Cal Torches Louisville, Moves On To Face Duke
by Avinash on Mar 19, 2010 9:30 PM PDT
in Basketball
181 comments
It was a true team victory for the California Golden Bears as they led wire-to-wire against the Louisville Cardinals. Patrick Christopher got us going early. Jamal Boykin was steady. Jerome Randle stuck a dagger into Louisville at the end of the half and showed only some troubles against the press. Jorge Gutierrez shut down whoever he was on (Smith? Sosa?). Theo Robertson showed off his pro skills in the second half and cut down every Cardinal rally. And big old Max Zhang closed the door.
Big game, big effort. Savor this one Cal fans. It's time to face the Dukies.
Bigger recap coming in the early morning hours. For now, discuss.
1. How did Cal handle Louisville's matchup press defense?
2. Who was your Cal player of the game? Louisville player of the game?
3. What was the most pleasant surprise of the game?
4. What did you think of Montgomery's strategies?
5. How does Cal match up against Duke?
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Man, when do we find out what time the game is on Sunday? I may have to ditch the girlfriend to make sure I don’t miss it.
Proud to hold season tickets to the only NBA team soon to be owned by a Russian oligarch.
I’m sure she won’t mind…
because she’s plastic.
Cooler than a Polar Bear's toenails.
by Thoroughbred on Mar 19, 2010 9:36 PM PDT up reply actions
Plastic girlfriends have feelings too!
Proud to hold season tickets to the only NBA team soon to be owned by a Russian oligarch.
by yellow fever on Mar 19, 2010 9:38 PM PDT up reply actions
You're right
Why is that? I mean, why do they always seem to have the very last tip time?
You’d think they’d put them in the 1-off morning game if they wanted a national audience.
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."
Most rest time in between conference tourneys and national tourneys
Most rest time between conference games too.
It’s Duke, the media darlings. They need to be pampered and stroked so they can go far and send Bilas, Davis and Dickie V into a tizzy.
Email: bearsnecessities@gmail.com
Uh, I've seen them often get the early-morning SATURDAY game, too...
This doesn’t compute… why early on Saturday but late on Sunday?
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."
Optimal viewing times for money bracket age groups.
The stereotypical male aged 35-50 works mon-fri 9-5, give or take.
Saturday mornings and Sunday evenings are considered the “easiest” times for them to be able to sit down and watch a full game.
Since commercials in-game create revenue for the networks, putting marquee teams in these time slots are figured to be theoretically the best way to catch more social fans (i.e. the guy who only watches the playoffs, or the guy who picks Cal to lose in the CGB yahoo bracket contest) to raise their Nielsen (or arbitron, radio fans) ratings in order to sell more expensive advertisement slots.
Of course it would all come down to money.
This is the NCAA tournament.
I need scissors! 61!
Color me confused as to why Saturday morning is a better time than Saturday night
when half of America is hosting viewing parties or out at a sports bar.
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."
Sports bar, saturday night = 1 tv per 45 people.
Viewing party. saturday night = 1 tv per 5-10 people.
Male with children, saturday morning = 1 tv per 1 person.
The more social fans you collect sitting at home, the higher your ratings will be.
I need scissors! 61!
Not if you're referring to Nielson ratings...
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."
2:20pm here
according to this link
Jacksonville, FL – South Region
5:20 pm
California #8
Duke #1
There's no crying in baseball!
Thanks GO!
You are always so dependable across multiple sports!
More than just ANtics: http://www.louisgray.com/live/
Wooooo. I loved lookling at the Cards blog and reading again and again that “Cal sucks.” Eat my hanging bag jerkheads.
by Itchy25 on Mar 19, 2010 9:36 PM PDT reply actions 4 recs
WAAAAAAAAAAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
"It’s not a good car and not a good boat, but it’s the best car-boat ever made"
I’m giddy beyond belief!!!!
California Football. At home in Strawberry Canyon since 1923.
by CaliforniaEternal on Mar 19, 2010 9:37 PM PDT reply actions
Today was freaking awesome
Great win, and (assuming Maryland closes their game out) I got 15 of the 16 games today. If only I had followed my gut on the Cornell upset.
Whatever, GO BEARS!
How can it be the greatest conference with Stanfurd?
