Category: Cal Bears

Downright Rebellious: UNLV’s late rally falls short, Cal moves to 2-0 with 20-14 win

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–California is looking forward after they hung on to defeat UNLV 20-14.

The Rebels and coach Marcus Arroyo are looking back, trying to understand how the numerous, second half opportunities they were afforded didn’t culminate with a touchdown that would have given them a late lead.

“We’ve got a locker room full of guys right now that are disappointed we didn’t finish that game,” Arroyo said. “You’ve got to capitalize against quality opponents.”

The Bears led 14-0 and 20-7, and at one point during the third quarter also held a sizeable advantage in time of possession, but from an offensive standpoint, they couldn’t finish off UNLV. Empty trips into the red zone and a damaging, early, second quarter interception kept the Rebels in it.

In the end, Cal’s defense pulled through when Henry Ikahihifo sacked UNLV quarterback Doug Brumfield for a loss of 13 yards with 1:03 remaining. Two plays later, Isaiah Young picked off Brumfield’s desperation, downfield pass.

While the Bears’ offense went from spirited to sputtering, their defense contained Brumfield, who threw for just 206 yards, while misfiring 15 times, and running for just 12 yards on ten attempts. Ricky White, the Rebels’ top receiver caught just one pass after the first quarter and totaled 56 yards on four catches.

Cal’s blitzing, which intensified on the final UNLV drive, not only led to the key interception, but also showed in the visitor’s penalty numbers, which saw them commit eight infractions for 101 yards.

“No. 1, is to win the game. It carries more weight than any other goal,” Wilcox said. “We also recognize where we need to get better.”

In that category, kicker Dario Longhetto converted field goals in the second and third quarters, but his miss from 43 yards with 8:06 remaining kept the game within one score.

Plummer finished 28 of 39 for 278 yards, but only two of his completions went for more than 10 yards. The first of those two saw freshman running back Jaydn Ott go 12 yards on a swing pass and leap into the end zone for a 14-0 Cal lead.

“He missed a couple, but he threw some very good balls,” Wilcox said of Plummer. “We’ve got to do things to protect him, to keep that pass rush at bay.”

The 2-0 Bears travel to South Bend, Indiana next weekend to face Notre Dame, who inexplicably lost to Marshall 26-21, their first ever loss to a team from the Sun Belt Conference. The Bears’ undefeated start will create confidence as will a match up against signal caller Ty Buchner, who has yet to throw a touchdown pass in two games, and was picked off twice by the Thundering Herd.

“They’re still a really good team,” said sixth-year defensive back Daniel Scott cautiously.

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips: Cal goes up against UNLV; Feels momentum after opening day win against UC Davis

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Cal Bears quarterback Jack Plummer gets ready to throw the football, Plummer hit three receivers on the day for three touchdown passes against the UC Davis Aggies at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley on Sat Sep 3, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the Cal Bears podcast with Morris:

#1 Morris after the UC Davis Aggies scored the first touchdown of the game it didn’t take long for the Cal Bears to answer back in the second quarter to take a ten point lead 17-7 for a half time score.

#2 The Bears Jack Plummer threw for three touchdowns it was Plummer’s first game under center for Cal and he pretty much had the rule of the roost with the football taking Cal to a 34-13 win.

#3 Cal in that first quarter just regrouped going into that second quarter minus one. The Bears are now 11-0 against the Aggies all time.

#4 Morris, talk about the receivers that Plummer got to throw to three yards to Jeremiah Hunter, eight yards to Jadyn Ott, and 14 yards to Mavin Anderson.

#5 Talk about how much confidence Cal will have going into week 2 facing UNLV with the home field advantage next Sat Sep 17th at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley.

