Golden Bears Alone At The Top, Clinch Pac-10 Outright, Sweep the furd
Today's a day of firsts (HT ragnarok) for the California Golden Bears.
- Cal clinches the outright Pac-10 title in one of the three major sports (football, basketball, baseball) for the first time in fifty years.
- Cal sweeps the Furd for the first time since 1993
- Cal sweeps the Furd in football and basketball for the first time since 1982-83.
- Cal's in first place to end the regular season. That's a first for us covering Cal sports on this site!
Revel tonight. Worry about the tourneys tomorrow. And hope that this is the start of a trend for our teams. Pac-10 champions.
As always, here are your 5 questions:
1. The turning point of the game was when:
2. The award for best player goes to: The award for best supporting player goes to:
3. How much will you 'miss' Landry Fields, Drew Shiller, et. al.? Bonus points for condescending, sarcastic answers!
4. Now that the Pac-10 regular season is over, how satisfied are you about Cal's performance in conference?
5. Predict as much as you want about the Pac-10 tournament. Eventual champion? Dark Horse contenders? Team you don't want Cal to face? Bonus points for good USC jokes!
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PALO ALTO IS STILL BEAR TERRITORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fixed.
by yorzepol on Mar 6, 2010 5:13 PM PST up reply actions 3 recs
ew, can we leave foster city to stanfurd? or maybe sf state territory?
Remember, the enemy's end zone is DOWN!
Pac-10 Tournament
I’ll be negative. Someone other than Cal is going to win it and that will be especially true if we get Oregon State at some point.
The Ultimate Opportunist
by Rated-R Superstar on Mar 6, 2010 5:10 PM PST reply actions
I am not so sure about that – I think we are playing pretty good ball right now. We will likely have to play OSU – but honestly, I think that is a real character game for us.
You think OSU beats UW?
Not happening. Apparently, no one ELSE in the league has as hard a time with the 1-3-1 as we do…….
Not that I want to face the Dawgs, either. Those two are my least two teams I want to take on.
I’m mostly really happy with how Cal did in conference, except that crap last second OT loss to Ucla and that CRAPPY game at OSU (I swear I’m boycotting Gill so they will win…..). Take those two away (or win them and lose to UA or USC since it’s lame to say I like the season if…..we’d just won more gamess….) and I’m happy.
I'd like to smell the Roses before I die.
I agree, we are still a flawed team with limited depth. Winning 3 games in four (?) days is a huge challenge.
I don’t even know if its a bad thing to lose the tourny. A part of me wants another pac-10 team in the dance, no matter the cost. Also, Gutierrez could use some rest, I hope they don’t even try to play him in the PX tourny.
He’s single?
"atomsareenough—cleaning up CGB one day at a time until we finally get that press pass." - Berkelium97
by atomsareenough on Mar 6, 2010 5:23 PM PST up reply actions
Recovery typically takes 1-2 weeks…but that’s for just normal activity. I have no idea how long it would take to resume high-level athletics. Also, you’re not supposed to fly until fully recovered. My guess is no Max for the Pac-10 tournament. He might get cleared for the tournament, but I’m not sure that his conditioning will be good enough for him to make a difference.
There's no rest
It would be three games in three days if we get to the finals.
So, basically, you gotta Go Bears!
Throw on Loggy's Album and Have a drink
it’s a great time to be a Bear!
I’d like to get a least a couple of wins so that we have a chance at avoiding a collision course with a #1 seed.
I’m disappointed that we have 5 losses. I think we should’ve beaten UCLA, won that game at Arizona and beaten USC.
Hmm, disappointed might be too strong. Mildly upset?
That UCLA game at home really shouldn’t have been dropped. We’re bound to lose some close games on the road and that was Arizona and USC.
by LEastCoastBears on Mar 6, 2010 5:16 PM PST up reply actions
I would have liked to have beaten Kansas on their home court and Syracuse and Ohio State but, that’s just not the team we have. We have the Pac-10 champs! So I’m glad for that.
I believe LeonPowe is kidding y’alls.
Leon Powe is probably sad his team didn’t clinch it a few years back.
Email: bearsnecessities@gmail.com
by Avinash Kunnath on Mar 6, 2010 5:25 PM PST up reply actions
That’s waaaaay too many multi-syllable words to be tossing around during a revelry.
It’s scotch-time, friend.
Answers
1. Patrick Christopher got hot. Honorable mention was Jorge’s last play, which flummoxed Fields and gave Cal gthe ball.
2. Christopher. MSF gets best supporting player.
3. We’re going to miss those guys a lot, aside from Fields, because their incoming class is supposed to be quite good. This was a Stanford team we could beat, even in Maples.
