Cal-Oregon State Postgame Thread
by Avinash Kunnath on Jan 23, 2010 1:15 PM PST
in California Golden Bears Men's Basketball
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PrintPonder these questions in the comments:
1. Did you like the way Cal attacked OSU's pesky zone defense?
2. What do the Bears still need to improve on as a team?
3. Who was your favorite Bear on the floor this afternoon?
4. Your favorite play (play, not player) of the game was...
5. How do you see Cal performing on the upcoming four game roadtrip (at ASU, at Zona, at USC, at UCLA)?
(To discuss the East-West Shrine game, scroll down to the open thread just below this post.)
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- I guess, yeah, but they needed to shoot better from downtown.
- We need to close out these kinds of games when we have 17-point leads in the second half.
- Theo Robertson’s good play in the second half sparked the team’s big lead, so I’ll go with him.
- My favorite play was Amoke’s big dunk to give Cal a 10-point lead.
- I think we’ll win them all, but I’m especially looking forward to that Arizona State game and revenge on UCLA.
The Ultimate Opportunist
by Rated-R Superstar on Jan 23, 2010 1:19 PM PST reply actions
Man, you think we’ll win them all? ASU’s going to be tough, and we had all sorts of trouble with the USC/UCLA schools too. Zona’s no pushover either.
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by Avinash Kunnath on Jan 23, 2010 1:26 PM PST up reply actions
I think we CAN win them all, but I don’t imagine we actually will.
by atomsareenough on Jan 23, 2010 1:27 PM PST up reply actions
Randle's health
We need Randle to be back to full strength to sweep the roadtrip. Unfortunately, it does appear that Randle’s leg problem is affecting his shots today. With our lack of depth, we would really need to have blow out wins on the Thursday games to rest our starters.
Here is hoping that Randle (and Jorge for that matter) can get back healthier by Thursday AND Seeley either starts making the 3’s or just stop taking them.
by LEastCoastBears on Jan 23, 2010 1:26 PM PST reply actions
1. Yes. Cal looked much more comfortable against the zone most of the game compared to how the looked last year. Cold shooting in the 1st half and in the last 5 minutes kept the game closer than it should have been. Cal wasn’t missing shots because of the zone – they were just missing open shots.
2. Get healthy. Seriously. I don’t hate DJ Seeley as much as some people here, but Monty shouldn’t need to play him as much as he played today.
3. Theo was the best player of the game and if he didn’t pick up two quick fouls (one of them a questionable charge) then I think the 1st half would have been much different. His clutch 3 and FTs sealed the game, and his play to start the 2nd half blew the game open. Honorable mention to Boykin for a variety of intelligent post moves and great work on the boards.
4. Theo’s near game clinching 3 when things were falling apart. Dude hits big shots (anybody else remember the three that send us to OT against UCLA back in Leon’s last year as a bear?)
5. I would gladly take 3-1, or even 2-2 if we beat ASU and UCLA. If we go 4-0 it’s time to start looking for funding on the Montgomery statue. We should beat Arizona and UCLA, but then again we should have beaten UCLA this year and OSU last year. ASU is a likely loss and USC will be a painful brawl.
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Re: DJ Seeley
I am also disappointed in DJ, that he didn’t come into this season with a much more serious attitude. I’d like to see him be stronger with the ball, stop standing so erect with it – but bend over and stick your butt you, and point your elbows. Be tough, and he’ll cut down on silly turnovers that he often makes. He also needs to develop a more serious and consistent jumper. He glides into many of his shots, and that smooth rhythm is certainly a part of his game to stay. But he needs to find a way to deliver consistently. I think it starts with mental attitude and focus and drive and desire. He doesn’t seem to exhibit those traits on the floor.
However, we really need DJ to step up and become a marquee player for next year. We don’t want to rely on all 3 freshmen coming in. We know Gut and Amoke are giong to be strong. Can we add Seeley to that mix? Please, DJ, please. Bear down!!! You’ve got the talent. Rededicate yourself this summer!
