BearTalk

TIPOFF: Cal (22-8, 13-5 Pac-12) vs. Colorado (18-12, 6-12) at Galen Center in Los Angeles, Thursday, 5 p.m.

GAME THEME: The second-seeded Bears open Pac-12 tournament play with a quarterfinal matchup vs. the No. 10 Buffaloes, who knocked off No. 7 Utah 55-41 in a first-round game Wednesday . . . Cal beat CU twice this season, rallying from a 12-point second-half deficit to win 68-55 in Boulder, Colo., on Jan. 12, then routing the Buffs 68-43 in Berkeley on Feb. 25 . . . The winner advances to Friday’s semifinal against either No. 3 USC or Washington State.

NOTES: Cal junior guard Layshia Clarendon, a first-team all-Pac-12 pick, averaged 16.5 points in two wins over CU . . . Chucky Jeffery, a 5-10 junior guard, leads the Buffaloes with a 15.4 scoring average. A first-team all-conference selection, she scored at a 19.5 ppg clip in two games vs. the Bears . . . Colorado opened the season with a 12-0 record, including 11 nonconference wins, then lost four of five.