Morris Phillips does the Cal Bears podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal upends UC Davis 34-13; Golden Bears master Aggies on both sides of the ball

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Cal Bears starting quarterback Jack Plummer fires a pass past the UC Aggies defense at Memorial Stadium in first half action on Sat Sep 3, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Morris Phillips and Michael Duca

BERKELEY–Quarterback Jack Plummer found receivers three times for touchdowns which led the Cal Bears (1-0) to a convincing 34-13 win over the visiting UC Davis Aggies at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley on Saturday afternoon on the opening day of the college football season for Cal.

Plummer threw for 268 yards, three touchdowns and 268 yards. The Bears got behind the eight ball early in the first quarter when the Aggies scored a first quarter touchdown for a 7-0 lead. The Bears came back to take a ten point lead at the half making it 17-7.

Bears head coach Justin Wilcox said the team was a little nervous getting out of the gate on opening day like this but Wilcox said that the team talked things over and they got whatever was wrong out of their system by having that explosive 17 point second quarter.

Plummer from then on was hitting his wide outs starting with Jeremiah Hunter for a three yard touchdown, an eight yard pass to Jaydn Ott in second quarter action and in fourth quarter action Plummer found Marvin Anderson for a 14 yard touchdown.

Plummer as it turned out had a great offensive day 23 for 35 for 268 yards, Plummer said that the team got into a bit of a rhythm and realized once they found that opening on offense they were confident about putting the Aggies on their heels.

Craig Woodson for Cal picked off Aggies quarterback Miles Hastings pass for a return touchdown during the opening drive for 39 yards in second half action for a 24-7 lead and the Golden Bears were in the drivers seat pretty much most of the way.

Aggies head coach Dan Hawkins said while the team was not perfect it was playing excellent football saying the team battled hard for much of the game and that the Aggies had a good practice camp coming into the season and that it’s tough road on the opening of the season. Hawkins said to flush this game and move on.

The Bears host UNLV next Sat Sep 18 for a 1:00pm PDT kick off at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley.

Morris Phillips and Michael Duca cover Cal Bears football at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Bears/Pac 12 Tournament podcast with Morris Phillips: What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas; Cal eliminated by WSU in first game of tournament

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

California’s Lars Thiemann (21) tries to get around the Washington State Cougars defense at the T Mobile Center in Las Vegas in the first game of the Pac 12 Tournament on Wed Mar 9, 2022 (AP News photo)

On the Cal Bears/Pac 12 Tournament podcast with Morris:

#1 It’s been a long season Morris and its come down to this a first game loss of the Pac 12 Tournament to the Washington State Cougars (19-13) for the Cal Bears (12-20) a seven point 66-59 loss for the Bears.

#2 We know you’ve said it all season with this loss did it just come down to a lack of talent or the Cougars just had enough offense to make this work on Wednesday night.

#3 How disappointing does this have to be for Cal head coach Mark Fox having finished the season eight games below .500 and being eliminated in the first game of the Pac 12 Tournament.

#4 Once again the ball was going to Jordan Shepherd who led Cal with 19 points Cal also outscored the Cougars in the second half 39-34 but time just ran out for the Bears.

#5 For coach Fox talk about some of the things that he needs to work on, put together to get this team ready for 2022-23 and who do you see coming back for next season?

Morris Phillips filled in for Michael Duca who did the Cal Bears basketball podcasts Fridays during the 2021-22 season with Morris at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Short Stay In Vegas: Cal can’t keep up with Washington State in 66-59 Pac-12 Tourney loss

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

Several of the elements Cal needed to extend their stay in Las Vegas were present on Wednesday. The key ingredient–made baskets–was completely absent.

The Bears shot a dreadful 31 percent from the floor, missing 16 3-point attempts, in a 66-59 first round loss to Washington State at the Pac-12 Tournament.

“Offensively we seemed to be out of rhythm and didn’t shoot it well in the first half and so we dug ourselves too big of a hole, eventhough in the second half we played a little bit better,” coach Mark Fox said.

Down the stretch Cal stayed within reach, and cut their deficit to six with 23 seconds remaining, but the Cougars–near perfect from the foul line–held them off.