I agree – I came to the hard realization this week that next year, Seeley really is going to have to be our No. 1 scorer, right? (not including Franklin and our other freshman). Even if we are trying to win the conference this year, Seeley has to get minutes this year so that he can make an impact next year. Otherwise, I am not even sure who we look to – Amoke, Zhang, Jorge are good players – but I can’t see any of them making the jump that players typically make between their sophomore ad junior seasons. Jorge will knock down some shots, and Amoke will probably end up a better Boykin, but we are losing our top three scorers. Maybe Seeley could make an Ubaka/Randle like leap – but he does need some PT this year to do it.
by Tedfordisgod on Jan 23, 2010 3:45 PM PST up reply actions
TIG, you are totally right on the money.
Monty is surely looking at this issue also. What do we have for next year?
If Seeley is not going to do it, then you’ve got to give the rock to Franklin and Crabbe and Rossi and let them battle it out and see who can be the man. But better to get a guy who has already been on your team for 2 years to take the baton.
I think it’s clear that you’ve got players in:
Guterrez: 1 or 2
Amoke: 3 or 4
Kamp: 4
I dare say that MSF, Max, and Smith are never going to be “players” the way we’d like them to be. They are fill-ins who can spell some minutes, but not be the core of your team you depend on. Bak? Who knows.
Solomon’s gonna get his minutes on the interior as he develops into a “player”, even if he’s not one right out of the gate.
But this leaves room for 1 more guard. Who’s it going to be?
One of the freshman might turn out to be a stud, either Crabbe or Rossi with the outside J, or Franklin all over, but you’d really prefer Seeley to step up and be the man.
We’re going to be a work in progress next year. We can suck next year, but there is a bit of hope for 2 years from now, when Max, Amoke, Kamp, Seeley, and Gut are all seniors and Franklin, Crabbe, Rossi, and Solomon are Sophomores. I’d still love to see a serious center join the team….
With that lineup, it makes me think that Monty will have the Bears slow the game down and play defense. If you have Max, Kamp, and Jorge all in the game (and all 3 could be starters, potentially) that’s a great defensive lineup…but not a good offensive lineup.
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Agree. I think the Jorge, Amoke and Kamp are all “Pac-10 quality” starters.
Outside of Seeley (who is a total toss-up at this point in my eyes), I think that a lot of our success over the next two seasons may come down to whether Zhang turns into a real center, or just continues to dominate against overmatched opponents. Its a scary thought, but the guy has already exceeded all expectations.
Who do you think steps up to play the point – Jorge? Franklin? Seeley? I can’t see it being Smith giving that he hasn’t shown any scoring ability.
by Tedfordisgod on Jan 23, 2010 4:11 PM PST up reply actions
I’ve seen nothing out of Seeley that indicates he’s much of a ball handler, and I would be hesitant to give it to Jorge for more than short stretches — both of those guys seem better suited at the 2 guard spot. But leaving the ball in the hands of Brandon Smith + freshmen? Scary thought.
So, basically, you gotta Go Bears!
You used Max and Dominate in the same sentence. That’s a type-o.
Notice that he played zero minutes today. Max doesn’t dominate against anyone.
We’re really just looking for him to play, what? 15-20 minutes per game? Not foul, not turn the ball over too much?
He has shown great improvement and gives us much hope, but dominate against anyone? Not even thinking anything close to that, realistically.
Smith has got to be replaced by either one of those 3 players you mention, or by Crabbe. At least Crabbe can shoot.
The thing the team will lack is a leadership guard who can initiate the offense from the top of the offensive set. Gut has not shown he’s that guy. That’s why I say it is all in Franklin’s hands. We’ll probably struggle with him for most of the season. But by the end, or by his soph year, he’ll be running the point well enough. He can score, is a good athlete. Monty has to teach him well!
I guess if neither Crabbe, Franklin, Gut, or Seeley can initiate the O (not seeley!), then Smith will earn his minutes that way. But then it’s like 4 vs. 5.
Have you ever met a big man that you didn’t trash?
All aboard the Jerome Randle Smart Car!
by rollonubears on Jan 23, 2010 4:48 PM PST up reply actions
Sure. But they weren’t Bears.
… no, I jest. AND I hear you.
Look, we just don’t have good big men right now. And I keep commenting on it b/c it’s the hole all season long. And next year too.
Last year we were the same, but with Wilkes – who wasn’t dominating.
And you have to admit that Hardin was full of disappointment his senior season. Anderson was great. Powe was mighty.
