Cal MBB Loses Ninth Straight to Oregon, 66-53

Coming into tonight’s affair at Haas Pavilion, the California Golden Bears men’s basketball team had matched an eight-game losing streak that occurred during the 1991-92 campaign. After a 66-53 defeat at the hands of the Oregon Ducks, that skein has reached a dispiriting nine. Cal held a 48-15 all-time record against the Ducks at home but now drops to 7-16 overall while Oregon is 15-7. Forget well-reasoned logic! I’m channeling some blues music instead.

Bang, Bang, Bang!

Performed by John Lee Hooker

Bang-bang-bang-bang

You shot me right down

The Ducks made 11 of their first 16 shots en route to 9-0 and 30-16 leads. They ended at 55% from the field overall. The Bears had a whopping 60 attempts in the contest compared to Oregon’s 38 but could only convert 33% from the floor. That helps explain why the extra scoring opportinities and a +1 turnover margin were for naught. Wyking Jones’ squad wanted no part of charity either, going 9-20 on free throws.

Everyday I Have The Blues

Performed by B.B. King

Everyday, everyday I have the blues

When you see me worryin’ baby

Yeah it’s you I hate to lose

I do hate watching Cal lose, especially when games get off to poor starts from the opening tip. Oregon entered with a 4-4 conference record but never trailed at any point. Even when the effort is there for the Bears, the execution is often lacking. I had to admire Darius McNeill stealing the ball from MiKyle McIntosh late in the first half, but he followed that up by blowing a fast break layup. Soon Oregon possessed a 34-21 edge and it was already an uphill climb. A couple of possessions later, Marcus Lee carelessly tossed a pass that Payton Pritchard was able to pick off. Lee had a strong showing over the weekend at USC but struggled overall in this one.

Help Me

Performed by Sonny Boy Williamson

You got to help me, baby

I can’t do it all by myself

The referees inserted themselves into the action early, pinning Justice Sueing with a third foul that was utterly laughable. It resulted from a simple missed dunk by Victor Bailey, Jr. Given that Sueing has been perhaps the story of this season for California, the fans at Haas were dealt another bad hand. Cal was called for 22 fouls all told compared to 17 for Dana Altman’s team. That foul trouble gave Roman Davis a chance to play 10 minutes.

Juhwan Harris-Dyson did make a nice feed to McNeill for a layup before the horn which cut the Oregonians’ lead to 8. It was 34-26 at the half as Troy Brown led all scorers with 8 points. Unfortunately, McNeill would end up shooting 3-16 over the course of the game.

You Can’t Lose What You Never Had

Performed by Muddy Waters

You can’t spend what you ain’t got

You can’t lose some little girl you ain’t never had

The second half began with a thud, with a steal leading to fast break points for Troy Brown. The Ducks made it 6-12 on threes (the final tally was 8-15) when Bailey hit a corner trey. At least Oski became a source of some comic relief by acting silly next to Pac-12 Networks commentator Bill Walton. Kingsley Okoroh put home an emphatic dunk as Cal trailed 40-30.

One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer

Performed by John Lee Hooker

One bourbon, one scotch, and one beer

Hey mister bartender come here

I want another drink and I want it now

Cal would make things a bit interesting at 43-37 and then Nick Hamilton pulled down a Paul White miss, but Harris-Dyson got his pocket picked. Hamilton returned the favor against Bailey, but Cole Welle would end up missing both free throws after he was fouled. McIntosh’s slam would push the deficit back to 8. He would grab a game-high 11 rebounds before all was said and done.

The Golden State Warriors had some personnel in the house, including associate coach Mike Brown (father of Elijah) and GM Bob Myers. As they looked on, Don Coleman nailed a deep three and suddenly the scoreboard read 47-42 Ducks. The recently suspended Coleman also got a crazy running layup to go and converted the additional foul shot. He would lead Cal with 16 points while Sueing finished with 12. Just as quickly, Elijah Brown took the air out of the balloon with another three-pointer. There was also the matter of one phantom infraction against Welle.

It Hurts Me Too

Performed by Elmore James

When things go wrong, so wrong with you

It hurts me so, it hurts me too

Near the end of the game, Cal went 1-10 from the field, removing any real threat that they would complete the comeback. Then again, a taste of hope followed by disappointment is nothing new to fans who have sat through the likes of the Wichita State matchup. Okoroh fouling out with 3:36 to play was the icing on a terrible tasting cake. Oregon punctuated the game with a fast break dunk from Troy to Elijah Brown and soon afterward was able to dribble out the clock.