Preview: Illinois-Chicago at California

BERKELEY, Calif. (Interstat) — The California Golden Bears, looking to rebound from a late-season skid, will host the Illinois-Chicago Flames in a nonconference men’s basketball matchup Wednesday night at Haas Pavilion.

The Golden Bears (21-10) enter having dropped two straight, including a 95-89 shootout at Florida State on March 11. They will lean on guard Dai Dai Ames, who has been on a scoring tear, averaging 24.2 points over his last five games. Ames poured in 31 points in a loss to Wake Forest on March 7 and 27 in the defeat at Florida State.

California’s offense, which has topped 85 points in three of its last five games, will test a Flames defense coming off a tough outing.

Illinois-Chicago (19-15) arrives after an 84-69 home loss to Northern Iowa on March 8, which snapped a two-game win streak. The Flames’ fortunes often follow the play of dynamic guard Elijah Crawford. Over his last seven games, Crawford is averaging 18.3 points and 5.6 assists, including a 28-point, 5-assist performance in the most recent loss.

The Flames have shown resilience, with a double-overtime win over Bradley on Feb. 24 highlighting their capability, but consistency has been an issue away from home.

This game pits California’s potent scoring against a UIC team that can fill it up when Crawford is rolling. The Golden Bears have been strong at home this season, boasting key victories over SMU and Stanford in Berkeley last month.

California is a 4.5-point pregame favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. The total over/under is set at 147.5.

The game is scheduled for a 9 p.m. EDT tip-off on Wednesday, March 18, 2026.