A win is a win, right? In an ugly, uneven game, the Cal Bears outlasted Upsala Basket by a slim, two-point margin. Allen Crabbe, Richard Solomon, and Brandon Smith lead the way. To be fair, senior standouts Jorge Gutierrez(ankle) and Harper Kamp (knees) did not play. Both Justin Cobbs and Robert Thurman had rough games, particularly on the defensive end. More thoughts after the jump:
From Madbum at the half:
Halftime notes from me
-Defense is not looking good. It’s summer, nobody cares, blah blah blah I know. But if we’re going to be Pac-12 champs, it’s going to be because our defense gets better, not your offense.
-Kravish is more ready to contribute than Behrens, IMO. Neither is ready for major minutes, but Kravish at least gives some size and athleticism. Nose for the ball on the boards.
-Neither Cobbs or Smith really have seized the PG job here, so I can’t say much about that.
-Crabbe looks improved on defense, which would be a big help. A bit quieter at times than I thought he would be on the offensive end though.
-Emerson Murray can’t shoot the 3 very well, or at least he hasn’t whenever I’ve seen him play. Sorry kid.
-I miss Jorge/Kamp. Also, these announcers suck.
Upsala had enough size and athleticism to challenge the Cal players at every position. It was a good learning experience for the younger Cal players - they simply couldn't out-athlete this team. Quite frankly, Upsala out-played us for most of this game. They continually worked themselves free for open shots both inside and out. If they had actually made their open shots, we would have been blown out.
For those of you who saw the game, feel free to add your thoughts below. More analysis and a video of the game will get posted tomorrow. Cal's next game is against the tougher Norwegian National Team on Wednesday at 10am PST. Video/audio coverage is unknown, but we'll post anything we hear. Go Bears!