Tag: ASU Sun Devils

Bears collapse; Frankie Collins leads Arizona State to comeback win

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The Arizona State Sun Devils forward Kamari Lands (0) takes the ball up the floor and is guarded by the Cal Bears guard Devin Askew (55) and Gus Larson forward (31) in the first half at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Sun Dec 31, 2023 (AP News photo)

Sunday, Dec 31, 2023

Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, California

Arizona State Sun Devils 71 (8-5 Overall; 2-0 Pac-12)

California Golden Bears 69 (4-9 Overall; 0-2 Pac-12)

By Stephen Ruderman

Frankie Collins led the Arizona Sun Devils to another late comeback win over the Bears in, as Cal blew a 16-point lead, and then collapsed in the final nine minutes to fall, 71-69.

The Bears were looking to bounce back following a shellacking at the hands of the Arizona Wildcats in their Pac-12 opener on Friday night. Tonight, they welcomed in the Arizona State Sun Devils, who were coming off a late comeback win at Stanford Friday night.

The two teams traded missed shots before Jamiya Neal got the Sun Devils on the board with a jumper a minute and 18 seconds into the game. The Bears then jumped ahead on a three by Jaylon Tyson, followed by a jumper by Keonte Kennedy, and a layup by Fardaws Aimaq.

Tyson, who led the charge for Cal in the early going, hit a jumper and laid one in to give the Bears a 11-7 lead, followed by a jumper by Adam Miller for Arizona State to make it 11-9. Jalen Cone hit a three-ball to make it 14-9, and then the Sun Devils responded with a jumper by Shawn Phillips Jr., as well as a free throw made by Neal to make it 14-12 with 9:47 remaining.

The Bears then scored 10 unanswered points, Aimaq made one of two free throws; and Tyson hit a jumper, got fouled and hit the free throw. Tyson then dunked one in; Cone and Kennedy hit a free throw; and Aimaq laid one in to make it 24-14 with 6:53 to go.

The Sun Devils cut into Cal’s lead a bit to close it to 29-23 with 2:41 remaining, but the Bears were able to close out the first period on a high note. Aimaq dunked on Devin Askew hit a pair of free throws and Kennedy hit a jumper, as the Bears went into the half up 35-25.

Like the first period, neither team scored in the first minute of the second period; and just like the first period, the Sun Devils scored first, this time on a jumper by Frankie Collins.

Cal then scored eight unanswered points. Tyson and AImaq both hit threes, and Kennedy hit a jumper to open Cal’s lead to 43-27, their largest of the night. The score remained steady over the next several minutes, as the Bears led 54-39 with 9:40 to go, and 56-42 with 8:59 left to go.

However, the tides quickly turned. Kamari Lands hit a three for Arizona State; and Collins hit a jumper, which was capped off with a free throw after he was fouled on the play. That cut the score to 56-48. Collins then stole the ball, and passed it to Lands, who hit a three, as suddenly, it was just a five point-game at 56-51.

Tyson hit a pair of free throws, but Lands hit another three-ball to make it 58-54. The teams traded buckets, and after Jose Perez hit a jumper followed by a free throw for the Sun Devils, it was 62-61. Adam Miller was fouled, and hit one of two free throws to tie it at 62-62.

It was another blown lead for the Bears, who have blown some rather large leads early this season. It was also a familiar spot for the Sun Devils, who came back to beat Stanford late on Friday, and they were at it again tonight.

Frankie Collins hit a jumper to put the Sun Devils back ahead at 64-62. Aimaq hit a jumper, as well as a free throw after he was fouled to put the Bears ahead at 65-64. Collins hit a jumper, and Tyson hit a pair of free throws to make it 67-66.

Alfonzo Gaffney dunked one in to make it 68-67 with 43 seconds left, and Collins hit a jumper to make it 70-67 with just seven seconds left.

With the Bears in a position where they could tie it with a three, Jose Perez intentionally fouled Jalen Cone, who would only get two free throws, both of which he hit to make it 70-69. Collins then made a free throw, and all Tyson could do was try and hit a miracle three, which fell short. The Sun Devils won it 71-69.

