BearTalk

Conventional wisdom says the Golden Bears, winners of seven of eight and the outright Pac-10 regular-season champs, can exhale this week at the Pac-10 tournament.

They’re already a lock for the NCAA Tournament, after all. Right?

Asked if the Bears have a different mindset for this year’s event, Pac-10 Player of the Year Jerome Randle said, “Not at all, we’re going in to win it. We don’t want to be on the bubble in the NCAA tornament. We want to know we’re in it.”

“I just believe as a competitior, there’s a championship to win,” Patrick Christopher said. “That’s what we’re going for. We’re going in to win the whole thing.” 

Cal, which faces Oregon today at the Staples Center, is playing in the Pac-10 tournament for the first time as a No. 1 seed.

“Ernie Kent said something about they’re going to win the Pac-10 tournament,” Randle said of the Oregon coach. “I kind of took it as a challenge. You just can’t go in with the attitude that you’re unstoppable. Anything can happen.”

“I think everybody is playing for an opportunity to make the NCAA tournament,” Christopher said. “With that being said, I still think we need to come in with an aggressive attitude, knowing we do have a target on our back.”

SAFETY IN NUMBERS: Facing the prospect of playing three games in three days, coach Mike Montgomery acknowledges depth is not the Bears’ greatest ally.

“It’s a game by game and three games in a row will be tough on us, maybe not as tough on others, just given the the depth situation we have,” he said.

The Bears expect to have reserve center Max Zhang back after two weeks on the shelf with a collapsed lung. Less certain is the status of sixth-man and sometimes starter Jorge Gutierrez, who sprained his left ankle late in Saturday’s win at Stanford. Montgomery said Gutierrez is day-to-day. A smart bet is Monty won’t risk Gutierrez’s health for the NCAA Tournament.

OREGON SCOUT: The Ducks have won four of five and senior guard Tajuan Porter, who has struggled much of the season, suddenly has found his rhythm. He’s averaging just 12.7 ppg for the season, but is at 21.4 over the past five games. Figure Patrick Christopher to draw the defensive assignment.

“This guy just kept grinding through,” coach Ernie Kent said after Porter scored 32  points in the Ducks’ overtime win over Washington State. “Not only did he score points but he settled that team down in overtime. I’ve seen him play better, but I’ve never seen him play tougher, to just will us through.”

PREVIOUSLY: Cal won both regular-season matchups with the Ducks. The Bears routed Oregon 89-57 on Jan. 21 in Berkeley, led by 21 points from Patrick Christopher — all in the first half. Theo Robertson added 18 points as five Cal players scored in double digits. Oregon shot 1-for-18 from the 3-point arc in the game. The Bears won the rematch 64-49 at Eugene,Ore., on Feb. 20, as Jerome Randle and Robertson each scored 16. The Ducks were 1-for-11 from 3-PT in this one, meaning they are 2-for-29 against the Bears this season.

THE SERIES: Cal leads the all-time series 89-57 and has won four straight against the Ducks.

COMING ATTRACTIONS: Cal’s four high school signees have been busy in their state playoffs this week. Guard Gary Franklin of top-seeded Santa Ana-Mater Dei HS scored 29 points Tuesday night, leading the Monarchs (30-1) to a 90-65 win over Clovis-Buchanan HS in the opening round of the CIF Southern California Division I playoffs. Mater Dei, ranked sixth nationally by MaxPreps, faces Moreno Valley-Rancho Verde HS tonight . . . Los Angeles-Price HS (30-3), featuring Cal recruits Allen Crabbe and Richard Solomon, got a first-round bye in the SoCal Division IV tournament and plays tonight against Westlake Village-Oaks Christian HS . . . Alex Rossi and New Trier HS (22-5) of Winnetka, Ill., saw their season end after a 42-40 loss to Maine South in the Illinois 4A Niles West sectional semifinals.

MISCELLANY: With 1,744 career points, Randle enters the Pac-10 tournament just 32 points behind Cal’s all-time scoring leader, Sean Lampley, who totaled 1,776 career points . . . Christopher has climbed to No. 6 all-time with 1,633 points, 22 points behind Kevin Johnson . . . Oregon senior Tajuan Porter included three 3-pointers in his 32-point performance against Washington State, pushing his career total to 341. He is one behind former Arizona star Salim Stoudamire, the Pac-10 recordholder with 342 . . . Oregon coach Ernie Kent is 11-5 all-time in the Pac-10 tournament with a pair of titles. Mike Montgomery is 7-7, including 0-1 with the Bears . . . Oregon has used 18 different starting lineups this season.

TIPOFF: 2:40 p.m.
WHERE: Staples Center, Los Angeles.
TV: CSNBA
RADIO: 1550-AM

PROBABLE LINEUPS

CAL (21-9, 13-5)
Starters                                 Ht   Yr   Pts   Rebs
SF Theo Robertson                    6-6   Sr.  13.8  4.7
PF Jamal Boykin                        6-8  Sr.   11.7  6.7
SF Omondi Amoke                     6-7  So.    4.5  4.6
SG Patrick Christopher              6-5  Sr.   16.0  5.5
PG Jerome Randle                    5-8  Sr.   18.7  4.5*

Key reserves
G Jorge Gutierrez                       6-3  So.  5.5  3.1
C Markhuri Sanders-Frison          6-7  Jr.   3.4  3.3
G Nikola Knezevic                      6-3  Sr.   2.1  0.4

Oregon (16-15, 7-11)
Starters                             Ht   Yr   Pts   Rebs
SF  E.J. Singler                      6-6  Fr.   6.2    4.3
PF Jeremy Jacob                    6-8  So.  7.8    4.8
SG LeKendric Longmire          6-5  Jr.   7.2    4.0
SG Tajuan Porter                  5-6  Sr.  12.7    2.6
PG Malcolm Armstead          6-0   So.  10.3   4.4*

Key reserves
C Michael Dunigan               6-10  So.   9.1  4.9
G Teondre Williams               6-4   So.  6.6  2.5
G Matthew Humphrey           6-5   So.   5.5  2.4
* – Assists