More than just ANtics: http://www.louisgray.com/live/
Tentative time: Cal-Duke scheduled for 5:20 PM EST, 2:20 PM PST
Going to be a quick turnaround. Going to be tough.
Email: bearsnecessities@gmail.com
well, not that quick
It’s on Sunday, after all. We’re used to that spacing between games.
I am a Vereenian.
At least the boys get a full day+ to recover.
California Football. At home in Strawberry Canyon since 1923.
by CaliforniaEternal on Mar 19, 2010 9:40 PM PDT reply actions
not drunk yet, so here goes:
1. How did Cal handle Louisville’s matchup press defense? For the most part, good. Definitely better than we handled pac10 presses during conference play. what the heel
2. Who was your Cal player of the game? Louisville player of the game?
Theo. Love Randle’s decision making. Love Boykin’s fire. Love Jorge’s intangibles (let’s practice those FTs). Christopher really set the tone early one. But I have to give it up to Theo—who’s been Mr. Consistent for us game after game. He’s been our rock. He’s been the guy we can count on. Sniff
3. What was the most pleasant surprise of the game?
The rotation. Didn’t expect such a short leash for the bench. We only saw MSF and Nikola briefly. Max was in there late in the game to counter the card’s Post push.
4. What did you think of Montgomery’s strategies?
WE WON! WE WON GUD!
5. How does Cal match up against Duke?
Fairly well if we push the ball and keep it uptempo. We don’t have the bigs to challenge their big whites, but we do have some athletic guys in the backcourt that can cause some havoc for coach K. We’ll have to guard the 3 well since dook can make it rain like we can.
GO BEARS.
'we're #1, we're #1, we're#---SHIT.'
-- 10/13/2007, a day that will live in infamy.
OK Now it's time to hear those apologies from all of you who picked Cal to lose
I’m looking at you Rishi
I didn't see anyone else come to the solution I did
i.e. enter multiple brackets in different groups and alternate picking them to win and to lose.
No juju points either way, right?
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."
Card Chron
Seems like a lot of their fans correctly viewed our weakness as our bench and were sure that if they ran and pressed we would fall apart once those other guys had to come in. Also a lot of references to some team called “Cali”
UC Cal, no?
Costs STILL assessed against Twist
by CALumbus Bear on Mar 19, 2010 9:45 PM PDT up reply actions
Quick question
don’t know if this was discussed in the game thread (too excited to z through) but what was the coach called for on that technical-intentional? any inside information? WHAT HAPPENED?!!!?!?
Remember, the enemy's end zone is DOWN!
Excessive doucheyness
Costs STILL assessed against Twist
by CALumbus Bear on Mar 19, 2010 9:46 PM PDT up reply actions
Well, we could lip-read a single sentence with three F-bombs after the T was called, so I’m gonna go out on a limb and suggest overexpression of opinion.
by Scootie on Mar 19, 2010 10:03 PM PDT up reply actions 2 recs
Answers
1. Cal, and Randle in particular, handled the press well. Randle took advantage of the opportunities to score some easy baskets or get to the line. Louisville didn’t press as hard as I was expecting. The only troubles seemed to come after we got past midcourt, with some sloppy passes. But overall, I’m not complaining.
2. Theo, overall. He made the shots when things got nerve-racking.
3. Randle’s poise and our ability to avoid turnovers (and take away the ball from Louisville as often as we gave it up).
4. No complaints. I liked seeing Zhang out there.
5. I don’t know enough to talk about Duke matchups. I am sure the Blue Devils won’t make the sort of mistakes that Louisville kept making.
Quickly off the top of my head
1. How did Cal handle Louisville’s matchup press defense?
Very well, thank you very much. We kept our composure, used different press breaking methods, and generally protected the ball.
2. Who was your Cal player of the game? Louisville player of the game?
Randle for us. Buckles for Louisville.
Theo was good for us, but I give the nod to Randle for the big shot at end of 1st half and for consistenly doing good job vs. press. Samuels was good for Louisville, but we expected that. Buckles had more points and rebounds.
3. What was the most pleasant surprise of the game?
The fast start. Wow.
4. What did you think of Montgomery’s strategies?
I was impressed. We obviously had a plan for breaking the press. And his use of Zhang was unexpected but effective.
5. How does Cal match up against Duke?
Not well, I fear. But I thought that in 1993, too. I hope to be pleasantly surprised again.