Collins, who is from nearby Sacramento, and who had friends and family in attendance, stole the show, as he scored 25 points.

Tyson led the scoring for the Bears with 20 points, followed by Aimaq with 17.

The Bears fall to 4-9, and are off to an 0-2 start in conference play. They will now head to Los Angeles for a two-game road trip, as they will take on the USC Trojans on Wednesday night at 7:00, followed by the UCLA Bruins on Saturday.

Cardinal Scorched Late by Sun Devils, 76-73, in Pac-12 Opener

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The Stanford Cardinal forward Maxime Raynaud (42) and the Arizona Sun Devils forward Alonzo Gaffney (8) anticipate the rebound in the second half at Maple Pavilion in Palo Alto on Fri Dec 29, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Michael Roberson

STANFORD, Calif. — The Stanford Cardinal (5-6, 0-1 Pac-12) opened Pacific – 12 play with a disappointing loss inside Maples Pavilion, after the Arizona State Sun Devils (7-5, 1-0 Pac-12), made a blazing comeback inside the last minute of the game, 76-73.

Stanford’s 7-foot Frenchman, Maxime Raynaud opened the game with a basket on a dime of a pass from assist machine Jared Bynum. He scored six of the team’s first eight points, The Cardinal seemed to take control early in the contest.

The Sun Devils managed to tie the game twice (2-2 & 22-22) during the initial 20 minutes of the game; however, they could not get over the hump/stump. Stanford had an answer for both tie situations, including a 10-0 run after it was even at 22. The home team had a nine point advantage at recess, 37-28, with the knowledge that ASU was not going to give up on the cause.

Neither team had a double-digit scorer at the midway point. As a matter of fact, despite the great start by Raynaud, he only managed to score one more point by the midway whistle. He tallied seven points and six rebounds. Brandon Angel led with nine, and Kanaan Carlyle contributed seven off the bench. Junior guard Frankie Collins topped the Sun Devils.

In the second half, Arizona State tried to turn up the heat, but the tree seemed to be fire retardant for most of the greater part of the game. They managed to keep the game in reach, and forcing 13 turnovers and shooting double the amount of free throws of their opponent, was definitely a contributing factor for the dramatic outcome.

Stanford reached leads of ten in the first half and 12 in the second, but Arizona State kept up the fight. Maybe their coach’s personality was rubbing off on them. Bobby Hurley was a feisty point guard for the Duke Blue Devils in the 90’s, winning two national championships.

The Sun Devils scored 48 points in the second half, which was 20 more than the first, while Stanford had one less point. That made a huge difference and made it a close contest at the end. The last three minutes is when it became crunch time.

Just under the 3:00 mark, the Sun Devils got within one point for the first time since the first half. Alonzo Gaffney was on a roll scoring seven consecutive points in nearly 90 seconds. Coach Hurley was impressed: “I’m happy for him because I know he has it inside of him to do it. We trust him.”

Less than a minute later they tied the game again twice, at 71 and 73. After 39 minutes of the battle, Arizona took the lead on a fadeaway jumper by Frankie Collins, which turned out to be the game winner. After that Jamia Neal made a free throw and got the game-sealing block, when Michael Jones tried to tie the game and force overtime.

When all the smoke cleared, the Arizona State Sun Devils remained lit, while Cardinal had ashes surrounding them at home. ASU by three, 76-73!

The Cardinal had four players in double-digit scoring. Angel and Raynaud both 15, but Maxime added 15 rebounds to his total. Bynum and Carlyle both had 12; however, Jerod gave 6 assists and grabbed 5 rebounds.

Arizona State also had four 10+ point scorers: Gaffney (12), Collins (12), Adam Miller (13) and Kamari Lands (13).

The Cardinal will next be in action New Year’s Eve Sunday, hosting the #4 Arizona Wildcats at 1 PM PDT, while Arizona State will go across the Bay on the same date to play Cal, at 5 PM PDT.

