The University of California, Berkeley, has unveiled its 2025‑26 men’s basketball non‑conference slate, a schedule that blends marquee road trips with a robust home‑court lineup.
A demanding non‑conference roadmap
The Bears open the season on November 8 in South Lake Tahoe for the Caesars Lake Tahoe Classic, where they will face the Houston Cougars, a program that posted a 30‑7 record last year and advanced to the Sweet 16, and that is currently ranked No. 12 in Dick Vitale’s preseason poll. A week later, on November 11, California hosts the University of Southern California at Haas Pavilion; USC enters the matchup ranked No. 13 and showcases three McDonald’s All‑American freshmen – Christian Collins, Adonis Ratliff and Darius Ratliff.
Later in December, the Bears travel to Nashville to take on Vanderbilt, slated for December 12 and positioned at No. 21 in the early Vitale rankings. The Commodores return leading scorer Tyler Tanner after a 27‑9 season that culminated in a second‑round NCAA tournament appearance.
Beyond those headline games, the schedule includes home contests against Radford, Utah Tech, East Texas A&M, Alabama State, Southeastern Louisiana, Southern and Northeastern, while the road portion features a November 28 showdown at Minnesota and a December 2 contest at Utah, the latter being the only non‑conference game played on the opponent’s home court.
Coming off a 22‑12 record in the 2024‑25 season, the Bears hope the varied slate will sharpen their roster, especially with the influx of talented freshmen such as Christian Collins, Adonis Ratliff and Darius Ratliff and the experience of returning standouts like Dedan Thomas Jr. and Theo Ratliff.