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Basketball: Pac-10 Reflections — Week 7
By Jeff Faraudo
Monday, February 15th, 2010 at 3:13 pm in Basketball.
Our weekly cockeyed look at the Pac-10 Conference . . .
– It’s the “easiest” road trip in the Pac-10 this season, yet Cal has only swept both games in Oregon once in the past six years.
– Oregon State, which just completed its first season sweep of Arizona since 1983, hasn’t allowed the Bears to score more than 65 points since Craig Robinson became coach last year.
– Let’s get this straight: OSU snapped a 27-game losing streak at McKale Center two days after shooting 24 percent in a loss at Arizona State. The Beavers are, without question, the screwiest team in the screwiest league in the country.
– Not the bookends you want for your college career: Tajuan Porter scored 93 points in his first three games as an Oregon freshman, hitting 21-for-34 from the 3-point arc. Now a senior, he’s 3-for-16 from 3-point range and has totaled 13 points the past three games.
– Cal is almost certain to be favored in its final five regular-season games. How many of them will the Bears win? We’re guessing four.
– A discussion several of us had earlier today: Who is the Pac-10′s best big man? The shaky consensus . . . maybe USC’s 6-10 sophomore Nikola Vucevic, who averages 11.6 points and 9.8 rebounds.
– The answer to the same question the past few years: Jordan Hill or Jon Brockman in 2009, Kevin Love or Brook Lopez or Ryan Anderson in 2008, Spencer Hawes or Robin Lopez in 2007, Leon Powe in 2006, Ike Diogu or Channing Frye in 2005 . . . you get the idea.
– If Jerome Randle hadn’t deservedly won Pac-10 Player of the Week today, a legitimate choice would have been teammate Jamal Boykin, who totaled 38 points, 22 rebounds and shot 13-for-18 in the two victories. The best weekend of his Cal career.
– Why coaches go gray: Ken Bone’s Washington State Cougars led by 18 points in the second half at Stanford and 11 at halftime at Cal . . . and lost both games. Ouch.
– The number of seasons since 1946-47 that UCLA (11-13) has been two games below .500 on Feb. 15: One . . . until now.
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February 15th, 2010 at 6:03 pm
Hi JF:
Here’s an interesting historical stat for someone to research.
“The Pac ’10′ stands for 10 losses in 2010″.
Do you think it might be true that this year will be the first time in league history that ALL Pac 10 schools have amassed at least 10 losses on the season?
6 schools already have double digit losses, USC has 9, and Cal, ASU, and UW have 8 losses, so unless one of these last 3 teams somehow wins out the rest of the regular season AND wins the Pac 10 tourney, then it is a sure thing, since it’s completely unfathomable to think all these teams will not earn a season ending loss in the tourney.
Although…. I suppose a Pac 10 team *could* end the season with a win in the NIT Final. And, come to think of it, USC won’t be able to earn a loss in the Pac 10, NIT, or NCAA tourney…
Nonetheless, it’s gotta be a first when it happens, no?
February 15th, 2010 at 9:37 pm
Hey Jeff,
Any ideas as to why the Stanford game in a few weekends isn’t being televised? Cal may end up clinching the regular season title in that game, and the vast majority of fans look to be shut out. I know the home team holds the television rights generally. What’s your take?
Keep up the great work! I really appreciate all of the extra effort that goes into the blog.
February 16th, 2010 at 2:34 am
Echoing Otro Dan’s thoughts, any idea when a game time will be announced for the Cal game at the Farm? And what are some of the options for a start time?