Cal Holds Off Arizona State In A 24-21 Victory

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Cal Bears running back Jaydn Ott (1) gets through for a touchdown as all ASU Sun Devils linebacker Caleb McCullough (22) can do is just watch at Cal Memorial Stadium in Berkeley on Sat Sep 30, 2023 (@CalFootball photo)

Saturday, September 30th, 2023

By Troy Ewers

Berkeley, CA – On a chilly, foggy day in Cal Memorial Stadium, the California Golden Bears against the Arizona State Sun Devils for Cal’s Pac 12 home opener. The Bears coming off a hard loss against Washington in their last game moved over the .500 mark (3-2) in the Pac 12 with a with a win over ASU 24-21 on Saturday. 

ASU started the game with the ball and after six plays the Devils were forced to punt and the Cal defense with one of the most underrated defenses in the Pac 12 showing early why they are so highly touted. The Bears’ first drive started with them immediately going to the air on five straight plays, but only connecting on two passes, forcing them to punt on their first drive.

The Bears are third in the conference in rushing yards, averaging 216.8 yards per game with their three backs having a combined 726 rushing yards through four games, so the idea of going run first to start this game seemed like an odd decision.

The Sun Devils offense for the second time couldn’t get out of the starting blocks as the Bears defense had them pinned three and out on their second drive. The first quarter looked like a defensive chess game, so whoever could get the offense going early seemingly would have the advantage. The second drive for Cal showed why they stick to their run game, especially with Jaydn Ott running the rock.

First two plays of the drive were back to back nine yard rushes for Ott, which then opened up the field for a pass to Jeremiah Hunter for 31 yards, then another 16 yard run for Cal. That slate of offense put them in the red zone where they would eventually score from a run by Isaiah Ifanse and an extra point, 7-0 Cal.

Seven plays going 68 yards and 2:58 of possession time, this was probably Cal’s most efficient offensive drive this season, led by Ott. The first big play for ASU was a pass from Trenton Bourguet to Melquan Stovall for 34 yards followed by a 12 yard pass to Gio Sanders that put the Devils within ten yards of the end zone.

The Devils were right at the line with 26 seconds left and a direct snap to Cam Skattegbo punched it in for a touchdown for ASU plus an extra point to tie this game at 7-7. The 13 play 75 yard drive for ASU was a great mix of offense, utilizing the pass and the run evenly to keep Cal’s defense on their toes.

The first quarter ended with the teams tied and their stats almost exactly the same. Biggest difference in the first quarter was time of possession where ASU held the ball for 10:20 and Cal held it for 4:40. 

The drive for Cal ended with them being forced to punt, but quarterback Sam Jackson V wasn’t stopping the drive without a fight almost literally, running the ball seven yards and taking a hit that flipped Jackson V and some words from the Devils defense and Jackson were exchanged. The Bears defense was relentless in their first drive of the second quarter, laying a brick wall on ASU and pinning them on their own five yard line and forcing a punt.

Back to back passes to the end zone by Jackson V were incomplete, but if you ask the Cal fan base both were clear pass interferences and they let the refs know it. When the drive went nowhere, Cal was forced to kick a field goal and Mateen Bhagani knocked it in the uprights to give the Bears the lead, 10-7.

ASU’s following drive was three plays, but stuffed a yard short and the Devils had to go for it on fourth down and with a little trickery, they ran a running back pass which was converted when Skattegbo completed it to Bourguet over the DB for a first down, but three downs later the drive would come to an end and Cal would get another chance at a score.

The Bears try a trick play themselves and it was the exact opposite for Cal as the play completely blew up in their face when attempting a flea flicker for a loss of 15 yards. Ott tried to make up some ground with a 21 yard run, but still had seven yards to go on fourth down with 1:37 to go in the half, so this forced them to punt.

The crowd was abrasively displeased as no intentional grounding was called and the Devils proceeded to march down the field from their own end zone with seconds left in the half. The first half would end with Devils QB Trenton Bourguet attempting to get one more pass off, but was blasted by Myles Jernigan that forced a fumble and it didn’t matter who recovered the half was over and Cal walked to the locker room with a 10-7 lead. 

The second half started with Cal having the ball and even though they had big plays, but penalties halted that progress and were forced to punt and that punt was beautiful and the punt team pinned the Devils on their own ten yard line.

Back against the wall, Arizona State utilizes the screen pass to get out of their own red zone and move the chains. The drive continued for ASU, but on fourth down on their 31 yard line and was stuffed by captain Jackson Sirmon and turnover on downs.

