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Basketball: Just like that, Cal alone in first again
By Jeff Faraudo
Saturday, February 6th, 2010 at 10:17 pm in Basketball, Gameday.
AROUND THE PAC-10
Bears emerge from four-way tie to lead at 7-4, but five teams are 6-5 . . .
– USC 54, Stanford 49: The Trojans (14-9, 6-5) polished off a weekend sweep of the Bay Area schools and avenged a one-point loss last month to the Cardinal (10-13, 4-7), which fell into last place and remained winless in 10 games this season. Pac-10 scoring leader Landry Fields had 27 points and 11 rebounds for Stanford.
– Washington 79, Arizona State 56: Quincy Pondexter and Isaiah Thomas each scored 17 points and the Huskies (16-7, 6-5) knocked the Sun Devils (16-8, 6-5) out of a first-place tie. ASU’s starting five combined to score just 27 points.
– Washington State 78, Arizona 60: The Cougars (15-8, 5-6) got 19 points from DeAngelo Casto to push the Wildcats (12-11, 6-5) out of first place. Derrick Williams scored 16 for UA.
– Oregon State 62, Oregon , 42: The Beavers (10-12, 4-6) completed a season of their in-state rivals and climbed out of the conference cellar, getting 18 points from Omari Johnson. Oregon (12-10, 4-6) shot just 29.8 percent, including 2-for-177 from the 3-PT arc.
– Pac-10 standings: Cal 7-4, Arizona 6-5, Arizona State 6-5, UCLA 6-5, USC 6-5, Washington 6-5, Washington State 5-6, Oregon State 4-6, Oregon 4-6, Stanford 4-7.
– Thursday’s schedule: Washington at Cal; Washington State at Stanford; Oregon at Ariona; Oregon State at Arizona State.
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February 6th, 2010 at 10:27 pm
Not that it means anything in the crazy Pac-10 this year, but Cal has four home games left in the regular season, and their three road games are against the three (currently) bottom teams. I’d say Cal controls their own destiny. If they want it badly enough, they can be the Pac-10 champs for the first time in 50 years. It’s been fun watching the five seniors over the years; I wish them success. Go Bears!
February 6th, 2010 at 10:39 pm
Keep rolling Bears!! You can do it. Pac-10 chams this year.
February 6th, 2010 at 10:55 pm
It wasn’t a full backing into first since Cal hammered UCLA but it wasn’t far off. So now Cal has the WA and AZ schools at home and OR and Stanfurd on the road. It does appear Cal controls its own destiny but this is a wacky, bad year and Cal lost to UCLA at home.
The one thing that looks better now is Cal’s health. MSF and Gutierrez made big contributions.
JF – when was the last time Cal had its full starting line-up, as projected at the start of the season?
February 6th, 2010 at 11:52 pm
Milo,
Cal never had its projected starting line-up, because Kamp has been out all year. While some fans have expressed disappointment in relation to preseason expectations, Kamp was key to those expectations. Without him, the team lost its best interior/high-post passer and its only consistent defensive player inside.
Still, we have what we should be grateful for in any year, the conference lead with seven regular season games left. Go Bears!
February 7th, 2010 at 7:20 am
Kamp was a good player but he is not enough excuse to drop us from a preseason rank of 13 to unranked and really unworthy of the NCAAs at this point.
If the Bears were in Conference USA which only gets one automatic, they would probably finish 4th behind UTEP, Tulsa, UAB and Memphis.
We have to hang our hat on “Someone from the Pac 10 has to go the NCAA, why not us?”
February 7th, 2010 at 8:45 am
Excuse? That ranking was bogus from day one and anyone who looked at the team objectively knew it. But Kamp was a huge loss to a team as weak inside as Cal.
Pac 10 only gets one automatic too.
February 7th, 2010 at 9:12 am
The “expectations” were based on the assumption that our 4 senior starters would improve some compared to last season. I’d say Boykin improved, but Randle, Christopher, and Robertson (while all have shown flashes) have not. The most telling sign being the lack of close victories we did so well in last season.
That said. They each brought it yesterday. I had my worries in the mid second half when the lead shrank exactly how it did in the home loss to UCLA, but they really reasponded.
February 7th, 2010 at 10:18 am
Only the winner of the PAC-10 tournament gets an automatic bid! You mean an at large bid, and your worng! They’ll get two!
February 7th, 2010 at 1:09 pm
Rocko before you tackle the sophisticated analysis of basketball rankings- learn the difference between your and you’re.
According to Sagarin Cal (35) is the only Pac 10 team in the top 50- when the automatic bids are accounted for there is no other Pac 10 Team worthy. Arizona State is #53 but it lost last night.
NO Pac 10 team is ranked in any of the major ratings and in the CBS ratings only Cal (26) is in the top 55 ( wash 56),
Politics and business may want more Pac 10 representation as some fans will be turned off not having a major conference represented by more than one team, but based on merit – one team would be enough.
