What do you guys look for going into UNLV?
Avinash: I'm very concerned. This game was a toss-up already. Now you have to wonder how shaken up this team's confidence is going back home and having a week to think about that loss in Madison. The Bears were pretty much out-muscled by a team that is good, but hardly 25-points superior.
The only thing that makes me less concerned is that we're at home, and Kreklow will hopefully be back (if he's not then we diminish our expectations for this one). Unfortunately, UNLV has one of the best defenses in the country, and we have to be in control of ourselves and not let things fly off the handle. It'll be important to move the ball patiently and look for the best shot, and also not lose defensive discipline (something that happened way too much last game and has been a recurring pattern all season).
Here's hoping Sunday's loss was a wakeup call.
Vincent S: Discipline.
Kodiak: I'd like to see a bounce-back game with regards to effort and intensity. We might be over-matched on the frontline, and they've got more athletes than we do on the perimeter. But, at least let's not beat ourselves.
TwistNHook: An inside game. With this team, it's ALWAYS an inside game. Always. Does LeonPowe have any more eligiblity?????
ragnarok: A good week of practice:
"I can't say that I didn't expect at least a little of this because of the week of practice we had," Montgomery said later.
Montgomery and Bears junior guard Allen Crabbe agreed that a poor week of practice translated into disaster as the Badgers handed the Bears their first loss of the season.
"I don't have an answer to that," Montgomery said when asked why his team was unable to use the momentum of six straight victories in their toughest test of the season. "Some of our guys just don't prepare themselves for practice in the way they should."
Perhaps that is why Cal finished with a season-high 23 turnovers.
"We basically got what we deserved," said Crabbe, who led all scorers with 25 points. "We turned the ball over, and we were not making the plays that we usually make. We have to learn a lesson from this, that we can't come out not ready to play."
norcalnick: Prior to Wisconsin, I was interested in seeing if this year's squad was more ready to compete with the type of athleticism UNLV brings to the court. Now I'll just be looking for a renewed focus on playing the type of basketball needed to beat any above average opponent. Even after last week, and even considering what UNLV did to us last year, this is still a home game and Cal is fully capable of defending the Haas.