4. Very satisfied. Perfectly satisfied. We won the Pac-10 conference. You can’t do any better than that, and we haven’t in any version of this conference in 50 years.
5. If I had to predict someone for the tournament, I would pick Washington. But it’s a crapshoot. We know Monty doesn’t care about it, so I would be really surprised if Cal wins it. Arizona State could, of course. I don’t think anyone else will, but haven’t given the stupid tournament much thought.
The confetti was last week, and it was fun. But it didn’t feel right to me. Today feels right, and I’m very happy.
Hey! I am no longer the only person on this site who can say that Cal won a Pac-10 Basketball Championship in my lifetime.
Snobby Chick - Senior Division
I was in junior high school before we got a color TV. Suddenly everything looked so . . . colorful.
Snobby Chick - Senior Division
The Cal Athletic Department has no doubts that we’re in: I just got an email about the new Cal March Madness t-shirt for sale.
Snobby Chick - Senior Division
We’re in now. It’s just a matter of where.
Email: bearsnecessities@gmail.com
by Avinash Kunnath on Mar 6, 2010 5:32 PM PST up reply actions
Arizona State
They needed to sweep at home for their own reasons, but I’m glad they did. Winning the conference because another team lost would have felt anticlimactic. It was great to win it on the court, on the road, against Stanford.
by bear88 on Mar 6, 2010 5:48 PM PST reply actions 1 recs
Flagged for spelling it rong
It was great to win it on the court, on the road, againstStanfordStanfurd
FIXED
Things to Remember: Girls usually don't like it when you yell out "Beast Mode!" when switching to doggy style. - TFLN
Wow
Cal clinches the outright Pac-10 title in one of the three major sports (football, basketball, baseball) for the first time in fifty years.
I’m not sure whether this nugget excites me or depresses me.
Cal sweeps the Furd in football and basketball for the first time since 1982-83.
That’s more like it!
Giants pitching coach Dave Righetti. "I treat Timmy differently from most pitchers: I leave him alone."
Bengie Molina: "I don't understand why they didn't want to commit to another year, with my numbers and my experience and things like that." Brain Sabean: "He's certainly welcomed back with open arms".
carp (paraphrased): "117 elements, and still no Stanfurdium"
It’s both exciting and depressing. That’s Cal sports in a nutshell. They should use that as the marketing slogan.
by LeonPowe on Mar 6, 2010 5:54 PM PST up reply actions 3 recs
rec'd
Giants pitching coach Dave Righetti. "I treat Timmy differently from most pitchers: I leave him alone."
Bengie Molina: "I don't understand why they didn't want to commit to another year, with my numbers and my experience and things like that." Brain Sabean: "He's certainly welcomed back with open arms".
carp (paraphrased): "117 elements, and still no Stanfurdium"
by natteringnabob on Mar 6, 2010 8:24 PM PST up reply actions
I figure if it has a major post-season tournament that is televised on ESPN et al, its getting pretty big.
CGB's Jimmy Carter
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
It is for all the other Pac-10 schools
and now that the NBA drafts high schoolers college baseball doesn’t look so odd.
Giants pitching coach Dave Righetti. "I treat Timmy differently from most pitchers: I leave him alone."
Bengie Molina: "I don't understand why they didn't want to commit to another year, with my numbers and my experience and things like that." Brain Sabean: "He's certainly welcomed back with open arms".
carp (paraphrased): "117 elements, and still no Stanfurdium"
by natteringnabob on Mar 6, 2010 9:46 PM PST up reply actions
Let's hear it for Sandy Barbour
After decades of being losers in all major sports, Cal has turned it all around. I know Sandy didn’t hire Tedford, but she kept him at Cal at a time when he easily could have gone elsewhere. She’s gotten the desperately needed facilities and stadium upgrades started. She hired Mike Montgomery and Joanne Boyle. It’s no longer embarrassing to be a Cal fan. Thanks Sandy.
Snobby Chick - Senior Division
by CalBear81 on Mar 6, 2010 6:01 PM PST up reply actions 2 recs
1. The turning point of the game was when:
Two possession game. 3 minutes and change to go. PC remembers that he’s unguardable and more athletic than all of ’furds guards. Ball game.
