Bear Territory Tuesday: Don't forget about Jabari Bird

     A lot of attention has been focused on the impact that Tyrone Wallace, Ivan Rabb, and Jaylen Brown are expected to make on Cal basketball next season. If you have been reading my weekly Cal basketball blog posts or are a follower of Cal basketball, you know exactly why those three players have garnered so much attention. 

     But amid all the hype and attention that has been placed on those three guys,  I feel like Jabari Bird, a McDonald's All-American now entering his junior season, has been lost in the shuffle. He seems to be treated as more of an afterthought since he hasn't lived up to the hype that came with him when he arrived at Berkeley as a freshman. While I would agree that he hasn't lived up to expectations,  I would disagree with any decrease in enthusiasm for what he can bring to this Cal team. 

      I personally believe that Jabari Bird is on the cusp of breaking out and it's just a matter of time before he explodes in the way that Ivan Rabb and Jaylen Brown are expected to this season. Now, what you might be thinking is "We've been waiting for him to explode for two years. Why should this season be any different?" What makes this season different is that he has way more help and other guys to take the pressure off of him. He is no longer the most hyped player on the team which I think will help him focus on playing within himself and playing better basketball from a team perspective. 

     He no longer needs to worry about being the star of the team or being the guy who makes all the big plays. He just needs to worry about making the right plays and letting the game come to him. As he does this I think he will unleash the beast that NBA scouts always thought was in him. I'm not predicting that he'll suddenly become a lottery pick in the 2016 NBA draft, but I do think he'll improve his game a lot and boost up his draft stock in a way similar to what Tyrone Wallace did this past season.  

     If he improves in the way that I think he will, we need to start mentioning him in the same sentence as Ivan Rabb, Jaylen Brown, and Tyrone Wallace. We need to say that we are excited to see what Jabari Bird is going to do as well as what those three guys are going to do. We need to be excited that we have four players who have NBA first round talent. We need to view Jabari Bird, Tyrone Wallace, Jaylen Brown, and Ivan Rabb has a fearsome foursome ready to dominate the Pac-12. 

     Also, just so I don't go about writing another blog post of this nature, this doesn't mean that I'm forgetting about Jordan Mathews, who is also a junior shooting guard with tremendous talent and ability. Jordan is going to be a huge part of this Cal team because of his lethal three point shooting and ability to penetrate and finish at the rim.

      The reason why I'm not telling us to not forget about Jordan Mathews is because I don't think people are forgetting about him. There were many nights last season when Jordan Mathews was the #2 player on the floor for Cal behind Tyrone Wallace. Cal fans are excited about the way Jordan Mathews has developed, but as for Jabari Bird, most Cal fans are disappointed. 

     What I'm hear to tell you is that while it is true that Jabari Bird hasn't lived up to the hype, there's plenty of reasons to believe that he will finally become the player we all thought he would be. He's got a great team around him, a great coaching staff, and much less pressure. All the pieces are there for Jabari Bird to have a breakout season and I can't wait to see how much he surprises everybody! Go Bears! 

---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @nba_lord for NBA news and Cal basketball news 

Bear Territory Tuesday: After landing Jaylen Brown, the sky is the limit for Cal basketball

     Jaylen Brown, a 6'7, 220 pound 5-star small forward from the state of Georgia has committed to Cal. He is a top-five recruit in the country and just like Ivan Rabb, he is projected to be a top-five pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.

Via CalBears.com:  "Brown was named the 2015 Gatorade Georgia Boys Player of the Year, USA Today’s All-USA Georgia Player of the Year, Georgia’s Mr. Basketball and the Class 6A Player of the Year by the Georgia Sports Writers Association, the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association Class 6A North Player of the Year, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Class 6A Player of the Year, and the Marietta Daily Journal Class 6A Player of the Year. He was a consensus First Team 6A All-State selection, and a two-time All-Cobb County Player of the Year as a junior and a senior. Brown was also a consensus All-Cobb County First Team pick each of the past two years.   The elite small forward averaged 28 points and 12 rebounds as a senior to lead Wheeler High School to a 30-3 overall record, a No. 6 national ranking in the final USA Today Super 25 poll, and the school’s first Georgia 6A state title since 2009. Like Rabb, Brown sealed his high school’s state title at the free throw line."