Who do we have going further back?
I thought Sampson was full of potential but left after 1 year. Tamir was a lot of fun. Gabe Hughes, Solomon Hughes. Sol was good! Gave us lots of size and effort. Presence. Especially at the end of his tenure.
Harrison was a walking foul, but it was only his 1st year and he could have grown into that body a lot.
Nonetheless, you want me to be more upbeat, right?
Fair enough.
Message heard and accepted.
I caught my first bit of Cal basketball since early December, and I am quite unimpressed. The Bears looked terrible when OSU started trapping and pressuring them. Everyone looked to give Randle the ball, then did nothing afterwards. He’d get the ball past mid-court and find three defenders waiting for him. One guarding the drive to the hoop, one the pass to the corner, and the other the pass over the middle. At 5’-8" he can’t pass over the trap, so someone has to go to the ball and help him out. Cal must have gone 4-5 minutes without a field goal, not because they were missing shots, but because they couldn’t keep the ball long enough to shoot the thing.
There was one stretch of about 2-3 minutes where Cal picked up the defensive intensity which lead to either Oregon State turnovers or bad shots, of which, Cal was then able to capitalize on, building the eventual lead they would need.
Overall, I’m rather unimpressed, we’ll be lucky to go 3-1 on the road trip, but 2-2 is more likely.
They need to improve on the 5 unforced Jerome Randle turnovers a game that they've been getting lately
The outcome of “attacking the zone” was kinda similar to last year, in that Cal got a lot of open looks but didn’t hit many of them. Luckily this time they hit just enough to survive. BTW, if people are wondering why Zhang didn’t play, it’s because MSF is a key part of this team’s attack against zone defenses. He’s not swift, but he can receive the ball in weak spots of the D and then use his strong passing ability to hit open players. I think the offense against the zone has improved significantly since they started running it through him.
@ASU is going to be a brutally difficult game to win (to the point where if they get down big early, it might be worth it to just sort of shut it down and rest the starters for Saturday). The other three are games where Cal should be favored, so I’ll say 2-2. The good news is that after that, Cal will be favored in every remaining game of the season, and should be a little healthier. 3-1, even with a loss to ASU, still puts Cal in great shape to win the league.
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Thanks for the Zhang comment.
And I will favor UW when they come to town. Have Thomas and Overton pursue Randle all game long and he’ll be out of it again. Cut of the head, and the bear will die.
Have you WATCHED Washington play on the road?
They’re a different team. USC absolutely manhandled them tonight.
Absolutely Cal will be favored.
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they’re at their best when they are attacking and looking to score a lot of points. they came out and did that in the second half and then got conservative with the lead and played pretty poorly.
Answer to questions
just got back from the game.
1) How they attacked the zone? I didn’t think OSU’s zone was all that pesky this year. I didn’t see a lot of paint flashes and such, but didn’t see the endless passing across the top like last year. Uhg, that was ill to watch. I’ll have to watch to watch the tape.
2) Improve upon? Height. Dumping the ball into the post and drawing defenses in. But it just aint gonna happen. So, therefore we need effective penetration by Randle and Christopher to break the zone down, make it lose it’s shape, whether the next move becomes an attack to the rim, a dish, or a kick out pass.
3) Favorite Bear? How about Amoke. He is just ALL OVER the boards. I’m starting to fall in love with Omondi Amoke, just like I already fell in love with Randle’s 3’s (where have they been?) and Jamal Boykin’s crafty moves in the paint (pump fake, up and under, step thru, left hook, right hook, get ’em off their feet, draw the foul…)
4) Favorite play? Gotta be Theo’s long 3 from nearly out of bounds to get the lead back to 5 with 1:15 to play. Randle was doing his best to let OSU back into it with turnovers, but “Theo To The Rescue!” !!!!!!!!!!!!!
5) Cal’s upcoming games? Mixed. They aren’t so good that we can or should expect victories. They can be good, they can be bad. We will see both of those things at various times in the games, just like we saw good and bad on the floor today. But we pulled out a W today and hopefully we can do the same going forward. I expect today’s closeness to be the norm, not the blowout over Oregon. And let’s just hope that the Ohio St., Syra, Kansas, and UW type mismatches are a complete thing of the past!!!
Gut looked limpy, as did Randle.