2. The award for best player goes to: PC
The award for best supporting player goes to: Boykin
3. How much will you ‘miss’ Landry Fields, Drew Shiller, et. al.? Bonus points for condescending, sarcastic answers!
Landry Fields. He was an asshole, but he was a tough, create-your-own shot type of asshole. So nice of him to show a glimmer of resistance so that establishing the ‘furds as our bitches looked like a game instead of just an odyssey of butt-hurt.
Drew Shiller. Will make more money than me hawking rogaine and Dr. Rosinelli’s hair plugs. I will really miss how he would try to create and dribble into traffic for a turnover or missed layup instead of sticking to his one mildly redeeming skill of hoisting three pointers. Drew. And has there ever been someone named Drew who wasn’t a douche. You wouldn’t be starting, much less playing off the bench, much less having a schollie on a Div-I team if the ’furd did not epically suck with an enthusiasm known and unknown to mankind. Get over yourself.
4. Now that the Pac-10 regular season is over, how satisfied are you about Cal’s performance in conference?
Old Blue here, so I fully expected us to get confounded by Az’s athleticism, unable to move the ball against OSU’s zone, frustrated by ucLA’s hardnosed defense, run out of the gym by UW’s track meet, lose to ‘furd just because, allow OU’s streaky shooters to have career games against us, allow WSU to believe they belong in the Pac-10, get beat down by ’sc’s thugs, and be perplexed by asu’s gimmicky D…but we came out on top. To hell with everyone else. Pac-10 champs. In my lifetime. Holy sweet mother of fuck. That’s just pretty damn sweet. And yes, I’m plastered off my ass right now. Go Bears. That is all.
5. Predict as much as you want about the Pac-10 tournament. Eventual champion? Dark Horse contenders? Team you don’t want Cal to face? Bonus points for good USC jokes!
Three games in three nights is a tough deal. As much as I love our guys, we play our starters more minutes than everyone else and are heavily reliant on good outside shooting. ASU has been the most consistent team. (not the best – that’s use, mo-fos!) If I had to handicap things, I figure ASU will win it and UW is the dark horse because they have nothing to lose, but the athletes to get really hot. I want us to play OSU so the guys can exorcise some demons and get some confidence. I don’t want us to play OSU because watching them play ball is like watching a slideshow of rectal cancer. That’s all the coherence I have left. Gonna go back to toasting our PAC-10 CHAMPION Bears!
by Kodiak on Mar 6, 2010 6:21 PM PST reply actions 4 recs
I came in here
for the $c* jokes… Where are they?
EGO TROIORUM MALLEUS SUM
Q: What’s the difference between a USC fan and a carp?
A: One is a bottom-feeding, scum sucker, and the other is a fish.
USC jokes didn't we beat your Ruins 3 straight in hoops, and next year will not be any different.
LA Sports is what keep me off the streets and out of trouble, thanks to all the teams Rams, Dodgers, Lakers, USC sports and the Love of Tennis.
by so.cal.native1952 on Mar 8, 2010 1:32 PM PST up reply actions
So if I understand everything correctly, if UDub and Oregon hold on to their respective leads against Oregon St. and Wazzu, the tournament bracket will look like this:
1.) Cal
8.) (Stanfurd/Wazzu)
4.) Zona
5.) UCLA
2.) ASU
7.) Oregon
3.) UDub
6.) Oregon St.
Shit, let’s do this.
"Let me tell you a story. I was a political prisoner for two years. The instant I was released I ran to McDonald's. I had a Big Mac and a Coke.
It was fantastic."
-Toyama Koichi, US Presidential candidate from Japan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGZqOkeYbB0
I fear WSU much more than Oregon, bc if Klay Thompson can get really hot, that team can be very dangerous.
CGB's Jimmy Carter
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
Since our game vs. WSU when Klay was en fuego, he has shot 50% or higher once. And he’s 4 of 17 so far tonight.
I am a Vereenian.
Updates around the country that might affect our RPI/random metrics tourney people use
Murray State tied in their title game. I think they get in even with a loss.
Iowa State upset #5 K-State in Manhattan
Kansas savaged Colorado
Syracuse upset in Louisville
Oregon State losing to UDub. Washington clinches the 3rd seed and OSU would be on the other side of the bracket if this result stands.
Oregon stuffing Wazzu. Ohio Bear is correct about the rematch thing.
Email: bearsnecessities@gmail.com
Not unexpected, but apparently Ernie Kent already fired.
ccording to the source, Kent’s dismissal takes effect after the basketball team has finished its season, whenever that may be.
