Category: Cal Bears

Not Much Difference: Cal competitive early then wilts at Oregon in 73-62 loss

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By Morris Phillips

Cal’s high point was also the beginning of the end for the Bears on Wednesday at Oregon’s Matthew Knight Arena.

A 7-0 run capped by Justice Sueing’s three-point play gave the Bears a 15-13 lead with 9:32 remaining in the first half.  It would be the final lead for the Bears on the evening, one they would have two opportunities to extend. But like Cal’s two previous, early leads, the Duck responded with a 3-pointer to regain an advantage.

This time–after Payton Pritchard’s 3-pointer– the Ducks took off.

A 17-2 Oregon run put Cal in a double-digit hole at the half. And Oregon methodically maintained their advantage after the break in a 73-62 win.

The Ducks shot 65 percent from the floor after the break, on their way to becoming the 14th Cal opponent to shoot better than 50 percent from the floor. And while lack of defense was Cal’s biggest issue, it wasn’t their only one.

The Bears got outrebounded 33-23, and while they got to the foul line, and converted (16 of 19), that wasn’t nearly enough to overcome horrid 39 percent shooting from the floor.

The result? Another loss, just not one stuffed with embarrassment. The Bears never let the Ducks run away, but they never caught up either, trailing for the game’s final 30 minutes. Now with an 0-10 record in conference play, the Bears must remain vigilant or confront being the first Pac-12 team to go winless in league play since Oregon State in 2008, a year before Utah and Colorado joined the conference.

Without looking ahead, the Bears don’t want to look back either: they’ve dropped 13 consecutive, conference road games and 18 overall dating back to last season.

Pritchard paced Oregon with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and three other starters scored in double figures led by Louis King with 12.

“I liked our pace in this game,” Pritchard said. “Defensively, we got some steals to easy looks. We were running it up. Guys were attacking in the seams and it allowed everyone else to get open.”

Justice Sueing led Cal with 17 points, and Paris Austin and Connor Vanover added 12 each.

The Bears continue their Northwest swing on Saturday at Oregon State with the tipoff at 2:30 pm.

Cal Bears basketball podcast with Michael Duca and Morris Phillips: Bears came close, but Okpala and Cardinal turn it up a notch

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californiagoldenblogs.com photo: The Stanford Cardinal and Cal Bears do battle last  Sunday  at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley

On the Cal Bears podcast with Michael and Morris:

#1 Another tough loss for the Cal Bears (5-16) on Sunday afternoon at Haas Pavilion as the Bears lost to the visiting Stanford Cardinal (11-10) 84-81.

#2 The Cardinal’s KZ Okpala led with 30 points and eight rebounds. He was hard to contain for the Bears all afternoon.

#3 Okpala had his 12th game scoring 20 or more points last season. He scored 20 or more points eight times. He’s been a force and had given the Bears fits to contain him.

#4 According to Stanford coach Jerod Haase, Okpala has some more developing to go. He’s working out just fine and provided the nine of the last 19 points of the game that really put a crimp in Cal’s game.

#5 The Bears are in Oregon (13-9) for Wednesday, Feb. 6th. Morris sets up that game.

Morris and Michael do the Cal Bears podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

What Now?: Late game, reversed call prevents Cal from ending losing skid

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, Calif. — The made shots, assists, team effort and the coaching staff’s approval all leaned heavily toward the Cal Bears on Sunday afternoon.

The critical, late game calls made by the officials did not.

The Bears appeared to gain an 83-83 tie on Matt Bradley’s physical drive for a bucket and a foul, but a video replay compelled the referees to reverse the call, wipe out the basket, and put Stanford in the driver’s seat with 13 seconds remaining.

Both coaches weighed in on the critical call, and both admitted the situation left them powerless and in hope that the whistle simply went their way.

“First of all, I didn’t know that you would overturn a call,” coach Wyking Jones said. “Mike Reed is a great official and he went to the monitor and saw something different, so I have to respect the call.”

“It was some kind of a dire situation so I felt very excited when they went to the monitor that there was still hope,” Stanford coach Jerod Haase admitted.