Efe Abogidi led WSU with 19 points, five rebounds and Tyrell Roberts added 14 as the Cougs advanced to a quarterfinal meeting with UCLA on Thursday.

The Bears (12-20) finished their season with losses in five of their last six contests, and took their 20th loss in the finale. They also saw the college careers of Grant Anticevich and Jordan Shepherd, two of their key contributors, come to a close.

The first half contained enough Cal errors to create the hole Fox eluded to as the visitors shot a chilly 23 percent while allowing the Cougars to expand their lead in the last two minutes. Joel Brown attempted to give the Bears a defensive leader, but he only lasted nine minutes before it became apparent that he should not play any further with his knee that foced him to miss the regular season finale an issue.

Meanwhile, Abogidi with his lengthy arms and quickness seemed to slither around Lars Thiemann for a memorable layup, and leading scorer Michael Flowers put Jalen Celestine on skates with some playground moves.

But WSU wouldn’t pull away as Cal’s edge in rebounding, as well as their deliberate pace kept the high-scoring Cougs from gaining any offensive consistency. With 7:35 remaining Celestine’s layup kept the Bears within range, down 49-41.

“They bothered us with their physicality and they got on the glass, but our zone defense was pretty good and we hit our free throws,” WSU coach Kyle Smith said.

Facing WSU’s zone look, the Bears couldn’t find their offense or get any closer. Anticevich (2 for 12) and Shepherd (6 for 17) finished with subpar numbers and no one else stepped up. Defensively, Abogidi’s quickness put Cal in a predicament as Theimann wasn’t quick enough to defend the 6’8″ forward which necessitated Fox to commit Anticevich to cover him. That ultimately kept the Cal senior from having an impactful evening with his scoring.

The Bears will have a new look in the upcoming season without Shepherd and Anticevich, and with the return of the injured Andre Kelly in question as well. Fox has vowed to extract an offensive leader from the graduate transfer market to lead the Bears in 2022-23.

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips: Cal no match for No.2 Arizona in 89-61 loss; Cal moves onto Pac 12 Tournament Wednesday

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

Cal Bears Jordan Shepherd led Cal in scoring last Saturday against the Arizona Wildcats with 16 points. Cal will be dependent on Shepherd’s offense as the Bears face the Washington State Cougars Wed Mar 9, 2022 at the Pac 12 Tournament. ( file photo by Sports Illustrated)

On the Cal podcast with Morris:

#1 Anytime you know your going to face the Arizona Wildcats (28-3) you know you have your work cut out for you such was the case in Saturday’s 89-61drilling of the basket by the Wildcats who threw up 62% of their shots from the floor against the Cal Bears (12-19).

#2 The Wildcats didn’t show any ware at all after playing five games in ten days in an almost NBA type schedule the Wildcats have won nine of their last ten games.

#3 But what may have been most impressive was the Cats put up 89 points despite having to deal with Cal’s plodding pace, and a couple of impressive, but short-lived stretches of play by the Bears.

#4 Oumar Ballo, the transfer from No. 1 Gonzaga, led the Cats with 16 points on 7 for 7 shooting from the floor. Ballo was the biggest piece of Arizona’s octet of reserves that combined to shoot 18 of 24 from the floor and 7 for 7 from the foul line.

#5 Next up for Cal the Washington State Cougars (18-13) to open the Pac 12 Tournament who have won five of their last six games and also defeated the Oregon Ducks (18-13) by 20, 94-74 at Washington State on Saturday. This will be game one for Cal at the Pac 12 Tournament on Wednesday.

Join Morris Phillips for the Cal Bears podcasts Mondays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Piling Up The Points: Pac-12 champion Arizona looks NCAA Tournament-ready in 89-61 pasting of Cal

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

Are the Arizona Wildcats the favorite to cut down the nets and win their second National Championship?