The source also told KVAL Sports that Kent was dismissed after meeting with Oregon Athletic Director Mike Bellotti the Monday following the Ducks home losses to California and Stanford. In addition, Kent’s entire staff will be replaced, with the possible exception of assistant Kenny Payne.
CGB's Jimmy Carter
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
Pac 10 player of the year
from the game summary
An intriguing subplot to the game was the competition between Fields and Randle for the conference player of the year award. Fields got the best of Randle this game, with Randle being held to 11 points on 2-for-10 shooting. But Cal’s outright title might be enough to give Randle the award.
“That stuff is not in my control,” Fields said. “I’m just going to go out and play. If I had a vote, it would be for Randle. He’s one of the top players on the top team. I don’t see why he would not get it.”
But who would say ‘oh me, definitely me. I made [other guy] look like a PUNK-ASS’.
Ragnarok: Great Man or Greatest Man?
Yeah, you have no idea how much credit I take for this blog. Everyone behind the scenes HATES me. Esp. Hydro.
Email: bearsnecessities@gmail.com
by Avinash Kunnath on Mar 6, 2010 9:41 PM PST up reply actions
Is that why you always state your blog name is “BearsNecessity” on Monday Night Blogging???
CGB's Jimmy Carter
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
by TwistNHook on Mar 6, 2010 9:55 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
WOO Pac-10 Champs!
It’s nice to know that when Cal plays mediocre ball on the road and Stanfurd plays good ball at home Cal still wins by 10. Now let’s take the momentum down to Staples!
The #1 greatest threat to America: BEARS
Lunardi still hasn't "Locked" us
He just released another update and we are still not in according to him. I guess we need another win but I think we are in regardless
His counterpart Gottlieb says we’ll be presently surprised with our seeding. So whatever.
Email: bearsnecessities@gmail.com
by Avinash Kunnath on Mar 6, 2010 9:41 PM PST up reply actions
In no world is the Pac10 champion not a lock. We might not be the highest seed out there, but we’re in.
CGB's Jimmy Carter
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
Well, now let’s not go tempting fate. In Cal’s world lots of things that shouldn’t happen happen.
Email: bearsnecessities@gmail.com
by Avinash Kunnath on Mar 6, 2010 10:04 PM PST up reply actions
We need to win at least a game, IMO. Losing to a last-place Pac-10 team would put us in a pretty dicey situation.
So, basically, you gotta Go Bears!
It would bump us to an awful seed, but it wouldn’t knock us out.
Email: bearsnecessities@gmail.com
by Avinash Kunnath on Mar 6, 2010 10:29 PM PST up reply actions
Postseason conference tournaments
I will be surprised if they matter much. The selection committee seems to understand this, too, and discounts it. I can’t remember how many conference champs with “shocking” first round losses in their conference’s annual money grabs ended up as first or second seeds in their bracket.
Cal is in, based on being conference champs. A first-round loss might hurt our seeding, although I’m not sure where we’d go if no postseason tournament existed. I would like to avoid the killer 8/9 seed, and ideally the 7/10 seed too.
Well, it rarely hurts major conference tournament winners
But I’m not sure the Pac-10 deserves to be treated like a major conference this year. Plenty of mid-major conference champions have been kept out of the tournament because they lost to a terrible team in their conference tournament.
Conference tournaments don’t count for much because they’re only 1-4 games in a 30-35 game schedule. But for teams on the bubble, it can be the difference.
So, basically, you gotta Go Bears!
The Pac-10 DESERVES to be treated like a major conference,but we won’t be because of LEast coast bias. The big ten was once ranked in the same position as we are (8th) in terms of conference rankings. Think anyone talked about them being a one bid conference – Nope. They got 3 teams in.
Lunardi
That dude is on crack. He bumped up Kansas State from a two seed to a one seed after they were owned by Kansas. Duke lost, but they lost on the road to Maryland and both of those teams won the ACC title.
Right now, he has Arizona State in and Washington as his first team out. I just don’t see it.
The Ultimate Opportunist
by Rated-R Superstar on Mar 6, 2010 10:26 PM PST up reply actions
Are you sure you have your sequence right there on the K St. Duke stuff? Besides, getting owned by Kansas has happened to most teams this year. Lunardi’s not perfect but he’s typically pretty solid.
The #1 greatest threat to America: BEARS
Yes
I agree with you on all accounts and I know my sequence is right on that Duke and Kansas State thing. Fourth-ranked Duke lost to Maryland on the same night that fifth-ranked Kansas State lost to Kansas. He basically switched Duke and Kansas State since he called Kansas State a one seed.
