BearTalk

At 30-5 this season, mighty Duke has assembled its 11th season of at least 30 victories since Mike Krzyzewski took over the program in 1980-81.

The Blue Devils have reached 10 Final Fours since then, and won three national titles.

Cal (24-10) won a national title — in 1959. Has made it to the Final Four once more since then — that was in 1960. Yes, 50 years ago.

Few programs can compare to Duke, but Jerome Randle knows the Golden Bears don’t have to overcome all that daunting history today in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Jacksonville, Fla. They merely have to be the best team for 40 minutes today.

Asked his impressions of Duke, Randle said, “One thing about film, you see them do a lot of great things, a lot of highlights, which is good for us because you never really know what players are capable of until you step on the court and guard their first move,” Randle said.

You get the feeling he thinks that works both ways.

Senior Theo Robertson said the Bears are excited, not anxious.

“Obviously, the history speaks for itself. But we feel we have a good basketball team and we’re playing fairly well right now. And it’s something we feel we can do,” when asked about what it would mean to beat the Blue Devils. “We have a lot of confidence in the fact that we’ve played No. 1 teams already this year, in playing Kansas, playing Syracuse … away from home.

“Everyone is just really excited, with their legacy, the way they’ve been playing this year. We’re excited for the opportunity.”

 Duke, in fact, will be the third team seeded No. 1 in this tournament the Bears have played this season. They lost 95-73 to Syracuse at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 19, then 94-69 at Kansas on Dec. 22.

 Duke may be playing its best basketball of the season right now, but there is no question that’s the case with Cal.

“They don’t really know what we’re capable of,” Randle said.

NO FATIGUE FEARS: Although all five Cal starters played at least 32 minutes in Friday’s 77-62 win over Louisville, no one with Cal has any worries about wearing down today. Theo Robertson, who played 38 minutes, said he only came out when Patrick Christopher was scheduled to take a break, but said during a timeout he didn’t want to rest. So Robertson was pulled instead.

“It never is in my mind. I feel at this time of year, guys want to be out there, they want to try to win games for their team. Because there is no tomorrow,” Robertson said. “If it was up to the players, we’d be in there all day.”

Be careful what you ask for. “We just feel like our best chance to win is with the players we’re playing with, and that’s why we’re here,” Montgomery said. “If I have to play five players 40 minutes and that gives us the best chance to win, that’s what we’ll do.”

ENJOYING THE VICTORY: Asked how he celebrated Friday night’s win over Louisville, Patrick Christopher joked, “Well, I missed a lot of it because I was selected for a (random) drug test, so I was here until about 1:30 or maybe close to 2 (a.m.) because it was so thorough. But I’m sure the team enjoyed the win.”

BLUE DEVILS SCOUT: Just as the Bears have three 1,000-point scorers, Duke features senior Jon Scheyer (1,994 points), junior Kyle Singler (1,681) and junior Nolan Smith (1,051). Singler has led the team in scoring the past five games, averaging 22.4 ppg over that span . . . The Blue Devils convert 38.4 percent from 3-point line and are among the national leaders in 3-point defense, allowing just 27.9 percent. Duke also has great size, led by 7-foot-1 senior center Brian Zoubek, who has grabbed 118 offensive rebounds — 43 more than any Cal player . . . First off the bench are 6-10 brothers Miles and Mason Plumee, who combined to produce 9.4 ppg and 8.3 rpg . . . Duke is 8-0 in neutral-site games this season.

MONTY ON DUKE: “They really defend, they really play hard. They share the ball. They know their roles. They don’t get outside their roles very often. They know who’s supposed to shoot it. They know who’s supposed to rebound it. They’ve got some physicality inside. Zoubek is a monster that sets screens, he goes to the boards and he fouls out. I think it’s pretty standard Duke.”

COACH K ON MONTGOMERY: “Mike is one of the best coaches of all-time, not just at Stanford, but when he started at Montana and when he went into the pros. You get the experience of being in the pros and you learn, like the stuff I’ve had the opportunity to learn being with professional players on an international level (at Olympic team coach). As good a coach as he was, I think he’s better. And you can see with these kids . . . he gives them a little pro style where they can follow their instincts.”

