Bear Territory Thursday: Could Cal be better than last year?

   
     Before the season started, I thought that Cal was going to have a drop off from last season. It wasn't that I didn't believe in the team or didn't have faith, it just had to do with who was no longer on the team.

     Last season, Cal was led by Justin Cobbs and Richard Solomon. Cobbs averaged 15.6 points and 5.8 assists per game and Solomon averaged 11.0 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. Both guys were truly the heart and soul of the team even though they had talented players around them like Tyrone Wallace, Jabari Bird, and David Kravish. When Cal needed a basket in crunch time, Justin Cobbs was there to make a play. When Cal needed to make a big stop defensively, Richard Solomon was patrolling the paint ready to grab a rebound.

     With them now playing professionally, I wasn't sure if Cal had anybody who could fill their shoes. But now it looks like Cal does thanks to the emergence of Tyrone Wallace as a superstar. Wallace is averaging 19.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.3 steals per contest and in the process is willing to takeover games in crunch time. In addition, David Kravish, Jabari Bird, Sam Singer, and Jordan Mathews are all improved players from last year.

     The combination of Wallace's sensational play, the improvement of players around him, and Cal's fantastic 8-1 start has me thinking that perhaps this year's team is better than last year's team. I know it's early in the season and also that Cal has had some shaky wins, but the wins over Nevada and Wyoming this past week were really solid. Cal certainly seems likely to be 10-1 when #5 Wisconsin comes to town on the 23rd and should Cal stun Wisconsin, there will be absolutely no reason for Cal to not be ranked in the Top 25, which is something that last year's team never accomplished.

     Right now, Tyrone Wallace is doing more than Justin Cobbs was doing last year, and given that basketball is such a star driven sport, that in and of itself is enough of a reason to say that Cal has a better team this year. In addition, the freshmen from last year (Jabari Bird, Sam Singer, Jordan Mathews, and Kameron Rooks) all have a year under their belts, making them more mature and ready to contribute. The only real knock on this year's team is that they don't have as much size up front as last year, but actually, the emergence of freshman center Kingsley Okoroh has surprisingly given this team a more sound presence in the paint than anticipated.

     I know we have a long way to go in the season and that there is still plenty of basketball to be played before the final verdict is in, but right now I believe that Cal has a better basketball team than last season. Don't at all be surprised if instead of making a deep run in the NIT, you see Cal making a deep run in the NCAA tournament. They might actually be that good. Go Bears!

---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @nba_lord