CAL GOLDEN BEARS

Last season: 13-19, 9-11 (tied for sixth in the Pac-12).

Coach: Mark Madsen, second season, 13-19.

Season opener: Today vs. Cal State Bakersfield, 8:30 p.m.

Projected starters: Senior guard Christian Tucker (11.3 points, 5.4 assists), junior guard DeJuan Campbell (11.6 points, 3.7 rebounds), sophomore guard Andrej Stojakovic (7.8 points, 3.4 rebounds), junior forward Rytis Petraitis (15.7 points, 6.3 rebounds), BJ Omot (16.7 points, 4.2 rebounds)

Key reserves: Freshman guard Jeremiah Wilkinson, graduate senior guard Jovan Blacksher Jr (4.8 points, 1.5 assists), freshman guard Stephon Marbury II, Mady Sissoko (3.3 points, 5.3 rebounds)

Strengths: Campbell, Tucker, Petraitis and Omot are all transfer portal additions that should make an immediate impact on offense. Stojakovic, son of former Sacramento Kings forward Peja Stojakovic, was a key addition from Stanford and will add shooting and playmaking from the perimeter. Freshman guards Jeremiah Wilkinson and Stephon Marbury II — son of former New York Knicks’ guard Stephon Marbury — add backcourt depth off the bench.

Weaknesses: Cal will have to replace leading scorer Jaylon Tyson, who was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers in this past year’s NBA draft. The Bears’ lack of size and athleticism could hurt them, especially against much bigger ACC teams as Cal is without much experience in the front court beyond Petraitis and Omot.

Outlook: Madsen will look to build on a solid first season that saw Cal upset NCAA Tournament teams Oregon, Colorado and Washington State. But in a much tougher conference, the Bears might have to tame expectations with a tough conference schedule that includes road games against national powerhouses Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State.

— Nathan Canilao

SAINT MARY’S GAELS

Last season: 26-8, 15-1 (first in the West Coast Conference and beat Gonzaga in the WCC Tournament final; lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament).

Coach: Randy Bennett, 24th season, 749-533

Season opener: Today vs. Towson, 7 p.m.

Projected starters: Senior guard Augustas Marciulionis (12.4 points, 5.3 assists), sophomore guard Jordan Ross (1.3 points, 0.8 assists), sophomore forward Paulius Murauskas (2.7 points, 1.2 rebounds), redshirt senior Luke Barrett (5.5 points, 3.5 rebounds), graduate center Mitchell Saxen (11.8 points, 7.6 rebounds)

Key reserves: Sophomore center Harry Wessels (4.2 points, 3.4 rebounds), sophomore forward Ashton Hardaway (2.3 points, 0.8 rebounds), redshirt sophomore Cade Bennett (0.9 points, 0.8 assists), redshirt sophomore Kevin Gad (1.3 points, 0.5 rebounds)

Strengths: The Gaels return two foundational players in Marciulionis, the reigning WCC Player of the Year, and Saxen, the reigning WCC Defensive Player of the Year. Bennett also foresees Ross, the only true freshman to see the court for Saint Mary’s last year, making a similar leap that Marciulionis made last year.

Weaknesses: Despite retaining several key players, Saint Mary’s lost Aidan Mahaney, last season’s leading scorer and a Campolindo High graduate, to UConn. Along with Mahaney, Joshua Jefferson transferred to Iowa State and Alex Ducas graduated. Saint Mary’s, then, is expecting several rotation players to make sizable improvements.

Outlook: Saint Mary’s has won at least 26 games in each of the past three seasons, as well as four of the past five. With Marciulionis running the show, the Gaels are expected to compete.

— Justice delos Santos

SANTA CLARA BRONCOS

Last season: 20-13, 10-6 (fourth in the West Coast Conference and reached the semifinals of the WCC Tournament)

Coach: Herb Sendek, ninth season, 140-107.

Season opener: Today at Saint Louis, noon

Projected starters: Senior guard Adama-Alpha Bal (14.4, 3.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists), senior forward Johnny O’Neil (11.0 rebounds, 5.5 rebounds), junior center Christoph Tilly (9.4 points, 4.5 rebounds), senior guard Tyeree Bryan (8.2 points), senior guard Carlos Stewart (4.7 points, 2.2 rebounds)

Key reserves: Junior guard Brenton Knapper (6.1 points), sophomore guard Christian Hammond (3.7 points), senior forward Camaron Tongue (4.7 points, 3.0 rebounds), redshirt freshman center Bukky Oboye (1.0 rebounds), redshirt sophomore forward Jake Ensminger (4.1 points, 4.8 rebounds)

Strengths: Herb Sendek has all of the pieces he needs to take Santa Clara to its first NCAA Tournament since Steve Nash’s senior year all the way back in 1996. Between leading scorer Adama-Alpha Bal and prodigal son Carlos Stewart — he spent a year at LSU after two seasons in Santa Clara — the Broncos have the makings of one of the best backcourts in the conference. Having a front line that stands 6-foot-9 and 7-foot will only help too.