MSF is an oaf and pushes his way thru people a lot. More fouls and sloppy footwork that wasn’t called just off the ball, traffic crossing the paint. It wasn’t pretty to watch.
Here’s my BIG QUESTION FOR THE GAME!!!!
WHY DID MAX NOT STEP ONTO THE FLOOR FOR A SINGLE MINUTE?
We got by with Boykin and Amoke as our posts for the whole game, essentially. Was there any discussion anywhere of why Max didn’t play? Injury? Matchup? Didn’t understand a 1-3-1 zone?
by concordtom on Jan 23, 2010 2:36 PM PST reply actions 2 recs
Thanks, Nick. I was glad to be there – have missed too many times this year. Went with Dad, and the kids activities were all canceled due to the rain this week, so I was free! Phew!
How was the crowd? The sounded louder than the UCLA/USC games, but still not as loud as we’d all hope.
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I don’t know b/c I wasn’t at the other games.
The crowd was light at the beginning, but there were more present at the end. We got loud during that stretch when the lead pulled out and then I realized that “oh, we have the home crowd advantage”, and I felt that it must be “going” like this for some other premier schools all the time like that.
And then, shortly after realizing it, the game got a bit closer and the crowd settled back into being mere observers again. So, no, I don’t think we have a big home crowd advantage. It is all “pro Bears” but it didn’t add a lot of emotional zoom toward the bears, if you know what I mean.
It got fairly quiet during Theo’s FT’s at the end (1 and 1) and I said, “Imagine all the years of works it takes for right now, this moment, game on the line”. And then he made them, And I was happy!
Monty is holding the team together with smoke and mirrors. We’ve got great shooters and we’re best in the open floor or looking to take the first open shot. I think this drives him a little crazy because it’s such high-risk/high-reward ball. You can blow someone out by 30, or you can end up losing a double-digit lead if your shots stop falling.
You’d think that we should have the right guys to break down a zone. Three great outside shooters + a big guy (Boykin) who can hit the free-throw line jumper. But for some reason, our ball movement and decision-making just isn’t consistently good enough. Really mind-boggling for a quartet of seniors. Like some other posters mentioned, part of the problem seems to be that Randle has trouble throwing/seeing over and around defenders. He might be more hurt than he’s let on.
I know some of that is his height, but other small guards have made it work. For instance, Brevin Knight was about the same size and never had the same type of turnover issues.
Monty is stuck between win-now and get-better. Win-now means riding the seniors and playing shoot-first ball. Get-better means letting his guys struggle but hopefully learn how to figure out half-court ball, and also giving more minutes to guys like Seeley who need experience in order to be contributors. Remember that Omoke was out of control and not-so useful at the beginning of the year…Injuries and lack of depth forced him into action and the game slowed down for him. Now, he’s playing with confidence and is our 2nd-best big.
I loved the steady and clutch play from Theo and Boykin. I liked Omoke’s effort. MSF is having a tough time. I’m not sure if it’s conditioning or his back, but he’s a few steps slow and he’s not doing a good job using his bulk. It’s pretty sad when you can’t box out a toothpick like Shaftenaer.
I’m a little surprised that we didn’t see Max for at least a few minutes. I think it might be because we need crisp ball movement to beat a zone and it comes to a screeching halt when he’s involved. Also, I think it was part of the game plan to push the tempo before they could set their defense and Max just isn’t suited for that type of game, either.
Upcoming games all depend on which Cal team shows up on D and whether our shots fall. If Randle doesn’t get healthy, we’re really going to have trouble against Az’s athleticism and ASU’s zone.
I agree with much of this, but have a few things to add:
(1) We can win the Pac-10 this year for the first time in 50 years. We are playing for now, not for the future.
(2) On the other hand, I think that Monty probably is looking forward to getting his own players out there. I don’t think we have anyone contributing that Monty recruited except for Jorge (sorry, but I am not going to say Smith is a contributor quite yet.)
(3) I know that people are frustrated by Randle’s turnovers, but that is just his game. The thing I love about Monty is that he was willing to give Randle the rope he needed to exploit his talents. Braun never would have done this (see Donte Smith or Ayinde Ubaka.) Braun keep Smith on the bench in favor of talentless players like A.J. Diggs after Smith showed a ton of potential as a freshman. Ubaka came out of high school the No. 2 PG in the country (after Chris Paul) and Braun totally destroyed his game. Ubaka had enough talent to rebuild his game in a new mold, but it was frustrating.
