2025–26 California Golden Bears women's basketball team
| 2025–26 California Golden Bears women's basketball | |
|---|---|
Raising the B.A.R Invitational champions | |
| Conference | Atlantic Coast Conference |
| Record | 8–5 (0–1 ACC) |
| Head coach |
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| Associate head coach | Heidi Heintz (4th season) |
| Assistant coaches |
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| Home arena | Haas Pavilion |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 13 Louisville | 2 | – | 0 | 1.000 | 12 | – | 3 | .800 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NC State | 2 | – | 0 | 1.000 | 9 | – | 4 | .692 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Syracuse | 1 | – | 0 | 1.000 | 11 | – | 1 | .917 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stanford | 1 | – | 0 | 1.000 | 11 | – | 2 | .846 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 18 Notre Dame | 1 | – | 0 | 1.000 | 9 | – | 2 | .818 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Virginia | 1 | – | 0 | 1.000 | 9 | – | 3 | .750 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Duke | 1 | – | 0 | 1.000 | 6 | – | 6 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Virginia Tech | 1 | – | 1 | .500 | 11 | – | 3 | .786 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wake Forest | 1 | – | 1 | .500 | 11 | – | 3 | .786 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Clemson | 1 | – | 1 | .500 | 9 | – | 4 | .692 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Miami (FL) | 1 | – | 1 | .500 | 8 | – | 4 | .667 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 16 North Carolina | 0 | – | 1 | .000 | 11 | – | 3 | .786 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| California | 0 | – | 1 | .000 | 8 | – | 5 | .615 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SMU | 0 | – | 1 | .000 | 7 | – | 6 | .538 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pittsburgh | 0 | – | 1 | .000 | 7 | – | 7 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Boston College | 0 | – | 1 | .000 | 4 | – | 10 | .286 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Florida State | 0 | – | 2 | .000 | 5 | – | 9 | .357 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia Tech | 0 | – | 2 | .000 | 4 | – | 9 | .308 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2026 ACC tournament winner As of December 22, 2025 Rankings from AP Poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2025–26 California Golden Bears women's basketball team represents the University of California, Berkeley during the 2025–26 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Golden Bears are led by seventh-year head coach Charmin Smith and play their home games at Haas Pavilion. They compete as second-year members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Previous season
The Golden Bears finished the season 25–9 overall and 12–6 in ACC play to finish in seventh place. As the seventh seed in the ACC tournament, earned a bye into the second round where they defeated Virginia 75–58. They lost to sixth ranked and second seed Notre Dame by nine points in the Quarterfinals. They received an at-large invitation to the NCAA tournament and were the eighth-seed in the Spokane 4 region. They lost to ninth seed Mississippi State 69–46 in the First Round to end their season.
Offseason
Departures
| Name | Num. | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michelle Onyiah | 0 | C | 6'3" | Graduate Student | Eastvale, California | Graduated |
| Jayda Noble | 2 | G | 5'11" | Graduate Student | Spokane, Washington | Graduated |
| Zahra King | 3 | G | 5'10" | Freshman | Brooklyn, New York | Transferred to SMU[1] |
| Kayla Williams | 4 | G | 5'7" | Graduate Student | Los Angeles, California | Graduated |