Instead of Cal tying the game and getting an opportunity at the foul stripe to establish a one-point lead, Stanford’s KZ Okpala made one of two free throw attempts to increase Stanford’s lead to three. Seconds later, Paris Austin’s 3-point attempt fell woefully short and the Cardinal escaped.

The Bears fell to 0-9 in Pac-12 conference play, and lost for a school-record tying tenth, consecutive time. The Bears last lost 10 straight in 1962.

Stanford won for the third time in their last four outings, and stayed above .500 at 11-10.

Okpala, Stanford’s emerging sophomore who is gaining interest from the NBA, led the Cardinal with 19 of his career-best 30 points after halftime.

Justice Sueing paced Cal with 23 points. Paris Austin and 7’2″ Connor Vanover contributed 15 points each.

Jones vowed that his Bears would respond with a better effort following a full week of preparation, and they did give Stanford fits with pressure defenses that forced the majority of the Cardinal’s 18 turnovers. The Bears led by one at the half, and extended their lead to 56-49 with 12:44 remaining.

But Stanford–which countered their issues holding on to the basketball with 57 percent shooting from the floor–responded with a run at that point and forced the Bears to beat them with late game execution.

The result was a devastating loss decided in the final seconds, but the effort was laudable, far more than in the nine losses that preceded Sunday.

“They emptied the tank today,” Jones said. “I felt they gave us everything they had. They played together. They looked like a cohesive group. I’m very proud of the effort and the fight that they showed today, but we came up short.”

Cal heads to Oregon for a Wednesday night game at 6:30 pm PT.

Cal Bears basketball podcast with Morris Phillips: At this rate, Cal can only reboot and play for pride now

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Photo credit: @CalMBBall

On the Cal Bears podcast with Morris:

#1 The Utah Utes head coach  Larry Krystkowiak saw his offense get it in gear against the Cal Bears instantly on offense, but the defense took awhile to get it in gear, but once they did, the Bears were pretty much done.

#2 The home floor didn’t help for Cal. They lost 82-64. They’ve struggled at home and have not won game this season.

#3  Krystkowiak said in the postgame presser that the first half was a shootout and that the offense was expending with a lot more energy. Knowing the struggles of the Bears and with the Utes climbing on offense did the Bears even have a chance to shut the Utes down in that first half.

#4 The Utes helped their own cause in the Pac-12 standings with their fourth straight win and now in a second place tie with USC.

#5 Cal’s attendance is shrinking with each loss and the fans and alum can’t give away a ticket as Cal drops to a 5-15 record. Cal’s next home game this Sun Feb 3 against the Stanford Cardinal.

Morris is the Cal Bears beat writer and does the Cal podcasts with Michael Duca weekly at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Making Themselves At Home: Utah the latest visitor to take advantage at Haas Pavilion, win 82-64

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–Utah needed to do two things: get their offense cranked up to take advantage of one of the nation’s worst defenses, and play the typically, stingy ball-hawking defense that Larry Krystkowiak-coached teams are known for.

To Krystkowiak’s dismay, the Utah offense kicked in immediately while his defense took its sweet time to show up.

But once both phases were in sync, the host Cal Bears couldn’t keep pace. Instead of igniting their fans, the Bears went quietly, trailing in all but the game’s first four minutes in a 82-64 loss.

“We did a good job defensively in the second half,” Krystkowiak said. “The first half was kind of a shootout and we were expending a lot more energy on offense, but we slowed the game down and got that figured out in the second half.”

The Utes won their fourth straight and remained in a second place tie with USC, two games behind league-leading Washington. The Bears remain winless in conference play, and haven’t captured a Pac-12 contest since February, a streak that’s approaching a year in length.

For the dwindling number of fans supporting the Bears at Haas Pavilion the streaks are even more dire. The 18-point loss marked the 13th time in 52 games under coach Jones that Cal has lost by double-digits at home. And at 5-15, 0-8, with 11 games remaining, the Bears are drawing closer to a second, consecutive 20-loss season, which has never happened previously in the history of the program.