Basically, if Monty has made Randle into this good of a player, I can only imagine the type of guard-combo players we will get in the future. I hope Franklin is the first of many awesome players who thrive in the same way that Brevin Knight, Chris Hernandez and now Randle have under Monty.
by Tedfordisgod on Jan 23, 2010 3:55 PM PST up reply actions
good points.
1) Yes, playing for now — ABSOLUTELY AND NO QUESTION ABOUT IT!!! You think Monty wants to put off a chance to win league when it’s in his sights? No chance! Excellent point.
2) Monty’s recruits to date (4 of them) have all been fillers. He hasn’t been able to get one “money” player so far. Gut was a late add that many others passed on. He’s a great get for as late as monty got him, after the season ended and just getting hired.
Bak is very questionable.
Smith was going to be a walk on just to serve as a back up PG to spell Randle – he came from a great “knowledge of the game” location. The fact that Smith played for Coach Allocco at DLS sold Monty on Smith as much as Smith himself, in my opinion, (and what do I know?)
And MSF: he was the best big body they could get, he’s just temporary filler as a JC guy who couldn’t make D-1 straight away. Question: if Taylor Harrison weren’t injured or if Jordan Wilkes had stuck around… you think MSF would be here? I guess the MSF move was done before Wilkes said he was done, but when did Monty have an idea Harrison would be permanently shelved?
Jorge is turning out to be a regular, and not filler (good for us all). Time will tell with Bak. I am decided upon MSF and Smith. (sorry, pls don’t read this website, or consider that it’s just one man’s opinion.)
The guys that Monty hopes are NOT filler are all 4 of this year’s recruits. Time will tell how good of gets they are. Seeley better hope to outplay them next year. The role of team leader is up for the taking.
3) Randle needs to cut down on his turnovers not just for us Bears, but for his chances of playing at the next level. The man has got to take good care of the ball and make assists, if anyone is to pick him up. They don’t need a 5-8 scorer. They need a 5-8 PG who, by the way, can score. He’s blowing it for himself when he has those moments.
The fact that Ubaka was behind Chris Paul in rating says something about ratings b/c the two players are far from each other. Nonetheless, I agree that Braun didn’t do Ubaka many favors. And thus lost his job.
For some reason, I’m guessing you are right about Franklin.
1) Franklin
2) Gut
3) Seeley
4) Amoke
5) Kamp
(still quite undersized on the interior)
bench:
Solomon-MSF-Max (fight it out, fellas)
Crabbe-Rossi (fight it out, fellas – both outside shooters, who does other stuff well/better?)
Smith (he’ll play more, but why? Solely for a dribbler?)
Bak (what can he become?)
Where are the pts going to come from? Time will tell.
Can’t we finish this season before we start dreaming about next season?
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by Avinash Kunnath on Jan 23, 2010 4:59 PM PST up reply actions
It’s not dreaming about next year – its just trying to figure out how this year sets us up for next year.
by Tedfordisgod on Jan 23, 2010 6:28 PM PST up reply actions
IF YOU WANT TO READ SOMETHING HILARIOUS
Actually, I think the whole posturing is more disturbing than humorous. However, take a listen at how Tim Floyd is trying to shape the story of his departure. What scumbags, all these people who shirk the rules and then try to blame shit on other people, or re-tell history.
I’m not just talking about NCAA coaches. Sarah Palin is probably the current worst offender. Can’t stand her.
Congratulations guys
That was a fun one. Good luck the rest of the way and we’ll see you in Corvallis.
Cal didn't have DJaxFIRST
Just got back from the game. So much fun! A little tight at the end, but it’s always fun when you win! I’ll have a photo post for early next week (or perhaps even tomorrow).
I haven’t read much of the comments here, so perhaps there are some that say that we shoulda beatenthem by more. I can respect that, but these days in the Pac10, I take no wins for granted. This was a solid win over a solid team. A painfully inconsistent team, certainly. But still a win over a team that has given us major problems. So, I’ll take it! GO BEARS!
President Emperor Warlord Of The Sun!