I am a Vereenian.
unorganized comments
- great win for Cal. The team played nearly flawlessly.
- Interesting stat lines
Samuels: 6-8 for 16, 6 rebounds
Buckels: 10-11 for 20, 9 rebounds
- ‘ville did not shoot well from beyond the arc, but credit to Cal’s players making some effort. hope they are not too tired (when I was 22, I would say let’s run it back!)
- ’ville did well when they got it inside (see state line), but also the inbounds plays and the offensive rebounds. Lots of credit to Christopher – 9 rebounds for Cal.
- Randle was not hassled by their defense. He has room to manuever, not pressed into mistakes (he still had 5 turnovers, but not from trapping or pressure).
- Good conversion of open looks by Cal.
- For the next game:
How will Duke get the ball into the inside? Will they abuse our double at the top of the key? (I know, broken record)
Will Duke swing the ball better and get open looks from behind the arc (they can make it)
Can Duke punish Cal on the boards.
Let’s see Cal change them up again with Max in the second half. (After Cal goes lights out shooting in the first)
jh
I’m sure the entire nation, except Duke fans, will be cheering for Cal on Sunday.
Randy Hahn: "I’ve been referred to as a playa…"
Firstly, GO BEARS!
1. How did Cal handle Louisville’s matchup press defense?
We made mistakes still, turned the ball over a few times on reckless passing. That being said, i was REALLY IMPRESSED with our approach to breaking the press. Well done Monty.
2. Who was your Cal player of the game? Louisville player of the game?
Theo Robertson. The starters all did a great job scoring, but when Louisville cut it close, he kept his head in the game, drawing fouls, finishing his shots, and held them at bay.
Rasheem Buckles was unstoppable. Besides fouling at bad times, he LED scoring AND rebounds for his team.
3. What was the most pleasant surprise of the game?
Honestly, our ability to attack the press and move the ball down court. It wasn’t perfect as we still turned over the ball several times because of the press, but all-in-all it was better than anything i could’ve hoped for.
4. What did you think of Montgomery’s strategies?
Terrific. Monty is God. Can we make Monty-head tie-dye t-shirts?
5. How does Cal match up against Duke?
If we can shoot well like we did tonight…Go Bears!
We got the Axe!
Does anyone think the time of the game was a big influence?
I’m sure someone mentioned it before, but that had to work in our favor for once.
Can we discuss what happened at that point late in the 2nd half where the intentional calls + Pitino tech was called? I just checked the replay and it looks like a foul off the ball, but nothing intentional. Anyone know anything more?
They were intentionally trying to get Max to the line, and the ref wanted to send a message.
All aboard the Jerome Randle Smart Car!
by rollonubears on Mar 19, 2010 9:48 PM PDT up reply actions
yep....bench sent in a defensive play, and
a guy ran over and grabbed Max. for an intentional foul, and the T for ordered intentional.
Go Bears Go
by Rocksanddirt on Mar 19, 2010 10:14 PM PDT up reply actions
Sunday's game against Duke
is scheduled to start at 2:15. It’s the last game of the day.
Bad Scheduling
There should be at least one evening game.
The Ultimate Opportunist
by Rated-R Superstar on Mar 19, 2010 9:49 PM PDT up reply actions
CBS doesn't want to preempt 60 Minutes
This has been a long tradition for them.
Email: bearsnecessities@gmail.com
Right
I somehow forgot about that!
The Ultimate Opportunist
by Rated-R Superstar on Mar 19, 2010 9:51 PM PDT up reply actions
My experience
Here in Sayulita, Mexico. 11-year old son and I head to local hotel bar for the game, where a wedding party is starting to file in. One of them asks bartender if he can put the Cal game on. Uh-oh; no Louisville fans, I hope. Nope; most of them from Bay Area so we have company for the game. One guy roots for L’Ville just to be a hater, which is good so I have someone to focus on when Cal is AWESOME !!!!!!!! We all gave high-fives and I almost got the bride into the act. FUN !!!!!!! Theo was incredible. Best NBA tryout film he could have !!!!!
I'd like to smell the Roses before I die.
Somebody needs to photoshop RANDLE where it says KIDD
CGB's Jimmy Carter
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
TELL THE WHOLE DAMN WORLD THIS TOURNAMENT IS BEAR TERRITORY!!!