The Ultimate Opportunist
by Rated-R Superstar on Mar 6, 2010 10:45 PM PST up reply actions
Well, if you ignore margin of victory of the two games (which is probably true of the selection committee), a road loss to Kansas is a better loss than a road loss to Maryland. So I don’t think that the switch is really all that crazy.
The #1 greatest threat to America: BEARS
Well, they lost to Iowa St. So that ends all that.
Email: bearsnecessities@gmail.com
by Avinash Kunnath on Mar 7, 2010 1:27 AM PST up reply actions
Disagree
Losing to Maryland — a ranked team — on the road in a competitive game is better than getting blown out on the road to Kansas. Plus, Duke was ranked higher going in. That would give them the edge.
The Ultimate Opportunist
by Rated-R Superstar on Mar 7, 2010 9:26 AM PST up reply actions
I have no problem with your opinion
The thing is that Lunardi is trying to predict stuff. You’re citing a bunch of stuff the selection committee doesn’t consider. Margin of victory and media and coaches polls are irrelevant to the selection committee and those who attempt to predict their decisions.
The #1 greatest threat to America: BEARS
That's strange
On Wednesday, Lunardi had us as a lock on a teleconference with media.
Lunardi last Wednesday:
On Cal’s tournament status: "I seem to be in the minority on this, but I have thought since New Year’s that the regular-season champion of the Pac-10 was going to go to the tournament regardless of their performance in the Pac-10 tournament. There’s a lot of history with any league ranked as high as the Pac-10 _ and I realize `ranked as high as the Pac-10′ this year is a bit of a red herring,. But I haven’t found a single regular-season champion in that range that’s been left out ever since the field was expanded in 1985. I do believe they’re in the field. As bad as the Pac-10 has been, historically it’s still in the top quarter of leagues. I just don’t see how that champion isn’t going to go to the tournament."
I am a Vereenian.
This isn’t his true “lock” status. This is just his opinion that we should be in, but its not his guarantee. The lock status shows up in his bracketology.
Oh, and one more first for the Bears
We’re 21-9 on the season, but this was our first 4-game winning streak of the season.
So, basically, you gotta Go Bears!
I believe that was the first 4-game winning streak for ANYONE in the Pac-10.
Email: bearsnecessities@gmail.com
by Avinash Kunnath on Mar 6, 2010 10:30 PM PST up reply actions
nah
ASU has won 4 games in a row 4 times this season, including twice in conference play. USC won 8 games in a row earlier this year.
So, basically, you gotta Go Bears!
And I pointed out that ASU has already had two 4-game conference winning streaks, and USC has had one as well.
So, basically, you gotta Go Bears!
My bad, thats what I get for listening to Belloumini (sp?). Did anyone else notice he was about 10 seconds behind the game several times? I kept wondering if they were announcing the game by remote instead of being there. It was odd how they didn’t notice the most obvious calls a couple of times
Damn our game Thursday is at 2:30...
I have a very important class 3:30 to 5. I need to get myself a netbook.
Questions and answers
1. The turning point of the game was Theo Robertson’s 3-point play to break the 44-all tie. stanfurd had just tied it and felt pretty good about themselves. The crowd was threatening to get interested. The Robertson 3-point play restored some order. True, stanfurd got to within 3 later, but Robertson’s play was huge.
2. Best player: Patrick Christopher. Stepped it up huge. The dagger 3 was tremendous!
Best supporting player: Theo Robertson. Seemed to be johnny on the spot.
3. I won’t miss Landry Fields. I don’t mind seeing good players leave the furd program. Drew Shiller I will miss because I wanted to see how old the dude would look next year.
Incidentally, how does Jack Trotter have a scholarship to play basketball for a Division I, Big 6 conference program? How?
4. Outright championship with a 13-5 conference record? Yes please. I’m pretty friggin satisfied. I would’ve liked to have swept Ucla, but I’m not going to thumb my nose at an outright title featuring our best conference record since Jason Kidd’s last year in the program.
5. No predictions here, though I have a funny feeling that Washington might step up its game to win this thing. Dark horse? Maybe Zona. They gots talent. Oregon State is the obvious “don’t want Cal to face” answer, but since we can’t play them until the championship game, I totes wouldn’t mind facing them again. (IT MEANS WE’D BE IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME!!!) As far as teams in our bracket, I don’t really relish the idea of playing Arizona again.
I am a Vereenian.


















