February 7th, 2010 at 1:35 pm
Steve before you flip out about Rocko’s small typo, check out his point – that you mean at-large bid, not automatic bid. Each conference gets one automatic and any number of at-large bids, so saying conference USA “only gets one automatic bid” has confused the issue.
What I believe Rocko means is we’ll get two teams – which I agree with. One from the Pac-10 tournament and Cal – assuming we don’t win the tournament and have enough wins to qualify.
That’s how we’ll get two – one automatic and one at-large.
But that’s just my opinion, and I don’t plan to mock anyone’s grammar on an online message board and certainly don’t care that you didn’t capitalize Washington.
February 7th, 2010 at 2:08 pm
Pac (un)Ten-able?
February 7th, 2010 at 2:36 pm
I will try to make it simple. The Pac 10 does not currently deserve two teams in the NCAA based on rankings.
February 7th, 2010 at 7:05 pm
It would be very sweet if this team can pull off the Pac 10 title. It really is there for them to grab. They need to taste it and then gobble it up. They can do it. Can’t wait for the last 4 home games. Will have to make the drive down to the farm if they are going to win the league so that’s 5 times we all will be able to root them on.
I really believe this team has it’s best hoops ahead of it.
Can’t wait for thursday.
February 8th, 2010 at 5:39 am
With each nice victory I hope its a signal that we are playing up to potential. Everyone is pretty healthy. There are no games coming up where we should be serious underdogs. If we finish strong we will get a decent seeding in the NCAA.
February 8th, 2010 at 8:06 am
SteveNTexas, it was a typo. I do know the difference between your and you’re. I think we get in if we win the PAC-10 and/or tournament. I also think both AZ & WA could get in if they only lose one more league game. You’re certainly entitled to your opinion, but I believe mine is the correct one. The NCAA selection committee looks more at what you are doing at the end of the season than at the beginning.
February 8th, 2010 at 8:29 am
If Cal finishes 12-6 in the Pac10 but doesn’t win the pac10 tournament, they’ll still go.
I’m not sure they’d deserve to go, but the power conference teams usually get the benefit of the doubt compared to mid majors mostly due to fan support and TV-ratings appeal. Geez, the average power conference school probably has alumni base 10 times the size than the average mid major school. That translates into a lot more tickets sold and eyeballs watching.
February 8th, 2010 at 10:19 am
I think both Steve and Rocko have a point here… Currently, I’d say Cal is the only team deserving of a NCAA bid, but Zona, ASU and UW have had flashes… If Cal (or another team) wins the reg season and conf. tourney there is a reasonable chance that the Pac-10 will only get one bid… If the teams end up being different, two teams in the dance is almost a lock, deserved or not…
Cal has yet to have a full strength roster (and won’t have one) all season. Kamp is a huge loss, as he plays a Gutierez role in the paint, and is a very smart player…
Preseason ranking was bogus from the get go, our starting five could hang with many teams, but the lack of an interior big man and experienced depth on the bench should have tipped off Cal fans all along…
Regardless I’ve had a lot of fun watching this team, esp with all the great personalities they have. Hopefully they finish off strong and get that NCAA bid and conf. title…
Regarding the conf. tourney, I assume #1 team will get a first round bye, as U$C is not participating, anyone know if this is actually the plan, has it been finalized?
February 8th, 2010 at 12:25 pm
I will be satisfied by a Pac 10 championship banner hanging in Harmon, even though past teams may have been better.
February 8th, 2010 at 6:29 pm
Cruzin-
For the Pac 10 tournament, the 8th and 9th place teams will have a play-in game for the 8th seed.
Schedule (all Pacific time)
* Wed., Mar. 10: No. 8 seed vs. No. 9 seed, 6 p.m. FSN;
* Thur., Mar. 11: No. 4 seed vs. No. 5 seed, 12 noon FSN;
No. 8/9 winner vs. No. 1 seed, 2:30 p.m. FSN; No. 3 seed vs. No. 6 seed, 6 p.m. FSN; No. 7 seed vs. No. 2 seed, 8:30 p.m. FSN
* Fri., Mar. 12: Semifinal 1, 6 p.m. FSN; Semifinal 2, 8:30 p.m. FSN
* Sat., Mar. 13 Championship Game, 3:15 p.m. CBS (Pacific time)
February 9th, 2010 at 9:20 am
A banner hanging in Haas (you’re dating yourself if you call it Harmon!) would be nice. 20 years from now no one will remember how bad the pac10 was!
Just like UCLA’s 1994 NCAA championship. That was probably the worst championship team ever and, IIRC, they never played another #1 seed. Unlike Arizona’s 1997 run where they beat three #1 seeds.
February 9th, 2010 at 9:49 am
TakeOff – Thanks for the clarification, that makes more sense…