I need scissors! 61!
by Maisbikkja on Mar 19, 2010 10:13 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
We should start calling Duke the Cardinal Devils. Cal owns anything and everything Cardinal.
Exit, Pursued By A Bear
The Cardinals had three turnovers in their first eight possessions, got called for an intentional foul and even had a band member yelling, “Don’t be afraid to score.”
from espn
Remember, the enemy's end zone is DOWN!
by GoldBlooded on Mar 19, 2010 10:18 PM PDT reply actions 3 recs
Congratulations Cal! Way to rep the Pac-10, was rooting for you all the way.
Wish us luck against NM tomorrow, I’m hoping you pull off the upset against Duke.
I would consider it an upset if you guys lose. Good luck.
Cooler than a Polar Bear's toenails.
by Thoroughbred on Mar 19, 2010 10:22 PM PDT up reply actions
I never thought I’d be listening to John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme” when Cal won its first NCAA Tournament game since we invaded Iraq. I thought maybe sure I’d be listening to a Mingus tune or perhaps even a Rahsaan Roland Kirk solo. But “A Love Supreme”?
That is why it was so odd to me when Triple Rock turned off the music part way through the second half and then, oddly, switched on John Coltrane, Elvin Jones, McCoy Tyer, and whatever the name of the bassist is just going crazy. And I turned to Ragnarok and said “This……………….is a Love Supreme. This………….is a LOVE SUPREME!”
Sure, yes, that makes sense in a way, for Cal, we do have a Love Supreme. But there is something to be said about jumping up and down in celebration, while whistling along to Psalm.
A lot more will be said about this game, it was one of the most exciting games in at least 2 weeks. But I think the #1 thing I might remember is Triple Rock, for some unexplained reason, rocking A Love Supreme.
CGB's Jimmy Carter
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
We’re sick of your political discussions on this blog.
Costs STILL assessed against Twist
by CALumbus Bear on Mar 19, 2010 10:25 PM PDT up reply actions 4 recs
Lol, someone over at Card Chron said that he’s sick of Pitino because they run no out of bounds plays. They scored at least 3 or 4 baskets on them, and 2 in a row in one point (also one missed layup on the first one).
But onto our team:
1. The press got to us a bit in the middle of the both halves, but we did a pretty good job. We ran some nice cross screens to get one person doubled, often leaving Theo or PC to bring up the ball, which they did well. I can only recall PC turning the ball over once or twice, and I don’t know if Theo did at all.
2. Cal player of the game: Theo Robertson. Finished better in traffic than he normally does, hit clutch shots like he always does, and handled the ball well. Another consistent game from a guy we could realistically call our most consistent player.
Louisville player of the game: Buckles. Had no answer for him inside. Had better touch on his jump hooks than Samardo Samuels did.
3. Most pleasant surprise of the game: How we handled the press. We got some opportunistic buckets out of press-breaking, but for the most part we were happy with breaking it and resetting. Also, Max’s blocks.
4. Monty coached a good game. I thought he waited a little long to go to a “bigger” lineup with some combination of Jamal, MSF, and Max, but given how poorly MSF played and how badly Max was playing in the beginning, it was understandable.
5. Cal matches up OK with Duke, assuming Zoubek is passive instead of active. If he’s rebounding hard, they will be tough to beat. I think Theo can defend Singler OK, but I could be wrong.
GO BEARS!!
Madness Central
Analysts on March Madness Central (CBS alternative chanel) both think Cal will play decently but that it will come down to inside game. Which secondary players will be biggest, Cal’s or Dukes. Also they have underestimated Randle, they think Shuyer is going to own him because he is taller.
Not only is this the biggest win for Cal in many many moons, BUT Twilight II is out On Demand. So, my entire family is happy. CELEBRATE!
CGB's Jimmy Carter
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
Anyone check out Card Chronicle recently?
Most of them are blindingly belligerent right now, calling for Pitino’s head…
I need scissors! 61!
1. How did Cal handle Louisville’s matchup press defense?
Very well. Solid passing in most situations led to fast break opportunities. Of course, that is how UL managed to get back in to it, because they were able to get some quick TOs. Oh well. Exciting either way.