The following drive for Cal was Jackson V trying to make everything happen, on foot, in the air, it didn’t matter Jackson was trying to extend this lead and he did with a gorgeous pass to Hunter in the end zone and it was 17-7 Cal.

Arizona State’s next drive looked like it was going nowhere, but a desperation screen pass to Skattegbo goes 66 yards in the red zone and now the momentum gap has closed. In the red zone, Arizona State’s Bourguet and Skattegbo attempted three plays and were denied, then on fourth and goal a run by Elijah Badger effortlessly scored a touchdown for the Devils, but after further review the touchdown was called back for illegal substitution and ASU had to settle for a field goal making the score 17-10 Cal.

The next drive wasn’t much for Cal, so they were forced to punt and now the chance for Arizona State to tie it up was wide open. A 52 yard pass to Badger put the Devils back in the red zone, but they had to settle for another field goal after Cal locked them down again and even though ASU was winning the battle of yardage, the score was 17-13 Cal. When the clock hit zero in the third quarter, Cal had the lead and the ball and all of Cal Memorial Stadium on their feet. 

The final quarter was a chance to really silence the crowd for ASU, but they couldn’t capitalize and were forced to punt again. Four punts for ASU this game by this point, two field goals, one fumble, and one touchdown is the breakdown for them offensively, but Cal was still not taking them lightly.

The Cal defense jumped on Bourguet in ASU’s own red zone and Matthew Littlejohn picked him off. Bourguet was injured on the play and fortunately was able to walk off the field. Cal capitalized on the interception with a Ott rushing touchdown and now with 10:32 left in the fourth quarter, the game was being blown wide open, 24-13 Cal. ASU wasn’t done yet though, after a long kickoff return, and two straight long passes, the Devils were back in the red zone, looking to get their first touchdown since the first quarter and they did off a Bourguet run in the end zone.

Bourguet followed the touchdown up with a pass to Badger that converted the two point conversion and by this time it was 24-21 with 9:18 left in the fourth quarter. Cal utilized their running game to run the clock down.

Cal usually doesn’t get penalties that much, averaging five a game, but this game for Cal has them acquiring seven penalties. On the other hand for Cal they didn’t get many penalties called, but finally with three minutes left in the game a blatant pass interference call on the Devils gave the Bears red zone field position to potentially put the nail in the coffin.

Cal was stuffed in the red zone, giving ASU a major chance to go 100 yards for the comeback. In a last chance effort on fourth down, ASU gets denied and the game was over.

The next game for Cal will be in Berkeley against Oregon State on October 7th for another Pac 12 battle.

Late rally lifts Sun Devils past Cardinal men 68-64

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Arizona State guard Desmond Cambridge Jr. (4) shoots over Stanford forward James Keefe (22) for a basket during the second half at ASU Tempe AZ on Sun Dec 4, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Sunday, December 4, 2022

Arizona State used a late second half run to overtake Stanford 68-64 Sunday in Pac-12 men’s basketball at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe, Ariz.

Arizona State took a 32-21 halftime lead. Then, the Cardinal (3-6 overall, 0-2 Pac-12) forged a 13-2 run early in the second half and added a 10-2 run to take their first lead since the opening minutes of the game. Michael Jones sank a pair of free throws to put Stanford up 52-51 with 5:12 remaining in the second half.

Desmond Cambridge Jr. converted his steal into a layup less than a minute later to put the Sun Devils (8-1, 2-0) ahead to stay at 52-51. That play ignited a 13-4 run, capped by a Frankie Collins step-back 3-pointer, that gave ASU a 64-55 lead with 50 seconds to play.

Desmond Cambridge Jr. led the Sun Devils with 19 points. His brother, Devan Cambridge, added 12 points on 5-of-7 from the field. Collins contributed 11 points for ASU, and Warren Washington had a game-high 10 rebounds.

Spencer Jones was Stanford’s top scorer with 13 points, but also fouled out with 1:35 to go. Michael Jones and Harrison Ingram were next for the Cardinal with 12 points each and Maximer Raynaud added 10 points. Ingram also grabbed five rebounds to go with five assists, three steals and a blocked shot.