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Didn’t get to see this one, but I have a possible explanation for why Randle is shooting relatively poorly from 3 this year (other than potential injuries): he misses Harper Kamp’s bone-crushing screens.
Any validity to this?
All aboard the Jerome Randle Smart Car!
Someone said it earlier. I think his knee is hurting him more than he is letting on. He walked back to the huddles slowly and with his head down a lot. I think he’s tired and carrying a big weight on his shoulders. I’m actually worried about him in this regard, that he breaks down emotionally/mentally toward the end of the season. It all goes thru him and he realizes it. After the long grind of a season, he’s getting tired.
I think he also realizes how close he is to becoming the #1 scorer in Bear history and I think that weights on him. I think he wants his points, and that is just extra weight on him. So, combine the pressure for W’s and a potential pac-10 victory, the goal for #1 scorer, the fact that every game seems to flow thru him as the team leader and vitally important team member, and then after that the stress of “where am I, can I, playing next year?” and he’s missing a few more shots than before. Oh, the other team’s defenses are ALL doubling him on the perimeter and guarding him at NBA range. That might have just a bit to do with it as well. No more floating around the wing, getting lost, then open jump shot looks. The off side defenders are all finding him and pressing him.
Let’s say this: If Randle can muster together strength are duration for a Pac 10 championship and the #1 scoring title, it will have been ONE HELL OF AN ACCOMPLISHMENT SEASON!!!!!!
And we should all bow down to him at the end. Good luck, Jerome.
His floater shots today were all off the front rim
If he has normal lift, he makes those and Cal wins going away.
I don’t think he needs to worry about getting a job for next year. Even if he doesn’t get drafted, he’s no worse than a D-League/Euroleague level player, which basically means he can make a career out of it.
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Well, there’s a big difference between D-League salary (20-40k a year) and a low level international (100-500k/ year) and high level international (1 million+)
True, but playing in the D-League is a speculative investment in the possibility of being called up to an NBA team
As a consequence, the talent level there is just as high as in any but the very best peripheral pro leagues.
I actually think there’s a pretty fair chance that Randle makes it to the NBA itself. Having a jumper with unlimited range helps your chances considerably. Actually, all four of Cal’s seniors are IMO in that peripheral-NBA-prospect range (even Boykin, who’s sort of a poor man’s Shane Battier), albeit all for completely different reasons.
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Burton Guster: "I believe it’s called a tweet."
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Correct – in fact I’d argue top to bottom it’s better than the D-league than any other league. But a team like Barca, CKSA Moscow, Benetton Trevisio, etc. would win the D-League championship pretty easily, but the bottom teams in the Euro-leagues couldn’t hang talent wise.
I don’t know about Boykin – he’s really only about 6’7"/6’8" – right? I don’t think Theo has the athleticism and Boykin the height (remember Battier was NCAA and High School POY) – PChris has the measurables and Randle the talent.
I’m with you, Leon.
There are tons of guys like Theo and Boykin all over this entire country who finish their college careers every year with the title “good college player”. Nothing wrong with that at all!
I think D-League doesn’t earn you enough money, and certainly not for more than 3 years. Too many new guys coming in every year. If you don’t make the bigs by that time they are done developing you. See Rod Benson. And Randle doesn’t take care of the ball enough to be an NBA point. Far from it. And his range? Bigger guys will be able to block his shot unless he’s REALLY open.
Shipp is still playing down in Australia last I heard. Then you hear about guys making careers and lives in Asia, Scandinavia, etc. All sorts of far flung places….
That's a good point.
Many of Cal’s young bigs really aren’t very fundamentally sound when it comes to setting picks. That can make all the difference between a contested shot and an open one…Or putting the defense in scramble mode to recover.
When I said win-now vs. win-later, I was actually looking more at post-season prospects as opposed to league play. With the league down, obviously we have to do our best to win each game in order to win the league and make it to the Big Dance. But, if we run our four seniors into the ground to do it, we’ll be in no shape to make any run at all. Game by game, our lack of depth and bench scoring is a persistent issue that makes us very vulnerable to foul trouble or injury. Having Theo out early cost us at least one game. Having Gut out recently probably cost us the UCLA game. I think we have a good shot to make it to the tournament. But I see us as one and done unless we can get some consistent production from the bench.
