Mady Sissoko has been a force on the glass for the Golden Bears. (Cal Athletics)
Second-ranked Iowa State has lost starting forward Milan Momcilovic indefinitely to a hand injury; Rahsool Diggins broke Julius Erving’s single game scoring mark for UMass; and the Auburn Tigers have taken over the No. 1 ranking in the country for the first time since 2011. Some other college basketball stories we’re following…
Mady Sissoko Flashes Some O
The University of California Golden Bears have failed to make the NCAA tourney since 2015-16, and don’t look likely to break that streak this season. However, the program does seem to be on the upswing since bottoming out two years ago with a butt ugly three-win campaign.
Last season, the Golden Bears improved by 10 wins, and now – in their ACC debut – they got off to a 6-1 start before conference play began, but it’s been a struggle since (2-8).
Since earning its first conference win against Virginia last week, Cal has dropped its last two, including a 79-53 pummeling by UNC on Wednesday in what many expected to be a much higher scoring game.
Offense, normally not an issue for the Golden Bears, has dried up late as they managed just five points over the last five minutes in Wednesday’s loss.
Senior centre Mady Sissoko – the Bears’ top rebounder – showed he can score too, pouring in a team-high 16 points to make him the only starter to reach double digits. In fact, he took over to begin the second half, scoring eight of the team’s first 10 points as Cal hung around, trailing by just nine before the Tar Heels put the game away.
Sissoko has been rather inconsistent on offense, but has now pulled down at least eight boards in three straight. In his first season at Cal since transferring from Michigan State, he’s getting more PT than ever, so has really upped his bucket count and rebound numbers while also matching his career-best in APG.
A native of West Africa, Sissoko has the size and athleticism to be a solid NBA defender, but whoever targets him will be getting a long-term project. His defense and rebounding could make him a useful player; think Thomas Bryant – a decent backup big, but one that didn’t do enough early in his career to stick as a starter, and now does not get enough PT to be Fantasy relevant.
Expect Sissoko to go undrafted in 2025, but perhaps draw interest as an UDFA.
Louisville Can’t Lose
Still in the ACC, the Louisville Cardinals are another team that has really turned things around. Two seasons ago, the program really bottomed out with just four wins before doubling that modest total last season.
So far this season, however, Louisville is riding a seven-game win streak to run its total to 13 already. Small wonder the club is expected to reach the Tourney for the first time since 2018-19 and is currently at -128 to win over 15.5 regular season games as per FanDuel.
On Tuesday, the Cardinals earned their first win in Syracuse in eight years thanks to senior guard Chucky Hepburn going off for 24 points, seven assists and six treys (of the 12 the team got).
He had been in a bit of a scoring lull lately, failing to top 15 points in any of the previous three games, but it’s been a very good Cardinals debut for him after transferring from Wisconsin. Hepburn is letting it fly from beyond the arc way more often which has really helped him up his scoring. Always a great defender (he held Syracuse’s top scorer J.J. Starling to just four points on 1-of-7 shooting), he’s racking up steals like no one’s business this season, and really the only flaw here is the turnovers.
Hepburn is strong and physical for a PG who can score, but he does need to improve his consistency with his shot. Despite his less than imposing size (6’2”) he could wind up as a second round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Think of Hepburn as a Jose Alvarado type, a player who will likely mostly be a backup, but can periodically start and be a decent deep threat with plenty of steals. However, Hepburn will need to cut down on the turnovers to carve out a Fantasy worthy role in the NBA.
RotoRob Tune of the Day
American rockabilly band Stray Cats got their start in 1979, and despite taking three breaks ranging from two to 11 years, are still at it today. Among their several worldwide hits was 1981’s “Stray Cat Strut,” their third ever single; it peaked at No. 11 on the U.K. Singles Chart.