Spencer Jones and James Keefe each had six rebounds, as the Cardinal held a 35-33 edge on the boards. Brandon Angel had five rebounds and four assists, Michael Jones had three of Stanford’s 10 steals and Max Murrell added three blocks.

The Cardinal don’t play again for almost two weeks before returning to action against Green Bay on Dec. 16 at Maples Pavilion.

Cardinal close out regular season with 65-56 loss to ASU

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The Arizona State Sun Devils jump for joy after nailing down a victory against the visiting Stanford Cardinal at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe on Sat Mar 5, 2022 (photo by Arizona State Sun Devils Athletics)

By Daniel Dullum
Saturday, March 5, 2022

For the second straight game, Stanford took a halftime lead but couldn’t sustain it, as the Cardinal fell to Arizona State 65-56 Saturday at Tempe, Ariz., in the Pac-12 men’s basketball regular season finale for both schools.

Senior Marreon Jackson netted 18 points in his final home game, as the Sun Devils (14-16 overall, 10-10 Pac-12) finished their conference schedule with four straight victories and seven wins in their final eight games.

Stanford closed out the Pac-12 slate with five consecutive losses, dropping seven of its last eight games.

Jackson was eight of 15 from the field, along with six assists, six steals and six rebounds. Jalen Graham was next for ASU with 16 points on five of six field goals, and DJ Horne added 12 points and four assists.

Spencer Jones and Brandon Angel each scored 14 points to lead the Cardinal. Jones connected on three of five behind the arc, and Angel made four three-pointers. Harrison Ingram grabbed nine of the Cardinal’s 36 rebounds to go with four assists and three steals.

Stanford (15-15 overall, 8-12 Pac-12) led 32-30 at the intermission. Alonzo Gaffney hit a jumper to tie the game to open the second half, and followed with a 3-pointer at 16:41, putting the Sun Devils up 35-32.

Jaiden Delaire responded with a 3-pointer for the Cardinal, but Graham converted a three-point play, Horne and Jackson hit baskets, and ASU had a 43-37 lead.

Brandon Angel sank a three–pointer with 6:13 to play, putting the Cardinal up 52-51, but the Sun Devils responded with a 10-0 run and didn’t look back.

Stanford and ASU will meet in the opening round of the Pac-12 tournament on Wednesday in Las Vegas.

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

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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 battles undefeated USC tonight at Haas; Trojans have not played in 19 days

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Cal Bears leading scorer from Sun Jan 2, 2022 game against the ASU Sun Devils Jordan Shepherd who scored 16 points leading the Bears to victory at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley (Cal Bears Athletics Dept photo)

Cal Bears basketball podcast with Michael Duca:

#1 Michael you had a chance to see the Cal Bears (9-5) pick up their fifth straight win at Haas Pavilion on Sunday night defeating the Arizona State Sun Devils (5-8) in rather handed fashion 74-50 the Bears had all their shots falling for them in this one.

#2 The Bears dominated even with their inside game and got tremendous help from Jordan Shepherd (16 pts), Andre Kelly (13 points) and Grant Anticevich (10 pits) the three top scorers.

#3 You talked about Cal head coach Mark Fox challenging the defense in keeping the Sun Devils under 50 points and game’s end the defense did just do that hold the Sun Devils only to 50 points in the 24 point win.

#4 The suddenly ascendant Bears put together their best 40 minutes of basketball this season, and throttled ASU, 74-50, bringing an end to the Sun Devils’ seven-game win streak in the series between the schools.

#5 Michael, the tune kind of changes as the USC Trojans (13-0) come calling on Thu Jan 6th at Haas Pavilion. The Trojans won their last game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (5-6) 67-53 at the Galen Center in the Southland on Dec 18th. The Trojans have not played a game since Dec 18th and have gone 19 days without playing a game. Will they come out rusty or rested against Cal tonight?