| Marta Suárez | 7 | F | 6'3" | Senior | Oviedo, Spain | Graduated; transferred to TCU[2] |
| Kamryn Mafua | 14 | G/F | 6'1" | Freshman | Folsom, California | Transferred to Utah[3] |
| Ioanna Krimili | 21 | G | 5'10" | Graduate Student | Heraklion, Greece | Graduated |
| Natalia Ackerman | 35 | F | 6'1" | Graduate Student | Watsonville, California | Graduated |
Incoming Transfers
| Name | Num | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mjracle Sheppard | 1 | G | 5'10" | Junior | Kent, Washington | LSU[4] |
| Naya Ojukwu | 13 | F | 6'1" | Sophomore | Meridian, Idaho | Morgan State[5] |
| Sakima Walker | 35 | G | 6'5" | Graduate Student | Columbus, Ohio | South Carolina[6] |
Recruiting
Source:[7]
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taylor Barnes F |
Grand Prairie, Texas | South Grand Prairie High School | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | N/A | ||
| Recruit ratings: ESPN: (92) | ||||||
| Isis Johnson-Musah G |
Detroit, Michigan | Detroit Edison Academy | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | N/A | ||
| Recruit ratings: ESPN: (NR) | ||||||
| Grace McCallop G |
Shawnee Mission, Kansas | Bishop Miege High School | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | N/A | ||
| Recruit ratings: ESPN: (NR) | ||||||
| Aliyahna Morris G |
Rancho Cucamonga, California | Etiwanda High School | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) | N/A | ||
| Recruit ratings: ESPN: (96) | ||||||
| Overall recruit ranking: | ||||||
Sources: | ||||||
Roster
| 2025–26 California Golden Bears women's basketball team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Schedule and results
| Date time, TV |
Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exhibition | |||||||||||
| October 28, 2025* 7:00 p.m. |
Westmont | Haas Pavilion Berkeley, CA | |||||||||
| Regular season | |||||||||||
| November 3, 2025* 11:30 a.m., ESPNU |
vs. No. 19 Vanderbilt Oui-Play |
L 65–74 | 0–1 |
17 – Barnes | 11 – Walker | 5 – Barnes | Adidas Arena (5,712) Paris, France | ||||
| November 9, 2025* 7:00 p.m., ACCNX |
Sacramento State | W 69–52 | 1–1 |
16 – Sheppard | 7 – Sheppard | 6 – Sheppard | Haas Pavilion (1,323) Berkeley, CA | ||||
| November 11, 2025* 7:00 p.m., ACCNX |
Pacific | W 60–52 | 2–1 |
19 – Twidale | 8 – Tied | 3 – Twidale | Haas Pavilion (1,070) Berkeley, CA | ||||
| November 15, 2025* 3:00 p.m., ACCNX |
Charlotte Raising the B.A.R Invitational semifinal |
W 69–44 | 3–1 |
17 – Morris | 9 – Walker | 6 – Morris | Haas Pavilion (137) Berkeley, CA | ||||
| November 16, 2025* 7:00 p.m., ACCNX |
Harvard Raising the B.A.R Invitational championship game |
W 76–65 | 4–1 |
17 – Twidale | 9 – Maul | 5 – Morris | Haas Pavilion (1,019) Berkeley, CA | ||||
| November 20, 2025* 11:30 a.m., ACCNX |
Saint Mary's | W 70–62 | 5–1 |
25 – Walker | 9 – Walker | 11 – Morris | Haas Pavilion (4,624) Berkeley, CA | ||||
| November 24, 2025* 5:00 p.m., FloHoops |
vs. Grand Canyon Hoopfest Basketball Women’s Challenge |
W 68–63 | 6–1 |
15 – Sheppard | 9 – Ojukwu | 5 – Twidale | Comerica Center (271) Frisco, TX | ||||
| November 26, 2025* 4:30 p.m., FloHoops |
vs. Auburn Hoopfest Basketball Women’s Challenge |
L 50–58 | 6–2 |
18 – Twidale | 9 – Barnes | 4 – Sheppard | Comerica Center (162) Frisco, TX | ||||
| December 4, 2025* 6:00 p.m., SECN |
at Missouri ACC–SEC Challenge |
L 67–68 | 6–3 |
16 – Sheppard | 11 – Maul | 4 – Tied | Mizzou Arena (2,892) Columbia, MO | ||||
| December 7, 2025* 2:00 p.m., ACCNX |
San Jose State | W 92–42 | 7–3 |
20 – Twidale | 11 – Walker | 4 – Tied | Haas Pavilion (1,150) Berkeley, CA | ||||
| December 10, 2025* 7:00 p.m., ACCNX |
Idaho | W 68–61 | 8–3 |
15 – Maul | 5 – Tied | 5 – Walker | Haas Pavilion (903) Berkeley, CA | ||||