     The news of Tyrone Wallace returning for his senior season already made Cal a national championship contender and a consensus Top-25 team. But after landing Jaylen Brown, Cal is now stacked to the point that there is no reason to doubt this team's ability to win a national championship. With three McDonald's All-Americans (Ivan Rabb, Jaylen Brown, and Jabari Bird) on its roster to go along with Tyrone Wallace, Cal will have one of the most talented teams in the country.

     What's scary is that I haven't even yet mentioned Jordan Mathews, Stephen Domingo, Tyson Jolly, Davon Dillard, Sam Singer, Kameron Rooks, or Kingsley Okoroh. I keep wanting to talk about what they are going to bring to the table, but every week Cal keeps on landing another monster recruit. Perhaps next week I'll be able to do a piece on them in more detail, but what I can say about them as a collective whole is that they bring depth to this Cal team and that is what really makes them so scary.

     If you have a couple of NBA lottery picks on your team, you are automatically a national championship contender, but you can still fall short if you don't have enough depth. Cal won't have an issue with depth at all, especially at the shooting guard and small forward positions. Cuonzo Martin will have a wide array of quality options to turn to at all times, which will allow him to make sure the guys he has on the floor are fresh.

     The only concern I have for this Cal team is whether or not they'll be able to adjust to being the hunted. For so long, Cal has been the team trying to upset the big name schools like Arizona. I can attest from personal experience at Cal games, that the Arizona game has always been the big game of the year because it's Cal's one chance at playing with the big boys. But now, Cal is going to be in the same national championship discussion with the likes of Arizona, Utah, and Kentucky, and I wonder whether or not this team is mentally ready to have those kind of expectations.

     But in truth, that discussion is for another week. What I want to drive home to all of you this week is that Cal has a team that can win a national championship in 2016. The pieces are all there. They have the leadership of quality upperclassmen, the talent, and the depth to win a national title. The only question is whether or not they will deliver. Go Bears!

---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @nba_lord for NBA news 


   

Bear Territory Tuesday: Cal could be SCARY next season

   
     The California Men's basketball team could be SCARY next season. With all this talk about Ivan Rabb, Jaylen Brown, and Caleb Swanigan joining forces at Cal, the word "scary" in all capital letters is about the only way I can describe this without failing to do the hype justice. If you read my write up about Ivan Rabb last week, you already got a good taste of who he is. He's a 6'11, 210 pound 5-star power forward projected to be a Top-Five pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.

     As for the other two guys, they too have tremendous potential. Jaylen Brown is a 6'7, 220 pound small forward who is also projected to be a Top-Five pick in the 2016 NBA Draft and Caleb Swanigan is a 6'8, 275 pound forward, who despite not being a projected Top-Five pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, is still a five-star recruit like Rabb and Brown.

     Cal is looking at the possibility of having three five-star recruits, two of which are projected to be Top-Five picks in the 2016 NBA Draft. If that isn't "SCARY" enough for you, I don't know what is. That's Kentucky and Duke kinda scary. We're not talking NCAA Tournament anymore with Cal if they get these three guys. We're talking Final Four and a possible NCAA championship.

     Let's not forget that Cal already has a commit from 4-star shooting guard Davon Dillard for this upcoming season, two outstanding junior guards in Jabari Bird and Jordan Mathews, and two seven-footers in Kingsley Okoroh and Kameron Rooks. Plus, it's very likely that NBA bound point guard Tyrone Wallace comes back for his senior season.

     If you add these three five-star freshmen, what's not to like about this team? This team would have it all: Size, talent, versatility, depth, and veteran leadership. Even the best of teams sometimes are lacking in one or two of these areas, but Cal would have it all. There really wouldn't be a weakness that teams could easily spot. Cal would have multiple go-to guys, the ability to beat teams inside and out, and also NBA-level talent to hang with the likes of Kentucky, Duke, and Arizona.

     I don't want to count our chickens before they hatch, but I am saying that if the very best possible outcome happens for Cal, which is to land Rabb, Brown, and Swanigan, there's no reason for Cal fans to doubt that they could see their team playing in the Final Four. The only reason for Cal fans to doubt is that they've never seen a Cal team this good before. But if you strip away the uniforms and just look at the roster, this team would have Final Four written all over them. Go Bears!

