Bear Territory Thursday: Cal stuns #23 Syracuse in the Garden

     Thursday night was Cal's first real test of their young season after two cupcake games against Kennesaw State and Alcorn State, both which resulted in easy Cal victories. The opponent was #23 ranked Syracuse and the setting was Madison Square Garden, which for Syracuse is sort of a home away from home. Madison Square Garden was overwhelmingly filled with support for Syracuse, and yet Cal was unfazed by the sea of Orange.
   
     The key to Cal's success was pushing the tempo, knocking down open threes, and moving the ball. The Golden Bears did not have a passive approach to the famous 2-3 zone of Syracuse. They instead attacked it relentlessly and sought for every opportunity to push the ball for easy baskets in transition. By doing just this, Cal was able to set themselves up for some easy looks, knocking down 8-19 shots from 3-point range while also totaling 20 assists.
   
      The most amazing part about this game was that Syracuse never really threatened to win. Once Cal had the 34-22 halftime lead, they pretty much coasted the rest of the way for the victory. Every now and then Syracuse made a play that kept them alive, but never enough to actually get one to think they had a shot at coming back. This I think is largely due to Cal sticking to their game plan and not slowing down or playing conservatively.
   
     As a matter of fact, sometimes Cal pushed the tempo when it actually would have been better to slow things down once the game was well in hand. But all the same, they stuck to their game plan of pushing the tempo, and it paid off handsomely in the end, resulting in a 73-59 victory over the Orangemen. Jordan Mathews ended up being the guy who benefited the most from this high tempo style of play, finishing with 22 points on 6-12 shooting from the field and 8-10 shooting from the foul line.
   

                             (via Cal Bears.com---Courtesy: Mollie McClure/McClure Photography)  
   
     On Friday, Cal will face another tough opponent in Texas who is coming off a win against Iowa. Cal will certainly need to once again bring their "A-game" if they are going to win. But whether or not they win that game, they already can feel really good about what kind of team they have going forward.  Especially since they are only going to get better. Go Bears!

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

Bear Territory Thursday: Looking ahead to the 2K Classic

                                          (credit: www.calbears.com) 

     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