spot in the field of 68.

The details

Stanford fell behind early, trailing 39-25 at halftime after struggling with turnovers and free throw shooting in the first half. The Cardinal made a late push to cut the deficit to 5 points, but ultimately ran out of time, falling 72-66. Stanford shot just 34.1% from the field compared to 36.2% for Cal, and the Golden Bears' balanced scoring attack proved too much to overcome.

  • The game was played on Saturday, February 21, 2026 in Berkeley, California.
  • Stanford and Cal were tied at 7-7 with 15:32 remaining in the first half.

The players

Chris Bell

Cal forward who led all scorers with 20 points and 4 rebounds.

Aidan Cammann

Stanford redshirt sophomore forward who scored 19 points and grabbed 6 rebounds.

Ebuka Okorie

Stanford freshman point guard who recorded a double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds.

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What they’re saying

“Yeah, that was a great atmosphere. Good to see in the Bay Area. Two teams compete pretty hard. Dug ourselves a hole, turned the ball over first half a lot, going down 14, credit to them. We thought they did a great job on us at our place. I thought we made the right adjustments and they defended us well again. But we competed, had some opportunities, cut it to seven there and just weren't able to get the right stops and make enough baskets and didn't make our free throws, enough free throws.”

— Kyle Smith, Stanford Head Coach

“The first thing I want to start with today is just a shout out to the entire Cal community. Number one to the students. The students absolutely filled up that student section. It was rocking. They were screaming at the Stanford players respectfully on free throws, which is what you want in a college basketball game. You look at the Cal community. Now, the alums are there, okay? Now the young kids that are five, six, seven years old are there. And so the atmosphere here tonight was outstanding and I just want to give a shout out to everyone that was part of that.”

— Mark Madsen, Cal Head Coach

What’s next

Stanford will look to bounce back when they host Pittsburgh on Wednesday, February 25th at 5:00 PM PT on ACC Network.

The takeaway

This loss puts Stanford's NCAA Tournament hopes in jeopardy, as they now face an uphill battle to earn a spot in the Big Dance. However, the Cardinal still have opportunities to improve their resume with a strong finish to the regular season and a deep run in the ACC Tournament. Meanwhile, Cal's victory keeps their tournament aspirations alive as they continue to fight for a spot in the field of 68.