---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @nba_lord for NBA news. 
   

Bear Territory Tuesday: Five things Cal must do to be successful in Vegas

     The Pac-12 tournament starts on Wednesday and it all starts with #8 seeded Cal squaring off against #9 seeded Washington State at 12:00 PM PST on Pac-12 Networks. Both Cal and Washington State come in with 7-11 records in the conference while also splitting the season series. In addition, the winner of this game will face #1 Arizona in the quarterfinals. There is no way of getting around it. While the road to winning the Pac-12 tournament is tough, I still believe that Cal has a shot to make some magic happen in Las Vegas provided they do five things.

     #1. Cal needs to get quality production from their "core four". If Cal is going to have any shot of winning the Pac-12 tournament this week, they have to get quality production from Tyrone Wallace, Jordan Mathews, Jabari Bird, and David Kravish. They need to get all four of those guys clicking and on the same page. The best barometer for this will be whether or not all four guys are scoring in double figures. If they are, then things are probably going pretty well. If they aren't, then odds are good Cal is heading back to Berkeley empty handed.

     Let me give you an example of what would be a good game for Cal's "core four": Tyrone Wallace has 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. Jabari Bird has 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals. Jordan Mathews has 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists. David Kravish has 13 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 blocks. What makes this a good game, is that all four players are producing and in the flow of the game. Everybody is relying on each other and doesn't have the pressure of having to take over the game.

     On the flip side, here is an example of what would not be a good game: Tyrone Wallace has 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists. Jabari Bird has 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 steal. Jordan Mathews has 10 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists. David Kravish has 8 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks. The problem with this type of box score is there is no balance among all four players. In this instance, Tyrone Wallace is carrying the load and nobody else is really giving him any help.

     Too often, this has been the problem for Cal. They get one of their "core four" players to have a big night and nobody else steps up. When this happens, Cal more often than not loses or at least finds themselves on the verge of losing. Cal could maybe beat Washington State playing like this, but against Arizona and everybody else, they have to get the kind of balance displayed in the first example.

     #2. Cal needs to hit their free throws. A high school basketball coach once told me: "The two most important shots in basketball are layups and free throws." That quote has always stuck with me because it's true. If Cal is going to go far in Vegas, they have to hit their foul shots. Cal has no problem getting to the foul line (especially Tyrone Wallace), but they have a hard time converting their foul shots. Cal needs to target a free throw percentage of at least 70% this week.

     #3. Cal needs to get some help off the bench. Tyrone Wallace, Jabari Bird, Jordan Mathews, and David Kravish may be the guys who have to do all the heavy lifting, but they need to get some help from their bench. Sam Singer is the most likely guy to produce off the bench, but Dwight Tarwater, Christian Behrens, and Brandon Chauca also need to be productive. If the bench for Cal is able to knock down some shots, things will be a lot easier for the starting lineup to do their job. If on the other hand, the bench is ineffective, then Cal will need an above average performance from their starters to compensate.

     #4.  Cal needs to keep teams off the glass. Cal likes to go small a lot, which can work against certain teams in certain scenarios, but they risk giving up a lot of rebounds when they do. If they are going to be successful this week, they have to find ways to win the battle on the glass or at least make it very close. This is why I think 7'1 freshman Kingsley Okoroh has to be a difference maker. He doesn't have to score to make an impact. If he is able to block some shots and grab some boards, he could prove to be invaluable. In addition, David Kravish, Christian Behrens, and Dwight Tarwater will have to really clean up the glass whenever a shot is missed.

     #5. Cal needs to play at a fast tempo. Cal plays best when they are running up and down the floor at a fast pace since they have a lot of guys who love to play in the fast break. Sam Singer, Tyrone Wallace, Jordan Mathews, and Jabari Bird are all fantastic fast break players. If they can get out on the fast break a lot, things should be going well. If on the other hand, they find themselves in the half court, there could be trouble. If Cal is going to be successful at getting out on the fast break, they're going to have to get a lot of rebounds off the defensive glass.

