A four way tie in the loss column atop the conference isn't so bad . . . but you can't help but feel that Cal missed a golden opportunity to strengthen their hold on the Pac-12. The Bears had chances to put this game away a few times, but Washington St. was just too good at scoring throughout. It feels greedy to bemoan a road split, but this one was there for the taking.
There's a reason we all feared this game. We only got to watch about 24 minutes of this game thanks to internet problems in Pullman, but Cal just didn't look good on defense throughout, and it certainly didn't sound different towards the end of the game. The Bears played like a team dragging from long trips and cold weather. WSU, to their credit, took advantage to the tune of a 61.2 eFG% . . . which is really good. Or, from a Cal defense perspective, really bad. It always comes down to our ability to force bad shots, and today Cal didn't do that.
If you're inclined to look at the bright side, Cal has an entire eight days to rest up practice, and prepare to welcome a reeling Stanford team that has lost two straight games by double digits. And you know it's going to be a Haastile environment because it's CGB BASKETBALL NIGHT! The Bears still very much control their destiny, and they'll get back on track soon.
Hopefully the women's team can exact some revenge tomorrow. More thoughts on this game tomorrow morning. Drown your sorrows here, Cal fans.