MUM’S THE WORD ON AMOKE: Through 40 minutes of interviews with Montgomery and his players Saturday, on the podium and in the locker room, two words never were spoken: Omondi Amoke. The sophomore forward, suspended indefinitely for violation of undisclosed team rules early this week, is not in Jacksonville and not part of the team’s plans at this point.

FRUSTRATED SANDERS-FRISON: Junior post Markhuri Sanders-Frison entered Friday’s game with 11:22 left in the first half and picked up two fouls within 16 seconds. So he sat. He returned to the court midway through the second half and wasn’t in the game three minutes when he was whistled for No. 3.

“I was just too overly aggressive,” he said of his jostling with Louisville’s 6-9, 260-pound Samardo Samuels. “He can use his strength, but I can’t use mine. It wasn’t a fair fight. C’mon now, my first time playing in the NCAA Tournament and I only play 3 minutes. That’s definitely frustrating.”

THE SERIES: Cal is 2-0 all-time vs. Duke, winning 76-71 in the 1982-83 season opener at the Oakland Coliseum Arena, then claiming the famous 82-77 upset of the two-time defending national champs in the second round of the 1993 NCAA Tournament. Jason Kidd had 11 points and 14 assists — and wound up on the cover of Sports Illustrated — and Lamond Murray set a Cal record with 28 points in an NCAA game. Bobby Hurley and Grant Hill combined for 50 points for the Blue Devils.

MONTY VS. COACH K: Mike Montgomery is 2-0 at Mike Krzyzewski, both wins coming at Stanford. The Cardinal beat Duke 80-79 in the 1999 Coaches vs. Cancer event at Madison Square Garden, them 84-83 on Casey Jacobsen’s last-second shot in the 2000 Pete Newell Challenge in Oakland.

MISCELLANY: Cal improved to 19-15 all-time in NCAA games with its 77-62 win over Louisville in Friday’s tournament opener . . . Duke is 89-30 all-time in the NCAAs with a winning percentage of .748 that is tops nationally among teams with at least 50 games . . . Cal is hoping to reach its first Sweet 16 since 1997 . . . Duke has advanced to the regional semifinals 24 times, including 10 times since the Bears’ most recent appearance . . . Cal’s four senior starters now have combined for 5,745 points . . . A 25th victory would equal the third-most in Cal history, matching the total by the 1947-48 and 1958-59 squads.

TIPOFF: 2:15 p.m. (approximately)
WHERE: Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville, Fla.
TV: CBS
RADIO: 1550-AM

PROBABLE LINEUPS

CAL (24-10, 13-5 in Pac-10)
Starters                                 Ht   Yr   Pts   Rebs
SF Theo Robertson                    6-6   Sr.  14.4  4.7
PF Jamal Boykin                        6-8  Sr.   11.9  6.6
SG Jorge Gutierrez                    6-3  So.    5.4  3.0
SG Patrick Christopher              6-5  Sr.   16.0  5.5
PG Jerome Randle                    5-8  Sr.   18.8  4.4*

Key reserves
F Markhuri Sanders-Frison         6-7  Jr.    3.2   3.0
G Nikola Knezevic                      6-3  Sr.   2.1  0.4
C Max Zhang                            7-2  S0.   3.2  2.4

Duke (30-5, 13-3 in ACC)
Starters                             Ht   Yr   Pts   Rebs
PF Lance Thomas                  6-8  Sr.   4.9   4.7
C Brian Zoubek                   7-1  Sr.    5.3   7.2
SF Kyle Singler                   6-8  Jr.    17.7   7.0
SG Jon Scheyer                  6-5  Sr.   18.4   4.9*
PG Nolan Smith                   6-2   Jr.  17.1   2.9*

Key reserves
F Miles Plumlee                6-10  So.   5.4   5.0
F Mason Plumlee              6-10   Fr.   4.0   3.3
G Andre Dawkins               6-4   Fr.   4.9   1.3
* – Assists