Motivated. That’s the word Cal women’s basketball coach Charmin Smith used to describe her team’s 13-1 start, which matched the best start in program history until the Golden Bears fell to Clemson on Thursday night.
“I see a really motivated group that’s bought in and really working hard towards one goal: to make the NCAA tournament,” Smith told CBS Sports.
Although Cal has 14 NCAA Tournament appearances in program history, its last run was six years ago. The 2024-25 Golden Bears are focused on changing that with all non-conference games behind them, and now comes the important test for the Golden Bears. The team has relocated from the Pac-12 to the ACC and enters Friday as one of six major undefeated programs.
Part of Cal’s early success has come from the perimeter. The Golden Bears enter the 2025 portion of the season shooting 37.7% from 3-point range, tied for 17th-best nationally. Three of Smith’s starters are shooting 40% or better from the perimeter.
Graduate guard Ioanna Krimili, who tallied five or more 3-pointers in 24 games during her first Cal season after transferring from USF, is also off to a hot start from the perimeter this season. Senior forward Marta Suárez is shooting…