If the Cal Bears wanted to be the voice of dissent regarding UA’s chances, they unearthed very little evidence on Saturday afternoon.

No. 2 Arizona (28-3, 18-2) looked the part, shooting a sizzling 62 percent from the floor in dispatching Cal, 89-61 at the McKale Center in Tucson. It didn’t matter that Arizona was playing its fifth game in 10 days, or that they had little to play for after clinching the Pac-12 regular season title on Tuesday at USC.

But what may have most impressive was the Cats put up 89 points despite having to deal with Cal’s plodding pace, and a couple of impressive, but short-lived stretches of play by the Bears.

How’s that possible? Make shots, and Arizona did that in bunches.

Oumar Ballo, the transfer from No. 1 Gonzaga, led the Cats with 16 points on 7 for 7 shooting from the floor. Ballo was the biggest piece of Arizona’s octet of reserves that combined to shoot 18 of 24 from the floor and 7 for 7 from the foul line.

Those bench contributions were the biggest indicator of the hosts’ ability to impose their will. The team picked to finish fourth in the Pac-12 before the season literarily outplayed expectations down to their 13th man. Coach Tommy Lloyd, who denied any celebrations prior to Saturday’s final buzzer couldn’t hold back his praise.

“These dudes are unbelievable,” Lloyd said. “What they gave me this year has inspired me to coach forever. They practice their ass off every day and they handle me being on them. It’s such a special group to be around.”

Cal was competitive for the game’s first six minutes, then a 9-0 run for Arizona gave evidence that the visitors were in for a rough ride. The Cats extended their lead to 36-17 on Christian Koloko’s layup with 4:21 remaining at which point the Bears settled in with a 14-4 run to end the half that had them within range, down 40-31 at the half.

But the second half saw Arizona shoot 65 percent and their crowd grow more jubilant with each made basket. Despite their starters playing sparingly UA led by 31 before winning by 28.

“We got a little fatigued and made some costly errors there in the second half defensively,” coach Mark Fox said. “Against a team with as much talent as they have, you cannot afford to do that.”

Jordan Shepherd led Cal (12-19, 5-15) with 16 points. Lars Thiemann had 12 points, five rebounds and Makale Foreman added 11. Thiemann was able to go despite being a gametime decision due to an injury, but starting guard Joel Brown was scratched due to a knee injury.

Cal opens the Pac-12 Tournament on Wednesday with their opponent to be determined after action concludes on Saturday night, with the Washington Huskies as the most likely opponent in a 7 versus 10 matchup.

Run Ragged: Sun Devils race past Cal in 71-44 romp in Tempe

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

How do you characterize the two-game series between Cal and Arizona State this season?

Well, that’s easy. Both teams put forth their best effort, that is if they didn’t fall on their collective faces.

On January 2, the Bears growled menacingly from the start, leading by 18 at the half and winning by 24 as they shot 51 percent from the floor and passed the ball expertly leading to 17 assists.

On Thursday in the rematch in the desert, ASU was off and running, building a brief, double-digit lead in the first half, then burying Cal with a running and shooting barrage after halftime, resulting in an, easy 27-point win.

The common thread in both games was that while each team looked pretty darn good in their wins, they’ll likely beat themselves up remembering how out of character they were in getting blown out.

“As well as we played last Saturday, we played the opposite defensively today,” coach Mark Fox said. “We really collapsed on the defensive end in the second half.”

The Bears survived a rough first half in part by getting a pair of big baskets from Grant Anticevich before halftime to climb within six points of the Sun Devils. But all that effort to get back in the game disappeared after halftime. The Bears allowed ASU to make 18 of their 28 shot attempts, and couldn’t stop run outs or 3-point attempts.

“When you don’t score and they can fast break on every possession, you’re going to have a hard time getting your defense set,” Fox said.