    ---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @nba_lord for NBA news

Bear Territory Tuesday: Cal has to get everybody on the same page

     Cal lost their second meeting with Stanford on Saturday by the score of 72-61, giving Stanford a 2-0 sweep of the season series. Stanford as a result improves to 17-9 overall and 8-6 in the Pac-12 while Cal falls to 16-11 overall and 6-8 in the Pac-12. Cal needs to rebound quickly from Saturday's loss and get ready for a really tough four game stretch to finish the season.
 
     Cal's remaining schedule goes as follows: Wednesday, February 25 vs. Oregon (10-5) at 8:00 PM PST on ESPNU. Sunday, March 1 vs. Oregon State (8-7) at 12:00 PM PST on Pac-12 Networks. Thursday, March 5 at #7 Arizona (12-2) at 6:00 PM PST on ESPN2. Saturday, March 7 at Arizona State (7-7) at 11:30 AM PST on Pac-12 Networks.

    Cal's remaining schedule is very daunting: All four schools are ahead of Cal in the conference standings, two of the four remaining schools (Oregon and Oregon State) are schools that Cal hasn't yet faced, one of the games (@Arizona) is almost a guaranteed loss, and at a minimum Cal has to win three of their remaining four games.

     Cal is really behind the 8-ball and what's scary is that their present situation looks way better than anything we could have imagined after their hideous 1-6 start in the Pac-12. Cal was on the cusp of complete self-destruction and now they've at least restored a sense of dignity and pride. However, dignity and pride does't get you into the NCAA tournament. Playing good basketball does, and that's what Cal has to do in each and every game they play from here on out.

     The biggest problem for Cal all season has been their inability to get everybody on the same page. David Kravish for example had a career game against Stanford, posting 23 points and grabbing 12 rebounds, while Tyrone Wallace only had 11 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 assists. Cal won't win any of their remaining games if only one or two of their key players play well while the rest of the team goes stupid. Cal really needs all of its players to step up. Especially Tyrone Wallace, David Kravish, Jabari Bird, and Jordan Mathews.

     The bench of course has to step up, too, but as Cuonzo Martin said in his press conference before the Stanford game, role players aren't expected to come off the bench and be your best players. They're on the bench for a reason and so if the team is going to have success, it has to start with the stars and the bench players have to feed off of their success.

     What's frustrating for Cal is that they have the potential to be a very good team and yet they haven't established any sort of consistency: Tyrone Wallace is one of the best point guards in the country, David Kravish is one of the best big men, Jordan Mathews is one of the best shooters, and Jabari Bird has athleticism and talent that makes NBA scouts drool. If all four guys are playing well at the same time, Cal can beat anybody in the country for the exception of maybe Kentucky and Virginia. The issue is that there hasn't been one game all season in which all four guys played well. It's usually just been Tyrone Wallace and he can't at all be expected to carry the team on his shoulders.

     If Cal wants to win three of their remaining four games and give themselves any hope of winning the Pac-12 tournament, they have to get Wallace, Bird, Mathews, and Kravish playing well together. It's that simple. If those four guys can figure out how to gel and all get the most out of each other, Cal could maybe go on another four game winning streak in Las Vegas. If they can't, they will be praying for a home game in the NIT.

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

Bear Territory Thursday: Looking ahead to Cal's huge game at Stanford

     Cal will travel to Maples Pavilion on Saturday to take on Stanford in a game that is huge for both teams. Cal enters the game 16-10 overall and 6-7 in the PAC-12 while Stanford enters the game 16-9 overall and 7-6 in the PAC-12. Ironically, after it appeared as though both schools were heading in opposite directions, they now find themselves in almost exactly the same position. For Stanford, a win could vault them to a top-four seed in the PAC-12. For Cal, a win gets them back in the mix to maybe land a top-four seed in the PAC-12 tournament.

     The top four seeds in the PAC-12 tournament get first round byes, an advantage that both Cal and Stanford would love to have. Given that Utah and Arizona are locked into the top-two spots and UCLA likely the #3 spot, it's unlikely that Stanford and Cal both get first round byes in the PAC-12 tournament. That's what makes Saturday's game so huge. Both teams are in desperate need of improving their positioning for the PAC-12 tournament and only one of them can get a bye.