“We all have pride. This doesn’t feel good. We’ll hit the reset button, come back together and figure it out,” Jones said.

Putting It All Together Is The Hard Part: Cal skid hits eight in loss to Colorado

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By Morris Phillips

BERKELEY, CA–The Cal Bears hadn’t been in a close game late in three weeks. But there they were, after overcoming an 18-point deficit, leading Colorado 54-53 with 7:04 remaining on Thursday night.

It would soon become a fleeting moment. The Bears would lead just once and see their losing streak reach eight games. The Buffaloes recovered, shutting down Cal in the final minutes, and winning 68-59.

But Coach Wyking Jones could at least point to his club’s effort as a positive in recapping the evening.

“I was obviously very happy with the fight and the toughness our guys showed in that stretch that I’ve been waiting to see for a long time,” Jones said. “I saw some guys who had to give everything they had get tired.”

The Buffs won at Berkeley for the first time as a member of the Pac-12 after five losses. They needed fewer than two minutes to extend their 11-point halftime lead to 18. But little went right after that, until Colorado grew stingy after Paris Austin pulled Cal within 60-58 with 4:09 remaining. The Bears were limited to one made free throw after that, missing their final seven shots.

“It’s much like November — it’s a lot better to learn from a win than learn from a loss, and this would have been a crushing loss,” CU coach Tad Boyle said. “I’m really proud of the way the guys reacted to the adversity.”

Guard McKinley Wright finished with eight points, four rebounds, and served as the ringleader for a CU attack that feasted on open looks. Three Colorado players scored in double figures, led by Lucas Siewert with 18, but Wright made the big plays late, despite missing the previous game against Utah due to a shoulder injury.

“He’s like Tom Brady. When he’s on the floor, everything’s much easier,” said Tyler Bey (17 points, 14 rebounds) of Wright.

The Bears haven’t won a conference game since February, and that streak will extend to more than a year if they can’t stop Utah on Saturday at Haas Pavilion.

“We don’t have that margin of error where we can lay back. Those little spurts when we’re not focused, they really come back to hurt us at the end of the game,” said Justice Sueing, who along with Austin paced Cal with 13 points.

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Philllips and Michael Duca: Bears team hasn’t struggled like this since Pete Newell or Kevin Johnson

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photo from: californiagoldenblogs.com file: Justice Sueing is California’s leading scorer, averaging 17 points per game

On the Cal Bears podcast with Morris and Michael:

Michael says he doesn’t remember Cal basketball struggling like this since the Pete Newell team 1954-55 when they went 1-11 and Morris doesn’t remember the team struggling this bad since the Dick Kuchen years from 1978 to 1985.

When you look at it for a team that’s won one conference title in forever, but they have made some regular NCAA appearances and they’ve had some success developing some NBA players. This is not a program that’s been left up to success. Former Cal player Tyrone Wallace played the other night against the Warriors in Los Angeles for the Clippers.

This year, for the Bears, there hasn’t been that much growth and development as the season goes along. Of course, the opponents get tougher and tougher as the season goes along too. It’s getting difficult to watch, it is part of the process that a lot of programs go through.

Morris and Michael do the Cal Bears podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Bad Break: Cal falters after halftime, Washington surges to 71-52 win

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By Morris Phillips

The Washington Huskies are the most recognizable thing the Pac-12 has to offer these days. Deep, athletic and experienced, UW currently projects to be a 10-seed were the NCAA tournament to commence next week.

UW is the only conference team to have a tournament profile at this point. Arizona, Oregon and Arizona State are seeking what Washington possesses.

UW’s description lies at the opposite end of the spectrum from where the Cal Bears reside. At 0-5 in conference play beginning Saturday, the Bears appeared to be the most downtrodden member of a conference collectively having a down year unlike any they’ve experienced in the last 20 seasons.

Given that juxtaposition, it no surprise that the Bears wilted quickly when push came to shove at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. After battling the first-place Huskies on even terms for 20 minutes, Cal’s offense deteriorated after halftime in a 71-52 defeat.