Previously against Stanford in their 53-39 win, and on February 12 at Oregon in Cal’s last road game, a 78-64 win, the Bears played at a methodical pace, made shots when the game was in doubt, and defended as if they were constructing a fortress in front of the hoop.

Against ASU those same Cal Bears put up little resistance and showed hardly any resolve. With all the attention around the program this week and speculation regarding Fox and his now likely return for a fourth year at the helm, the effort and result looked completely out of place.

Furthermore, the Bears (12-18, 5-14) may not get another opportunity to better present themselves. Saturday’s regular season finale at No. 2 Arizona could be a particularly turbulent experience, and a conference tournament opener currently sees them matched up with either Washington or Washington State. Cal dropped both meetings with those two schools.

D.J. Horne was one of five Sun Devils (13-16, 9-10) to score at least 10 points and led the hosts with 13 points. Marreon Jackson and Jay Heath combined to miss 20 shots in the first meeting between the clubs, this time they contributed 11 and 12 points respectively. Arizona State has won 6 of their last 7 after losing 9 of 11.

“We knew what their game plan was going to be, they ranked last in pace of play,” ASU’s Kimani Lawrence said. “We got bigs and guys on the wings at different positions that can run, putting pressure on defense and getting on the fastbreak benefits our offense.”

Jalen Celestine led Cal with 11 points, and the sophomore was the only Bear to score more than 10 points.

Cal Bears basketball podcast with Michael Duca: Cal opens two game road trip at ASU tonight to close out regular season

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

The Cal Bears Grant Anticevich makes his way up the floor against the Stanford Cardinal on Sat Feb 26, 2022 at Haas Pavilion (photo by Cal Bears twitter)

Cal Bears basketball podcast with Miguel:

#1 Michael, the Cal Bears (12-17) kept the Stanford Cardinal (15-13) in check in their last game last Saturday holding the Cardinal to only 39 points which would you allude it to, the Cardinal shooting was just simply off or the Bears defense was all over Stanford?

#2  Winning after a lengthy streak of rough results didn’t deter the Golden Bears. Instead it strengthened them, according to coach Mark Fox.

#3 The ball was constantly going to Cal’s Jordan Shepherd who scored a team leading 28 points no other Cal player got into double figures.

#4 In the second half the Cardinal tried to make a valiant effort outscoring the Bears 27-18 but that comes off a first half where the Cardinal scored only 12 points.

#5 The action continues at ASU (12-16) tonight. The Sun Devils just got by the Utah Utes last Sat Feb 26th at Utah 63-61. The Sun Devils are on a roll they have won five of their last six games. How do you see Cal and ASU as they match up on tonight.

Join Michael for the Cal Bears podcasts Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Bears basketball podcast with Morris Phillips: How big was Cal’s win for morale over Stanford on Saturday?

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

The Cal Bears Joel Brown (1) gets up on the Stanford Cardinal Spencer Jones (left) at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Sat Feb 27, 2022 (photo by the Santa Cruz Sentinel)

On the Cal Bears podcast with Morris:

#1 Cal (12-17) got a Big Game win over the Stanford Cardinal (15-13) 53-39 in the lowest scoring game of the season for the Cardinal. Was it a matter of Cal’s defense was on or Stanford’s shooting was just off?

#2 Morris, it’s like you wrote in your game recap on Saturday it was a cold night outside in Berkeley and the game for Stanford was like they had to stay outside in their uniforms and warm ups on offense they just froze.

#3 Winning after a lengthy streak of rough results didn’t deter the Golden Bears. Instead it strengthened them, according to coach Mark Fox.

#4 Cal’s Jordan Shepherd led with 28 points no other player got into double figures for Cal but his 28 held up and then some.

#5 Up next the Cal Bears are at Arizona State (12-16) this Thu Mar 3, the Bears are coming off a win against the Cardinal could you see then keeping the momentum going at ASU.

Join Morris for the Cal Bears podcasts through the Pac 12 Tournament which starts Mar 9th at http://www.sportsradioservice.com