2. Who was your Cal player of the game? Louisville player of the game?
MAX! BENCH POINTS! BENCH! POINTS! BENCH! POINTS!
UL, prolly Sosa. Way to get 2 quick fouls, dude! And then 3 quick fouls! Thanks for taking yousrelf out of the game!
3. What was the most pleasant surprise of the game?
The good PC showing up. He was hitting everything early and put us out ahead fast.
4. What did you think of Montgomery’s strategies?
Perfect. Perfect. Perfect.
5. How does Cal match up against Duke?
Randle played what? 40 minutes? Itd be interesting to looka t how Randle played on Saturdays when he played a full 40 on Thursday. Ai. Prolly not good. Gonna be tough.
CGB's Jimmy Carter
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
The most annoying thing was when the internet in the bar got totally bogged down and I couldn’t get onto CGB to CELEBRATE THE WIN!!!!!
Awesome game
Watched the game with my grandma, a Cal alum, and loved the way we played.
Also, apparently ESPN analysts now realize that the Pac-10 actually exists.
I've been Honked...
I'm going to start punching things if they keep on calling the Huskies the Pac-10 champs
Email: bearsnecessities@gmail.com
What purpose does the conference tourney serve
If the regular season champion is crowned the conference champion, but isn’t recognized unless they win the conference tourney?
I need scissors! 61!
they are all a bunch of f*n douches.
Go Bears Go
by Rocksanddirt on Mar 19, 2010 10:51 PM PDT up reply actions
You too, huh?
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."
After Round 1 “Monty’s Pythons” is in first place of the CGB Pick Em out fo 176 teams with 29 points (29 correct picks). CBKWit is the highest mod at 4th with 26 points. Pretty much all the top teams have Kansas winning it all, so it could be tight.
I am tied for 98th! Yay!
CGB's Jimmy Carter
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
MAX ZHANG
Can’t wait to see the complete post game quotes from this game. I really thought Max Zhang was the x-factor that changed the game for us (is this even a surprise anymore?). They were getting so many easy buckets and layups in the 2nd half…in the paint when we had no bodies to box out. Led to so many easy buckets for them and we couldn’t figure out a way to stop them (defense anyone?). It became a game all of a sudden a momentum was on Louisville’s side.
Then big ol Max comes along and totally blankets the area around the basket. It led to so many wild turnovers for Louisville who couldn’t find a way to feed the ball inside to their bigs and the only thing missing from the Zhang block was a Dikembe finger wag. His Boykin facial impression after the block was pretty solid though so I guess I’ll give him a pass.
Later on he gets fouled, goes to the line for a 1and1. Next possession baits them into the intentional/tech sequence. Pitino crying on the sideline. Game over.
Don’t forget Jorge. Even by his standards, he brought HUGE energy all night long.
That was a huge early call when Jorge picked up the charge against Sosa. Could have been a second early foul against Jorge, but instead it was Sosa who slipped into early foul trouble.
Go Bears!
by California Pete on Mar 20, 2010 10:02 AM PDT up reply actions
Got to disagree on this one
He blocked a couple shots from the weak side, and they stupidly tried the Hack-A-Zhang at one point.
Thing is, every time someone got the ball with him on their back hip, they scored easily. He needs SO much work in the weight room. If Amoke is playing instead I think the game is over by the 10 minute mark of the second half.
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."
That’s much catchier.
"atomsareenough—cleaning up CGB one day at a time until we finally get that press pass." - Berkelium97
by atomsareenough on Mar 20, 2010 9:13 PM PDT up reply actions
He did have a Zhang block and a finger wag. Or at least a chest bump with Boykin.
"atomsareenough—cleaning up CGB one day at a time until we finally get that press pass." - Berkelium97
by atomsareenough on Mar 20, 2010 9:41 AM PDT up reply actions
Boykin
Is going to be uber-ready for this game against Duke.
You could hear the anticipation in his post-game chat with Roxy.
I need scissors! 61!
They're all going to be uber-ready
It’s Duke. Everyone dreams of knocking off Duke.
Email: bearsnecessities@gmail.com
ESPN apologizes!!
no cal bear? no care
Fuck ESPN
They can`t back their way into this with a half-assed apology.
Now we need to crush their beloved Dukies and put Dickie V back in his coffin until next season!
I need scissors! 61!