The Huskies staged a late rally to lead 29-28 at the break. That surge came after they missed 13 of the first 14 shots to start the game. But once UW started cooking, they didn’t cool, starting the second half on an 18-7 run that turned the contest into a rout.

The Bears shot just 23 percent after halftime, and a season-worst 31 percent for the game. They missed 14 of their 15 three attempts and gathered just eight assists. In rapid succession, the Bears saw their transition opportunities dwindle, their shooting plummet, and then the Huskies heated up. Washington went from missing shots early to canning 10 threes in the game.

“We started the game out getting stops and getting out in transition and I was happy to see that, but we really struggled against their half-court zone,” said coach Wyking Jones.

Roman Davis made his first start as a collegian. Teammate Andre Kelly came off the bench and led the Bears with 14 points in 18 minutes. Freshman Matt Bradley also started but couldn’t make a shot. He missed all ten that he attempted.

The Bears have dropped 13 consecutive Pac-12 conference games dating to February. They’ve also lost their last twelve Pac-12 road contests. They dropped seven straight overall, and in the last four they’ve failed to gain a lead in the second half at any point.

It’s not pretty. But if the Bears allow it, their losing ways could continue.

The Bears return to Haas Pavilion on Thursday night to face Colorado. Game time set for 8:00 pm PT.

Only Place To Look Is Up: Cal lands in the Pac-12 basement, lose to WSU, 82-59

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By Morris Phillips

The Cal Bears can’t get any lower than this.

In a sleepy, sparsely populated Beasley Coliseum, the Bears were supposed to be purposely competitive with Washington State, the one other Pac-12 team that hadn’t done much thus far this season, similar to Cal.

But instead of purposely competitive, the Bears were surprisingly quiet. And the two Cougars that Cal could least afford to allow to have big games, did.

Robert Franks returned to the WSU lineup after missing four games with a hip issue, and seamlessly fit back in, scoring 24 points in limited minutes off the bench. Franks scored a career-best 34 points against Cal in last year’s meeting in Pullman, including a school-record 10 made threes.

Franks had consecutive baskets in WSU’s run to open the second half that stretched the Cougars’ lead from nine at the break, to double digits, then to as many as 29 in the game’s waining moments.

C.J. Elleby, son of Bill Elleby, the former Cal player from 1988 to 1992, gave the Cougs a big assist as well. The highly regarded freshman started and scored 11 points, including two made threes.

The whole stew added up to 54 percent shooting for Washington State as they became the tenth Cal opponent to shoot 51 percent or better from the floor this season.

Meanwhile, the Bears limped along with 39 percent shooting and committed 14 turnovers. Neither number was as telling as Cal’s season-low six assists, as 10 of the 13 Bears to see action failed to record one.

Washington State broke a six-game losing streak with the win, and won for the first time in conference play.

The Bears (5-12, 0-5) are still looking for that first conference win, and they’ve dropped 12 consecutive Pac-12 contests dating back to last year.

The Bears were led by Justice Sueing with 15 points. Matt Bradley chipped in with 14, but missed eight of his 13 shots. The Bears were surprisingly poor from the foul line, making just nine of 16.

The Bears travel to Seattle for Saturday’s meeting with the first-place Huskies. Washington is currently the only conference team projected to make the NCAA tournament and that’s only as a ten-seed. Game time set for 2:00 pm PST.

Cal Bears basketball podcast with Morris and Michael: Cal Bears has now lost 11 straight conference games and are 0-4 in the Pac-12 this season

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Photo credit: @CalMBBall

On the Cal Bears basketball podcast with Morris and Michael:

The Cal Bears have not had a winning Pac-12 conference game this season. Now at 0-4 and the attendance at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley has been low with all the screaming Arizona Wildcats fans in attendance last Saturday. Also how Cal played on the hardwood in their 87-65 loss.

The one good thing is Cal plays Washington State next at Pullman on Tuesday night. Pullman is a tough place to get to and a tough place to get a win. Even when WSU is not playing well, they defend their home floor pretty well. This is not going to be a cake walk for Cal.

Morris and Michael do the Cal Bears podcast each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com