| December 14, 2025 1:00 p.m., ACCNX |
at Stanford Rivalry |
L 69–78 | 8–4 (0–1) |
16 – Barnes | 10 – Maul | 4 – Morris | Maples Pavilion (2,957) Stanford, CA | ||||
| December 21, 2025* 5:30 p.m., ESPN2 |
vs. No. 19 USC Invisalign Bay Area Women's Classic |
L 57–61 | 8–5 |
13 – Walker | 10 – Walker | 3 – Morris | Chase Center (6,258) San Francisco, CA | ||||
| December 28, 2025* 2:00 p.m., ACCNX |
Cal Poly | Haas Pavilion Berkeley, CA | |||||||||
| January 1, 2026 9:00 a.m., ACCN |
at North Carolina | Carmichael Arena Chapel Hill, NC | |||||||||
| January 4, 2026 11:00 a.m., The CW |
at NC State | Reynolds Coliseum Raleigh, NC | |||||||||
| January 8, 2026 7:00 p.m., ACCN |
Duke | Haas Pavilion Berkeley, CA | |||||||||
| January 11, 2026 2:00 p.m., ACCNX |
Wake Forest | Haas Pavilion Berkeley, CA | |||||||||
| January 15, 2026 3:00 p.m., ACCNX |
at Syracuse | JMA Wireless Dome Syracuse, NY | |||||||||
| January 18, 2026 9:00 a.m., ACCNX |
at Boston College | Conte Forum Chestnut Hill, MA | |||||||||
| January 25, 2026 6:00 p.m., ACCN |
Stanford Rivalry |
Haas Pavilion Berkeley, CA | |||||||||
| January 29, 2026 7:00 p.m., ACCNX |
Notre Dame | Haas Pavilion Berkeley, CA | |||||||||
| February 1, 2026 11:00 a.m., The CW |
Louisville | Haas Pavilion Berkeley, CA | |||||||||
| February 5, 2026 4:00 p.m., ACCNX |
at Georgia Tech | McCamish Pavilion Atlanta, GA | |||||||||
| February 8, 2026 10:00 a.m., ACCNX |
at Pittsburgh | Petersen Events Center Pittsburgh, PA | |||||||||
| February 12, 2026 7:00 p.m., ACCNX |
Virginia | Haas Pavilion Berkeley, CA | |||||||||
| February 15, 2026 2:00 p.m., ACCNX |
Virginia Tech | Haas Pavilion Berkeley, CA | |||||||||
| February 19, 2026 3:00 p.m., ACCNX |
at Florida State | Donald L. Tucker Center Tallahassee, FL | |||||||||
| February 22, 2026 11:00 a.m., ACCNX |
at Miami (FL) | Kaseya Center Coral Gables, FL | |||||||||
| February 26, 2026 7:00 p.m., ACCNX |
Clemson | Haas Pavilion Berkeley, CA | |||||||||
| March 1, 2026 7:00 p.m., ACCNX |
SMU | Haas Pavilion Berkeley, CA | |||||||||
| ACC Women's Tournament | |||||||||||
| * |
vs. | Gas South Arena Duluth, GA | |||||||||
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Pacific Time. | |||||||||||
Rankings
| Week | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | — | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coaches | RV | — | — | ||||||||||||||||||
References
- ^ Creme, Charlie (April 30, 2025). "Women's NCAA basketball: Top 10 transfer portal winners". ESPN. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
- ^ Creme, Charlie (April 30, 2025). "Women's NCAA basketball transfer rankings for 2025-26 season". ESPN. Retrieved October 19, 2025.
- ^ Judd, Brandon (April 13, 2025). "The Utes are adding a former 4-star talent out of the transfer portal". Deseret News. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
- ^ Milligan, Rashad (April 30, 2025). "Another former LSU women's basketball player has transferred to a program out west". Nola.com. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
- ^ "Cal Signs Naya Ojukwu For 2025-26 Season". calbears.com. University of California Athletics. May 6, 2025. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
- ^ Fowler, Chapel (April 28, 2025). "Former Gamecocks WBB player Sakima Walker transferring to ACC school". The State. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
- ^ "California Golden Bears". espn.com. ESPN. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
- ^ "2025–26 Women's Basketball Schedule". calbears.com. University of California Athletics. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
- ^ "Women's Basketball 2025-26 ACC Schedule Released". calbears.com. University of California Athletics. September 2, 2025. Retrieved September 19, 2025.