You gotta admit, it was a pretty full-assed apology.
"atomsareenough—cleaning up CGB one day at a time until we finally get that press pass." - Berkelium97
by atomsareenough on Mar 20, 2010 9:47 AM PDT up reply actions
I'll actually answer the questions this time
1. Shredded it like a cabbage. I think Louisville stole the ball twice all game in the Cal backcourt, while giving up 5 or 6 trivially easy baskets and several fouls when it collapsed. They eventually dialed it back to something so tame that it’s embarrassing to even call it a press.
2. Theo Robertson. His time as a Bear is running very short now, so I’ll just say this: enjoy every fucking shot he takes for the rest of the season, because he will not be replaced anytime soon. He is everything a college basketball player should be— smart, strong, picture-perfect in shooting form, and so unbelievably clutch.
For Louisville, it was the two-headed monster of Buckles and Samuels, who kept them in the game with 16 of 19 shooting.
3. See #1. Louisville was on their heels from the opening tip. (Well, not quite literally. Boykin actually botched the opening tip but good. Luckily, in college hoops, thanks to alternating possession, the only tips that matter at all are in overtime games.)
4. I feel like most of the important strategic decisions were those made by Louisville, rather than Cal. Without Amoke, and given that refs’ discrimination against MSF has seemingly risen to 1920s-Alabama levels of prejudice at this point, Cal didn’t have a lot of options. (Seriously, what do they have against the guy? He’s big. Sometimes people bounce off him. It’s not a foul on him if he’s just standing there and they run into him and fall over…)
So Montgomery pretty much left well enough alone. Still, he did far better than Pitino, whose team employed one of the most singularly inept offensive strategies I’ve ever seen. Despite dominating the paint completely, his team attempted 19 three-pointers, making 5 of them. (Cal shot 15.) Louisville also committed several fundamental defensive errors which indicated either that they had not watched enough Cal film or that the team had not absorbed the lessons of that film. Randle took the first legitimately uncontested 22-foot jumper that I’ve seen for him in what seems like years (and nailed it, obviously). Of the 15 3-pointers, I’d guess 12 of them were completely uncontested looks.
To be honest, one of the reasons I was edgy about this game was the coaching matchup. During his career, Monty has been a brilliant regular-season coach but only an average Tourney coach, while Pitino has been the opposite. Didn’t play out that way tonight.
5. Stylistically, very well. Talent-wise, not so much. Duke is bad at shooting two-pointers despite lots of offensive boards, which means if they’re off shooting the three, Cal can win even at a rebounding deficit. Duke’s generally slow tempo means that Cal can run enough to make them uncomfortable but not enough to wear the Bears out. Duke’s damn skippy at defending the three, but Cornell put on a clinic earlier today on how to disembowel an aggressive perimeter defense in spite of an athleticism disadvantage. Might want to pick up a copy of that tape for tomorrow.
All that being said, um, their players are better at basketball. So they have that going for them.
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."
by PaulThomas on Mar 20, 2010 12:19 AM PDT reply actions 2 recs
and given that refs’ discrimination against MSF has seemingly risen to 1920s-Alabama levels of prejudice at this point
LOL. I’ve had the same thought about calls against MSF, but your description is more colorful than any I would have ever thought of.
Louisville also committed several fundamental defensive errors which indicated either that they had not watched enough Cal film or that the team had not absorbed the lessons of that film. Randle took the first legitimately uncontested 22-foot jumper that I’ve seen for him in what seems like years (and nailed it, obviously). Of the 15 3-pointers, I’d guess 12 of them were completely uncontested looks.
This might have been par for the Louisville course. Earlier in the week, Fran Fraschilla on ESPN expressed the view that Cal could be a tough matchup for Louisville because of our shooters. The reason being that Louisville just doesn’t defend very well. Pitino played almost exclusively zone this year because his team just wasn’t very good at man to man. And when you’re not good at man to man, perhaps it’s not surprising (even in zone) that you give up tons of open shots.
The 19 threes Louisville attempted were mind boggling. Samuels was having his way inside and, in the first half, Louisville was also getting a ton of offensive rebounds. Their repeated perimeter shots misses were a blessing for us.
I am a Vereenian.
Great win all around!
Monty deserves lots of credit. I thought that the way we handled the press was masterful (first using Randle as the inbounder, then later having Theo control the ball.)