I suppose if you want to talk chances of making the NCAA, nothing matter except the Pac 10 tournament. I am starting to believe the talk that says Pac10 gets only 1 team – winner of that tournament.
Reg season championship is for pride, and a banner (and we’ll take that!).
Back to the point about Randle’s shooting %? Does he miss Kamp’s screens to get him open? No. It’s all about the defenses keying on him, not letting him open for a second, and not letting him set for that shot at NBA range, b/c he’ll take it, so they pick him up further outside.
I hear you about win now vs. later. — I am corrected. In that sense, We really need Smith to be able to spell Randle for more minutes. Randle’s going to burn out. I see it already and we aren’t even halfway thru with league play.
I wasn’t impressed with Gut’s knee. Seemed gimpy. Lacked his explosiveness, quickness. Bad sign!!!
Give us a lead, and we'll take the W
I posted on another board about our strong FT shooting.
Doesn’t it feel good to know that teams aren’t going to come back and beat us as a result of poor free throw shooting?
Randle is automatic.
Boykin, Theo and PC are all near 80%.
That leaves one player for teams to foul. I thought they’d foul Gutierrez at the end today b/c he’s been injured, but instead got Nicola, which worked (0-1). But I think Randle was 4-4 and Theo 2-2 at the end. Amoke was 1-2 at the end.
This is just great news!
Seriously!
I’m worried (a bit) about Amoke taking more fouls. He’s not a great FT shooter, and he’s finally starting to get the sort of minutes where that could potentially hurt us. He was definitely off the floor at the end of the game for a reason.
So, basically, you gotta Go Bears!
Why Max didn't play:
Quote Monty postgame:
“I could have played Max and played two bigs, but we elected to go a different way because they spread the court and do a lot of back cuts.”
Monty on Seeley:
“With Jorge being out, I play Nikola [Knezevic] and I play D.J. [Seeley]. D.J.‘s been playing well lately. He came in and couldn’t get a shot down. It is a zone. They do 2-3 and they do 1-3-1, so I had four ball-handlers out there. The ball wasn’t going down.”
In other Pac-10 news...
Stanfurd takes out Oregon, 84-69, with 56 of the ’Furd’s points coming from either Landry Fields or Jeremy Green. Amazingly, the ’Furd are at 4-3, just a game out of first.
So, basically, you gotta Go Bears!
Furd looks to be not so bad. How did we decimate them?
Anyone worried about the game @ Furd?
In other words, Go Bears!
Their best player had a bad game, and Green hadn’t stepped up yet. Now, Green and Fields are both rolling. That opens up things for the rest of their guys who are essentially stiffs on their own.
We have a legitimate reason to be worried for every Pac-10 game…especially on the road.
Oh yeah, this 4-game road trip upcoming is going to be a doozy. I’ll be very, very satisfied if the Bears can just take 3 of 4, and even a 2-2 split won’t be the end of the world. It’s a very, very balanced conference.
Speaking of balanced, Arizona is up big on ASU late in Tempe, while USC holds a 10-point halftime advantage over UW. If those scores hold (and the Arizona score at the very least will), Cal at 5-2 will be all alone in 1st place, with Arizona, ASU, Stanford, USC and UCLA all a game back at 4-3.
So, basically, you gotta Go Bears!
Fields had a bad day at Haas in a large part because of our defense. That’s not to say I’m not at least somewhat worried by a game at Maples, but Cal’s big win wasn’t just because Fields was “off” or Green hadn’t stepped up yet — the Bears did a very good job of limiting both of those players to taking tough, contested shots.
So, basically, you gotta Go Bears!
We match up really well with Stanford and have a couple of guys who are well suited to guard Fields (Theo, Boykin, and Amoke) . I was at the game and it was clear that while we weren’t going to shut Fields entirely down, he would need to score 30+ to keep his team in the game. Stanford’s biggest weakness is that their bigs are undersized and unathletic. We’re undersized, but at least our guys can run the floor.
Their "bigs" are all walk-ons
No, seriously. The only recruited scholarship big man on Stanford’s roster, Josh Owens, hasn’t played all year because of some kind of serious ongoing medical condition.
Actually, I guess they also have a freshman who’s redshirting because of an ACL tear. Still not actually logging any minutes, though.