Catch Michael on the Cal Bears podcasts Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Bears basketball podcast with Morris Phillips: Cal offense shreds ASU in 24 point win Sunday night; Undefeated USC comes calling on Thursday night at Haas

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The Arizona Sun Devils Enoch Boakye (14) goes for a finger roll shot over the Cal Bears Grant Anticevich (15) at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley on Sun Jan 2, 2022 (photo by Arizona State University Athletic Dept)

On the Cal Bears podcast with Morris:

#1 Morris it wasn’t even a contest last night at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley as the Cal Bears (9-5) leveled the ASU Sun Devils (5-8) 74-50 Sunday night. Nothing but offense for the Bears as the Sun Devils couldn’t do anything to get into this contest in the 24 point landslide.

#2 Morris talk a little about the handy work of forward Lars Thiemann 12 minutes, four rebounds and seven points.

#3 The Bears Jordan Shepherd led in scoring with 16 points followed by Andre Kelly 13 points, and Grant Anticevich with ten points. The Bears distributed the ball well and had a great inside game where head coach Mark Fox was happy with the work done inside the paint.

#4 Taking a look at that first half it just simply wasn’t even a contest as Cal just dominated the Sun Devils 41-23. The Bears had their way on both sides of the ball stopping ASU on any chance to come close and defending the shot. On offense the ball was distributed well and Cal had no problem getting their shots to fall.

#5 Up next for the Bears the USC Trojans (13-0) on Thu Jan 6th. The Trojans who have not lost a game all season just had their way in their last game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (5-6) in both halves of their game in a 67-53 win. The Bears got a big offensive win Sunday night against ASU but USC could be a whole different matter at Haas on Thursday night.

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

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips: Taking a look at Cal’s worst beating of the season

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The Cal Bears forward Andre Kelly (22) and the Arizona Wildcats forward Christian Koloko (35) go for the ball at tip off on Sat Jan 30, 2021 in Tucson at the University of Arizona (calbears.com photo)

On the Cal Bears podcast with Morris:

#1 Cal (7-12) did have their worst offensive showing for 2021 in their 71-50 loss to the Arizona Wildcats (13-4). The Golden Bears simply could not get any offense going from start to finish.

#2 Morris talk about Oakland native James Okinjo who led the Wildcats with 20 points it had to be special for him to get top billing and play against a team he probably followed during his high school days.

#3 The Bears certainly couldn’t keep up in the second half of the game trailing by 29 points the light was dimming for Cal for any chance to get back in this one.

#4 Arizona had that healthy 12-3 record going into their last game against the Stanford Cardinal (10-6) last Thursday but lost to them by nine 73-64 and there was little doubt that the Wildcats were pent up after that loss and that they would take it out on Cal on Saturday.

#5 Next up for Cal they face their cross bay rival the Stanford Cardinal. The Cardinal have been going well of late they edged a very tough UCLA Bruin (13-3) team on the road and that big win against Arizona Thursday. They lost to ASU on Saturday 79-75. How do you see Cal matched up against Stanford Thursday at Hass Pavilion?

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

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Cal Bears podcast with Michael Duca: ASU plays keep away gets 4 pt win over Cal Bears

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The Cal Bears had a hard time keeping up with Arizona State University Sun Devils in the closing moments of Thu Jan 29, 2021 second half in Tucson (@CalMBBall)

On the Cal Bears basketball podcast with Michael:

#1 Michael final moments of the game on Thursday night the Arizona Sun Devils (5-8) pulled far enough away in the second half to grab a win 72-68 win away from the Cal Bears (7-11).

#2 After getting crushed Monday night by the Arizona Wildcats 80-67 the Sun Devils were out for some revenge and they had both offense and defense working against Cal in the second half after getting eclipsed by one point by Cal in the first half.

#3 One positive thing that came out of the game was that guard Matt Bradley has found his shot and led Cal with 26 points.

#4 The only other player for Cal who was in double figures was Andre Kelly who finished up with 16 points, how tough has it got to be for Cal head coach Mark Fox to get the rest of the offense to find the basket in a game like this?

#5 Cal’s task doesn’t get any easier they face the Arizona Wildcats (12-4) who just came off a Thursday night loss in Tucson to the Stanford Cardinal (10-5) 73-64 there is very little doubt that the Wildcats will be also taking their frustrations out on the Bears on Saturday afternoon.

Michael Duca does the Cal Bears podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com