Not really afraid of Duke – they have some size/skill/rebounding on us, but ultimately they want a shooting contest. I would put money on Randle-PChris-Theo-Boykin in a shooting contest against pretty much anyone.
I want it to happen, but I just can’t believe Coach K is going to make the same mistake Pitino did and try to outshoot us.
i love it
duke is a better version of louisville. they run the same with a little better athletes. WHEN we play with the poise we did with tonight we will have no problem with the dookies. and i mean doo doo as in poop. We are gonna dig in that gluteus it will be epic.
Welcome, bioecon. Hoep to see you around a lot more.
CGB's Jimmy Carter
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
Way to copy Avinash.
"atomsareenough—cleaning up CGB one day at a time until we finally get that press pass." - Berkelium97
by atomsareenough on Mar 20, 2010 9:14 PM PDT up reply actions
long-time lurker first-time poster here.
I LOVE OUR BEARS. and this site is great. i’m on here all the time. my 3 favorite things from yesterday’s game:
1) PC skying for the rebounds in the second half. Reminded me completely of Kobe when he comes in from the perimeter for the rebounds when he doesn’t trust bynum or odom. PC took some nasty falls towards the end of the game but his rebounding was critical.
2) Jerome almost always made the right decision breaking the press. Completely different decision-making compared to the games against OSU beavers the last 2 seasons.
3) Theo’s got ice-water in his veins. seriously. I don’t know if any player has been more clutch than him this tournament.
by roll on u bears on Mar 20, 2010 11:48 AM PDT reply actions
Welcome, yes
But rollonubears is going to be a little frosted at your screen name!
I am a Vereenian.
Awkward.
All aboard the Jerome Randle Smart Car!
by rollonubears on Mar 21, 2010 1:01 PM PDT up reply actions
Finally got the kid to pass out. Nap time rocks. ’Had to log out early last night because she reminded me that I promised to take her camping. (sleeping bags on the floor). So, I turned the sound down on the tv and let her pass out while I watched us close out a solid win. Totally awesome.
1. How did Cal handle Louisville’s matchup press defense?
Much better than expected. We had a few turnovers, but more than offset those with several easy scores. When it was obvious that we weren’t rattled, Pitino probably should have backed off the pressure. I think it wore his own team out and left them over-extended more than it hurt our guys.
2. Who was your Cal player of the game? Louisville player of the game?
Theo was rock solid and clutch. Considering that he and Jamal more than held their own against a trio of 6’8, 6’9, and 6’10 guys, it was pretty amazing that they held their own on the post. Buckles got plenty of points for Louisville, but it didn’t feel like he was dominating us.
3. What was the most pleasant surprise of the game?
Their press didn’t rattle us. In fact, their stubborn reliance on the press even after proving ineffective helped fuel many of our runs. Between their press and size advantage, I thought that we’d have issues.
4. What did you think of Montgomery’s strategies?
Well, I’m no LeonPowe or Mad Barry, but it looked like our defense was set to double Samuels all the time, and hope that we could help in time to get to their shooters or figure that their shooters would miss. Because of the double teams, their other big guy (usually Buckles) got a lot of uncontested looks, but Samuels didn’t dominate like he should have. We’re lucky that they didn’t move the ball well or hit too many open shots, but that’s the gamble that Monty chose and it worked out. On offense, he saved Randle’s legs by moving him off the ball and having Jorge do a lot of the ballhandling. Pretty gutsy considering that Jorge is prone to be a little too aggressive and can be a turnover-machine. But, it stopped them from keying on Randle and kept our best shooters threatening the weak spots of their zone. Didn’t really see that Pitino, for all of his rep, ever made any changes to compensate.
5. How does Cal match up against Duke?
Theoretically, we match up a little better physically than we did with Louisville on paper. They have a guard-dominant offense with a couple of players who are more savvy than athletic. I don’t know if their guards are quick enough to stay with Randle and PC. On the other hand, they pass and shoot a heckuva lot better than Louisville. Since their guards are the real threat (both Scheyer and Singler remind me of General Greivis), I see Monty single-covering the post and taking our chances. Like all Duke teams, they’re well-coached, crash the boards, and play tight defense. Our guys have heart, though, and if our shots are falling, I like our chances.
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