Shawn Spencer: "I’m receiving a transmission from your husband. Really more of a voicemail, if I'm being honest. A status update. Perhaps a twitter."
Burton Guster: "I believe it’s called a tweet."
Shawn Spencer: "There’s no way I’m saying that."
Their top two players are as good as Cal's top two
In fact, they might be the best two-man tandem in the league.
Unfortunately for them the next six are like a billion zillion times worse than Cal’s next six.
Shawn Spencer: "I’m receiving a transmission from your husband. Really more of a voicemail, if I'm being honest. A status update. Perhaps a twitter."
Burton Guster: "I believe it’s called a tweet."
Shawn Spencer: "There’s no way I’m saying that."
Flagged for blasphemy.
All aboard the Jerome Randle Smart Car!
by rollonubears on Jan 24, 2010 2:39 PM PST up reply actions
What is up with this league?
AZ 77 – ASU 58!
USC 87 – Washington 61!
I still think we are going to win this thing going away. These scores are crazy.
We'll know for sure after this road trip
3-1 and we’re in good shape, 4-0 and we win this thing going away, 2-2 and we’re in the danger zone. Anything less and we’re screwed.
Email: bearsnecessities@gmail.com
by Avinash Kunnath on Jan 23, 2010 11:40 PM PST up reply actions
Worst thing about Pac10 basketball as of Right Now
UCLA is 1 game below 500 with Oregon, Oregon St., and Stanford coming up. Which means that they could possibly be over 500 shortly. I love the thought of them being complete losers this year. Can we please get a couple of Oregon Victories to knock them back down into the basement. Damn Cal for losing to them!!
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Pac-12 On SBN
Pacific Takes (Pac-12) NORTH AddictedToQuack: (Oregon)
UW Dawg Pound: (Washington)
CougCenter: (Washington State)
BuildingTheDam: (Oregon State)
Rule Of Tree: (Stanford)
CaliforniaGoldenBlogs: (Cal)
SOUTH
BruinsNation: (UCLA)
ConquestChronicles: (USC)
HouseOfSparky: (ASU)
Arizona Desert Swarm: (Arizona)
TheRalphieReport: (Colorado)
Block U: (Utah)
Golden Bears Football Schedule
| Fresno St. | Sat 09/03 | W 36 - 21 |
@
Colorado
|
Sat 09/10 | W 36 - 33 |
| Presbyterian | Sat 09/17 | W 63 - 12 |
|
@
Washington
|
Sat 09/24 | L 23 - 31 |
|
@
Oregon
|
Thu 10/06 | L 15 - 43 |
|
USC
|
Thu 10/13 | L 9 - 30 |
|
Utah
|
Sat 10/22 | W 34 - 10 |
|
@
UCLA
|
Sat 10/29 | L 14 - 31 |
|
Washington St.
|
Sat 11/05 | W 30 - 7 |
|
Oregon St.
|
Sat 11/12 | W 23 - 6 |
|
@
Stanford
|
Sat 11/19 | L 28 - 31 |
|
@
Arizona St.
|
Fri 11/25 | W 47 - 38 |
|
@
Texas
|
Wed 12/28 | L 10 - 21 |
Pacific-12 Conference Standings
(updated 1.2.2012 at 11:12 PM PST)
| North | Conf | Overall | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | W | L | |
|
Oregon Ducks
|
8 | 1 | 12 | 2 |
|
Stanford Cardinal
|
8 | 1 | 11 | 2 |
|
Washington Huskies
|
5 | 4 | 7 | 6 |
|
California Golden Bears
|
4 | 5 | 7 | 6 |
|
Oregon St. Beavers
|
3 | 6 | 3 | 9 |
|
Washington St. Cougars
|
2 | 7 | 4 | 8 |
| South | Conf | Overall | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | W | L | |
|
USC Trojans
|
7 | 2 | 10 | 2 |
|
UCLA Bruins
|
5 | 4 | 6 | 8 |
|
Utah Utes
|
4 | 5 | 8 | 5 |
|
Arizona St. Sun Devils
|
4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
|
Arizona Wildcats
|
2 | 7 | 4 | 8 |
|
Colorado Buffaloes
|
2 | 7 | 3 | 10 |
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