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A neutral-site matchup is set for the Hall of Fame Series in San Antonio when the California Golden Bears (3-6, 6-3) take on the Ole Miss Rebels (9-0, 3-6 ATS) on Saturday night. Cal just suffered a heartbreaking loss in double overtime on their trip to Butler, going down 97-90 to the Bulldogs while covering the 8.5-point spread as dogs. Ole Miss just snuck by UCF on the road, winning 70-68 and winning outright as 3.5-point dogs. These teams did not meet last season. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 EST from the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio Texas, and can be found on the SEC Network.
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The California Golden Bears are off to a slow start to their season, they lost two games as double-digit favorites early in the season to Pacific and Montana State. Then they hit a stretch of five games where they were the underdog to teams not typically favored over Pac-12 teams, including UTEP, Tulane and San Diego State. They only won one game in the stretch, defeating Santa Clara as 2.5-point underdogs. In their last game, Cal was led by Fardaws Aimaq with 24 points and 16 rebounds in the loss to Butler.
The Cal roster can score, but getting stops on the other end has been a problem. They are led in scoring by 6'7 guard Jaylon Tyson with 19.9 PPG while adding 8.1 RPG and leading the team in assists with 3.6 per game. Tyson has scored 15 or more in his last six games, including a high of 27 against Montana State. Fardaws Aimaq is their big man inside, the 6'11, 245-pound transfer from Tex as Tech adds 17.3 PPG and a team high 10.3 RPG. Jalen Cone is the top shooter on the team, the 5'11 senior guard has knocked down 33 triples on the season, and averages 17.0 PPG. Keonte Kennedy just rejoined the team after missing the first couple, he has only played in two games, but did score 20 points last time out as a 6'5 guard.
California is ranked 165th overall in KenPom. They rank 113th in the nation in offensive efficiency and 243rd in defensive efficiency. The Bears play slow on offense, their tempo ranks 267th. They have not played the most difficult non-conference schedule, it ranks 254th in the nation, which is concerning considering the Bears only have three wins.