BearTalk

Cal junior Keenan Allen was named to the watch list for  Biletnikoff Award, recognizing the nation’s top wide receiver. Allen caught 98 passes for 1,343 yards and six touchdowns last season.

Named in honor of former Oakland Raiders great Fred Biletnikoff, the award’s early list also includes USC’s Robert Woods, Washington State’s Marquess Wilson, Oregon State’s Markus Wheaton and Arizona’s Dan Buckner. Also on the list is Noel Grigsby of San Jose State.

I sat in on a national teleconference call today with ESPN analyst Dick Vitale, who is beginning his 33rd season in broadcasting.

I asked Vitale about where Mike Montgomery fits in among the nation’s elite coaches and his impressions of Cal’s 2011-12 team. Here’s what the always expansive one had to say:

“First of all, please pass on to Mike . . . I wrote him a letter and sent him my best wishes for a speedy recovery of his surgery for bladder cancer, a disease that has really run rampant on so many good people. It’s great that ol’ Mike is coming back.

“You know, Mike among his peers, and people like myself as well, is one of the great teachers in the game. He’s a teacher. He’s a purist. He loves being in the gym. He likes taking a player, making him a better player and ultimately putting him into a team concept and having him play.

“You’ve got to make the commitment as a team. Kids have to learn. For example, I think one of the biggest adjustments for players, especially when you’re a talented superstar out of high school, is all of a sudden now you might not be option No. 1. You might be option No. 3 or No. 4. How do you handle that? How do you make that adjustment? How do you make that situation a positive and not go into a pout?

“I think Mike does a great job of blending his team to play as a unit. And right now, Cal is going to be right there in the hunt in the Pac-12. I have not seen them, but based on reports I’m getting from people, Cal is going to be right there, knocking on the door. Look at Arizona and UCLA and you certainly can’t count out Washington, but Cal’s going to be right in that mix.”

Cal’s Jorge Gutierrez and Allen Crabbe were left off the Naismith Award’s preseason top-50 watch list, released Monday by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.

The Pac-12 Conference was represented by just three candidates — Reeves Nelson and Josh Smith of UCLA and Terrence Ross of Washington. The Southeastern Conference, by contrast, has 10 players on the list.

For the second straight season, Doug Haller of the Arizona Republic has organized a Pac-12 writers roundtable where we address questions related to the conference.

Participating this season, besides myself and Haller, are Percy Allen of the Seattle Times, Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times and Bob Clark of the Eugene Register-Guard.

Here’s our first roundtable of the 2011-12 season:

– True or false: The Pac-12 is destined for a disappointing season after losing so much talent to the NBA.

Allen: “False. I think 2010, when the Pac-10 sent two teams to the NCAA
Tournament, was an aberration and won’t occur again any time soon. Last season
four conference teams made the 68-team tournament. I predict five will receive
invitations in March, although four is a safer bet.”

Bolch: “True. It’s another hodgepodge of mediocrity, with no team poised to earn
the national spotlight for a third consecutive season. Even the conference
favorites have severe flaws that likely will be exposed during the NCAA
Tournament. UCLA and coach Ben Howland  have shaky wing players. Cal has a nice starting five but questionable depth. Arizona? Two words: Seattle Pacific.”

Clark: “I’m saying false, on the basis that not much is expected, so with the
bar set low, there’s a chance for the league to exceed expectations.”

Faraudo: “False. I think the league has lots of intrigue this season, partly
because traditional powers UCLA, Arizona and Washington saw players defect to
the pros. Cal has great experience, Oregon is coming on and there is plenty of
young talent. I predict a great conference race, where no team avoids losing at
least two or three times.”

Haller: “False. There may not be a Final Four contender among the bunch, but
1-through-8 this conference should be pretty competitive. Outside of the big
four, Oregon, Stanford and Oregon State are poised to make an upper-division
push, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Kevin O’Neill finds a way to keep USC
relevant, even without injured point guard Jio Fontan.”

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CBSSports.com has ranked the top 100 players in college basketball this season and Cal’s Jorge Gutierrez is No. 47 on the list:

47. Jorge Gutierrez (senior guard, California). It’s hard not to love this kid. Terrific work ethic and can do it all for the Bears. — Jeff Goodman.

