Cal Women Hope to Do Better Than On3’s Prediction for the Bears

Cal lost a lot of talent from its 2024-25 team, which went 25-9 overall and 12-6 in the ACC and reached the NCAA tournament for the first time in six years.

That result exceeded expectations in the Bears’ first season in the ACC. Nonetheless, Cal head coach Charmin Smith said at ACC media day on Tuesday that she is looking for improvement this season.

“We’re looking forward to being more competitive in season 2,” she said.

That suggests Smith and her players are expecting to do better than what On3 predicts for the Bears this season. On3’s power ranking for the ACC did not place Cal among the three teams it classified as title contenders or among the six other teams it put in the category of NCAA tournament teams.

Instead Cal is one of three teams that On3 called “Bubble Teams.”

On3 ranked Cal 12th among the 18 teams in the ACC, so Cal will try to exceed expectations again. The Bears finished seventh last season, just a game out of fourth place, after being picked to wind up 14th in the preseason poll. (This year’s women's basketball preseason poll will be released later this month.)

On3 named returning starter Lulu Twidale and incoming freshman Puff Morris as the X-factors for the Bears. Here is what On3 said about Cal.

12. Cal

The California Golden Bears reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in the Charmin Smith era after an impressive 25-9 season. However, they lost a significant portion of their core. Despite those departures, Cal has reloaded with talent that hopes to keep them competitive in the ACC.

The Golden Bears return Lulu Twidale, last year’s second-leading scorer at 13.2 points per game, but none of the other starters from a season ago are back. To fill those gaps, Cal brings in a strong freshman class headlined by McDonald’s All-American Aliyahna “Puff” Morris, a 5-5 point guard from Etiwanda (CA), and Taylor Burns, a 6-0 post player from Grand Prairie (TX). Both newcomers are expected to play key roles right away. I think the pace of their development could determine the outcome of Cal’s season. 

The Golden Bears also did a solid job in the transfer portal. While they didn’t land a clear-cut star, the addition of LSU’s Miracle Sheppard, a versatile combo guard, is significant and South Carolina’s Sakima Walker will provide leadership and valuable frontcourt size. 

X-FACTOR: Lulu Twidale, Puff Morris