Weaknesses: As an above-average team by almost every metric, which just so happens to return most of its starters and brings back an all-conference player from two seasons ago, there isn’t much to dislike about the Broncos. But what can the Broncos expect from 6-foot-1 Carlos Stewart after suffering a major knee injury in Baton Rouge last season?

Outlook: Santa Clara, which played in the NIT in 2022 and ‘23 but hasn’t appeared in the NCAA Tournament since 1996, has everything it needs to push SMC and Gonzaga in the new-look West Coast Conference that, for the time being, now includes Washington State and Oregon State. The Broncos have multiple players who can all shoot well from 3-point range, and Bal is an all-WCC caliber lead guard. A showdown in Vegas against Arizona State and a home game against Stanford are the highlights of SCU’s nonleague schedule.

— Joseph Dycus

SAN JOSE STATE SPARTANS

Last season: 9-23, 2-16 (tied for 10th in Mountain West Conference).

Coach: Tim Miles, fourth season, 38-60

Season opener: Today vs. Western Illinois, 7 p.m.

Projected starters: Sophomore guard Latrell Davis (5.3 points, 2.0 rebounds), graduate senior guard Donavan Yap (9.0 points, 1.8 assists), senior guard Josh Uduje (8.7 points, 2.5 rebounds), junior center Robert Vaihola (7.6 points, 6.5 rebounds), center Adrame Diongue (4.8 points, 4.3 rebounds)

Key reserves: Junior guard Will McClendon (4.3 points, 3.3 rebounds), graduate senior forward Sadaidriene Hall (10.7 points, 4.8 rebounds), graduate senior center Chol Marial (2.3 points, 2.4 rebounds),

Strengths: The Spartans won’t lack size with four players 6-foot-8 or above on the roster. Yap, Uduje and Hall are key transfers that are slated to be some of San Jose State’s top scorers this season along with Davis. SJSU struggled defensively last season but Miles looks to have made it a point to recruit long, athletic players that could make an impact stopping opposing offenses.

Weaknesses: Outside of Uduje, who won the Mountain West Sixth Man of the Year last season with Utah State, scoring is a big question mark. Davis showed flashes of being a guard who can put pressure on the rim, but struggled with consistency. Yap and McClendon thrived in catch-and-shoot roles at Fresno State and UCLA, respectively, but there is no clear No. 2 scoring option on this team.

Outlook: Miles and SJSU struggled last year after leading the Spartans on a magical run in 2022. This year will likely be another rebuilding season as the Spartans don’t have the offensive punch they need to compete in a conference that includes offensive juggernauts like San Diego State, Utah State and Boise State.

— Nathan Canilao

STANFORD CARDINAL

Last season: 14-18, 8-12 (tied for ninth in Pac-12)

Coach: Kyle Smith, first season, 0-0

Season opener: Today vs. Denver University, 2 p.m.

Projected starters: Junior guard Benny Gealer (4.2 points, 1.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists), junior guard Oziyah Sellers (5.2 points, 0.9 rebounds, 0.6 assists at USC), sophomore guard Derin Saran (10.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists at UC Irvine), senior forward Maxime Raynaud (15.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists), junior forward Chisom Okpara (16.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists at Harvard)

Key reserves: Graduate guard Jaylen Blakes (1.8 points, 0.8 rebounds at Duke), sophomore forward Jaylen Thompson (1.0 points), sophomore guard Ryan Agarwal (2.4 points)

Strengths: New coach Smith’s patented “Nerdball” could help Nerd Nation get back on track at The Farm. Smith’s analytics-heavy approach led Washington State to a 25-10 record and NCAA Tournament round of 32 appearance in 2023-24. Smith has generally won with every college team he has coached, including a successful three-year tenure at USF, where the Dons won at least 20 games in each season. His career head coaching record is 258-193.

Weaknesses: A new regime brings change, and in today’s college athletics, change means transfers — in and out. Stanford lost freshman standouts Andrej Stojakovic and Kanaan Carlyle in the portal, as well as second-leading scorer Brandon Angel.

Outlook: It’s a brave new world for Stanford men’s basketball in 2024. The Cardinal return just four players who recorded stats last season but managed to retain Raynaud, last season’s leading scorer, who entertained the portal before withdrawing. Stanford brought in five transfers to help close the gap, including graduate student Cole Kastner, who was an All-American lacrosse player at Virginia but has never played college basketball.

— Christian Babcock