What channel is UNC-Cal basketball on Saturday?

No. 14 North Carolina has its second game of the San Francisco Bay Area to face the California Golden Bears.

The Tar Heels enter the game 14-3 overall and 2-2 in ACC play. The Golden Bears, meanwhile, are 13-5 overall and 1-4 in league play.

In a game where Henri Veesaar and Caleb Wilson each scored 26 points, North Carolina lost 95-90 to Stanford in the first game of the Bay Area trip. While Stanford is a good team, it scored only 40 points two weeks ago in a 47-40 loss to Notre Dame.

The Tar Heels allowed Stanford, led by a 36-point performance from freshman point guard Ebuka Okorie, to shoot 32-for-56 from the floor and 16-for-28 from beyond the arc, both at a 57.1 percent clip.

Carolina’s defensive issues have become a trend. In two of its last three games, North Carolina has allowed opponents to shoot at least 50 percent from the field and score 90 or more points. The Tar Heels have also surrendered a 40-percent clip from 3-point range in three straight games. Since the start of ACC play, opponents have hit 56 3-pointers against UNC — an average of 14 per game.

California is coming off a 71-56 home loss to No. 6 Duke, one of its poorest offensive outings of the season. The Bears shot just 37 percent from the floor and 22 percent from beyond the arc, dropping their fourth game in five.

Still, Cal’s backcourt is a strength. Guards Dai Dai Ames and Justin Pippen give the Bears multiple scoring options on all three levels. Cal also ranks among the nation’s best free-throw shooting teams, hitting 79.4% from the line, which is second in the ACC and 19th nationally. The Bears value possessions as well, sitting second in the league in fewest turnovers per game and fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio.

Conference play has exposed some of Cal’s flaws. After entering ACC games at 12-1, the Bears have lost three of their first four league contests, with two defeats coming by 20 points or more. While they are a respectable 3-point shooting team overall, they have gone cold from deep in ACC action, hitting just 27.9% from long range — 15th in the conference.

Depth and rebounding are also concerns. Cal ranks last in the ACC in bench scoring (12.4 points per game) and offensive rebounds (9.6 per game). The Bears are second-to-last in rebound margin at minus-1.1 and sit 16th in total rebounds per game at 34.7.

What channel is UNC vs. California on Saturday? Time, TV schedule, radio

TV Channel: ACC Network

Time: 4 p.m. ET

Radio: SiriusXM (Channel 193)

Website: WatchESPN

UNC vs. California prediction, picks, odds

It’s a game between North Carolina’s penetrable defense and Cal’s inability to throw the ball in the ocean. Which one gives? That is to be determined, but expect this to be a high-scoring affair. Cal is in a shooting slump in conference play, and eventually the Bears are going to start hitting shots. That could come against Carolina, as Cal has the backcourt to give UNC legitimate problems.

UNC’s defense has not been good, especially on the perimeter. However, the Tar Heels can score, averaging more than 84 points per game since ACC play began.

Because of this, expect another high-scoring game in which every little thing, especially free throws, could determine the outcome.

Score prediction: UNC 86, California 80

Spread: UNC -6.5

Total: 151.5

Moneyline: Cal +195

UNC basketball 2025-26 schedule

October 4: Blue-White Scrimmage (White 55, Blue 50)

Oct. 24: at BYU (preseason, L 78-76)

Oct. 29: vs. Winston-Salem State (preseason, W 95-53)

Nov. 3: vs. Central Arkansas (W, 94-54)

Nov. 7: vs. Kansas (W, 87-74)

Nov. 11: vs. Radford (W, 89-74)

Nov. 14: vs. NC Central (W, 97-53)

Nov. 18: vs. Navy (W, 73-61)

Nov. 25: vs. St. Bonaventure in Fort Myers (Fla.) Tip-Off (W, 85-70)

Nov. 27: vs. Michigan State in Fort Myers (Fla.) Tip-Off (L, 74-58)

December 2: at Kentucky (W, 67-64)

Dec. 7: vs. Georgetown (W, 81-61)

Dec. 13: vs. USC Upstate (W, 80-62)

Dec. 16: vs. ETSU (W, 77-58)

Dec. 20: vs. Ohio State in CBS Sports Classic (W, 71-70)

Dec. 22: vs. East Carolina (W, 99-51)

Dec. 30: vs. Florida State (W 79-66)

January 3, 2026: at SMU (L 97-83)

Jan. 10, 2026: vs. Wake Forest (W 87-84)

Jan. 14, 2026: at Stanford (L 95-90)

Jan. 17, 2026: at California (4 p.m.)

Jan. 21, 2026: vs. Notre Dame (7 p.m.)

Jan. 24, 2026: at Virginia (TBA)

Jan. 31, 2026: at Georgia Tech (2 p.m.)

Feb. 2, 2026: vs. Syracuse (7 p.m.)

Feb. 7, 2026: vs. Duke (6:30 p.m.)

Feb. 10, 2026: at Miami (FL) (7 p.m.)

Feb. 14, 2026: vs. Pitt (2 p.m.)

Feb. 17, 2026: at NC State (7 p.m.)

Feb. 21, 2026: at Syracuse (1 p.m.)

Feb. 23, 2026: vs. Louisville (7 p.m.)

Feb. 28, 2026: vs. Virginia Tech (TBA)

March 3, 2026: vs. Clemson (7 p.m.)

March 7, 2026: at Duke (6:30 p.m.)

March 10-14, 2026: ACC Tournament in Spectrum Center (Charlotte, N.C.)

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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Basketball: Time, TV, streaming information, odds vs. Cal