The regular season tips off for Cal on Friday night against Alcorn State as part of the 2K Classic. In this event, money will be raised for the Wounded Warrior Project, and Cal will travel to Madison Square Garden in New York City to face Syracuse and either Iowa or Texas, depending on the results. There are two regional games before the Golden Bears travel to New York City. Alcorn State is Friday as was previously mentioned and Kennesaw State is on Sunday.
Even though it's early in the season, I think there is a lot that Cal can learn over the course of this week long event. Getting a chance to face a Syracuse team that is ranked in the Top 25 this early in the season is great for Cal because it really lets them know where they stand in relation to the best teams in the country. As a bonus, win or lose, they will get to face a second Top 25 team since Iowa and Texas are also ranked in the Top 25.
In addition, this event lets Jabari Bird know where he stands in relation to the nation's best players. There is a lot of hype surrounding Jabari Bird, and it will be good for him to know early on in the season just how good he really is and how far he still needs to go. This can also be said for Tyrone Wallace and David Kravish, but I think that right now we know how good they can be and how good they should be. Jabari Bird we still don't really know where his ceiling is and so this week will be the first measuring stick of the year, making it a very important week.
Another key thing that Cal can learn in this week is what kind of team they are. Are they an inside-out team, are they a perimeter team, are they a pick and roll team, or are they something else entirely? Will they have to rely on their top four players (Bird, Mathews, Kravish, and Wallace) to win against the best teams in the country or can they trust their bench? While these questions won't be fully answered over this coming week, we should still have a better feel for what kind of team we should expect to see.
Lastly, this week will be an early test to see how Cal can handle the big stage. Playing under the bright lights of New York City in Madison Square Garden on ESPN 2 against Top 25 teams is as big as it is going to get until March in terms of exposure and national attention. There will be much more high pressure games later in the year like the games against Stanford and Arizona, but none of those games have the feel of a game at Madison Square Garden. You cannot replicate that feeling anywhere else.
Overall, I'm looking forward to the 2K classic. I've got my season tickets, so I'll be present at the regional games on Friday and Sunday. I'm excited to see what kind of team Cal has and how they stack up against two teams that are both ranked in the Top 25. This should be a fun and beneficial week for the team win or lose.
---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @nba_lord
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