Allen Crabbe checks in at No. 77 on their list:

77. Allen Crabbe (sophomore guard, California). A lights-out perimeter shooter who needs to develop more versatility in his game this season. — J.G.

Curious that Oakland native and Oregon freshman Jabari Brown, who plays essentially the same wing position as Crabbe, is No. 49 — without having ever played a college game:

49. Jabari Brown (freshman guard, Oregon). Could wind up being Dana Altman’s leading scorer. Strong, athletic and can fill it up. — J.G.

Other top-100 Pac-12 players: No. 23 Terrence Ross, Washington; No. 24 Reeves Nelson, UCLA; No. 42 Josh Smith, UCLA; No. 46 Josiah Turner, Arizona; No. 85 Jared Cunningham, Oregon State; No. 88 Trent Lockett, Arizona State.

Two other players with local roots: No. 84 Damian Lillard (Oakland) Weber State; No. 94 Kevin Foster, Santa Clara.

The full list is here. 

ESPN The Magazine and ESPN.com have released their joint preseason college basketball “Power Rankings,” and they look awfully familiar. Compare them to both the preseason AP top-25 and the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll, and there’s hardly a difference.

Cal is No. 24 in the “Power Rankings,” the same spot it occupies in the AP and coaches polls.

Here are ESPN’s “Power Rankings:”

1. North Carolina
2. Kentucky
3. Ohio State
4. Connecticut
5. Syracuse
6. Duke
7. Vanderbilt
8. Florida
9. Memphis
10. Louisville
11. Pittsburgh
12. Baylor
13. Wisconsin
14. Kansas
15. Xavier
16. Arizona
17. Marquette
18. Alabama
19. Cincinnati
20. UCLA
21. Texas A & M
22. Michigan
23. Gonzaga
24. California
25. Michigan State

The Bears make their 2011-12 debut on Tuesday when they take on UC San Diego in an exhibition game at Haas Pavilion. Tipoff is 7:30 p.m.

The Tritons lost 74-42 at Utah State last Friday, shooting 31 percent from the field and committing 21 turnovers. They feature one local player making a return trip home: junior forward Justin Brue, a Bishop O’Dowd HS grad who averaged 9.2 ppg last season.

We pretty much know what Jorge Gutierrez, Harper Kamp, Allen Crabbe and Brandon Smith bring to the equation. But there are questions.

Here are five things I am most eager to see tonight:

1) How will freshmen forwards David Kravish and Christian Behrens look? Are they players who can make a contribution to this team and provide some much-needed front-court depth?

2) Can walkon center Robert Thurman’s surprising contributions to the Bears’ Euro trip translate back here in the States? Cal has a place for Thurman if he can execute the things they need from him: Rebounding, post defense, finishing at the rim.

3) How will transfer guard Justin Cobbs fit in?  A combo guard who began his college career at Minnesota, Cobbs brings an aggressive, physical element that complements Smith at the point, but I want to get a glimpse of his decision making with the ball in his hands.

4) What improvement will we see from sophomore forward Richard Solomon? Does he have the beginnings of a low-post game? Has he streamlined his game? Will he play like a guy who has been there before? A key man for the Bears, if he has made strides from his rookie season.

5) What kind of reception will coach Mike Montgomery get at Haas four days after his announcement last Friday that he had bladder cancer? My guess: Fans will show the man some love when he comes onto the court pregame.

A reminder that Cal’s 2011-12 team will be on display for the first time when they hold an open practice Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Haas Pavilion. Admission is free.

Fans will get the chance to meet the players following the practice.

Cal faces UC San Diego in an exhibition game Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

Lost in the swirl of attention given Friday to coach Mike Montgomery’s announcement that he faced bladder cancer was the unveiling of the Associated Press’ preseason top-25 poll. The Bears checked in at No. 24.

Arizona and UCLA are ranked No. 16 and 17, respectively.

A few other things you might want to check out:

– Columnist Monte Poole says Montgomery gave us a rare glimpse of the man behind the coach.

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UCLA edged Cal and Arizona for the top spot in one of the closest Pac-12 Conference preseason basketball media polls in memory.

The Bruins earned 14 first-place votes and totaled  421 points. Cal got 13 first-place votes and was second with 405 points. Arizona was next with 11 first-place ballots and just one point back at 404.

Stanford was picked sixth.