     As far as at-large bids for the NCAA tournament are concerned, Cal and Stanford need this win. In order to have a shot at the big dance, Cal needs to win against Stanford on Saturday, hold serve at home the following week against Oregon and Oregon State, and then get a split on the road against Arizona and Arizona State. In addition, they'll also need a strong showing in the PAC-12 tournament, which is why that #4 seed is huge.

     As for Stanford, a loss against Cal would be very bad. Stanford has had the win at Texas as sort of a "signature win" to have in their back pocket, but now that Texas is unranked, that win suddenly doesn't mean as much. In addition, their win over UConn doesn't amount to much since UConn is also unranked and just 14-10 overall. Despite having a stronger start to their season, Stanford appears to be just as much in need of quality wins as Cal.

   
     What helps Cal is that they got the split in the Rocky Mountains by beating Colorado, whereas Stanford got swept by both Colorado and Utah. Cal is coming into this game having won five of their last six games, whereas Stanford is coming into the game having lost four of their last five. Cal definitely has found its groove as of late whereas Stanford appears to have lost theirs.

     A big factor in the polarizing directions that both teams have taken is that Cal sophomore shooting guard Jabari Bird is now healthy after suffering a stress reaction in his foot and Stanford freshman forward Reid Travis is just recovering from a stress reaction in his leg. Bird is finding his groove, scoring 21 points against Utah and 16 points against UCLA, whereas Travis has been held scoreless in the last two games. Both players are important to their respective teams and it has shown in recent games.

     If Cal wants to beat Stanford on Saturday, there are four things they need to do: Get point guard Tyrone Wallace into a groove, get solid production off the bench, keep Stanford off the glass, and slow down Stanford senior point guard Chasson Randle.

     Tyrone Wallace is the heart and soul of this Cal team. He does everything for them. He scores, dishes assists, rebounds, and plays good defense. If he doesn't have a big game, there is no way Cal can win. In addition, if Cal wants to get other players going like Jabari Bird and Jordan Mathews on the wing as well as David Kravish in the post, they need to have Tyrone Wallace attacking the basket and making plays.

     Cal also needs solid production off the bench. When guys like Brandon Chauca, Dwight Tarwater, and Sam Singer get into a rhythm, Cal suddenly has a really scary eight man rotation. When those guys aren't on their game, Cal really struggles since they start asking a lot from their starting five.

     Keeping Stanford off the glass will be huge. Reid Travis who I mentioned is a banger inside as is  Stanford center Stefan Nastic. Cal has had problems defending inside, so it will be huge for them to grab as many rebounds as they can, limiting the opportunities for those guys to get buckets inside.

     Last but certainly not least, Cal has to make sure Chasson Randle doesn't have a big game. In a press conference regarding Saturday's game, Cal head coach Cuonzo Martin said about Chasson Randle: "He hits big shots. We need to limit his touches, play him aggressive, and fight through those ball screens."  Martin recognizes that keeping Randle quiet is key and they have to especially lock down on him in crunch time.

     As for what Stanford needs to do to win this game, they need to make sure Cal doesn't succeed at doing the things I said they need to do. If Stanford can keep Tyrone Wallace quiet, limit Cal's bench production, dominate on the glass, and have Chasson Randle steal the show, they'll win the game. It's that simple.

     As far as what my prediction is, I think Cal is going to win. I'm not just saying that because I'm a Cal graduate and a passionate fan. I'm saying that because of the recent trends I've seen from both teams over the last five games. Cal has their swagger back and has a ton of confidence coming into this game. The same cannot be said for Stanford, who is limping into this game.

     While it is true that Stanford will be extra motivated to defend their home floor, I do believe that Cal has just as much motivation given that they lost to Stanford at home earlier this year. Cal wants to get some revenge and if anything hurt Stanford's NCAA tournament resume. The motivation is there for both teams to win, and so I'm going with Cal because they come into this game with more momentum and confidence. Go Bears!

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

Bear Territory Tuesday: Why is the Cal Men's Basketball team struggling?

     You won't find a more schizophrenic team in college hoops right now than the California Golden Bears. One night they are playing an elite Wisconsin team tough and the next night they lose to a 2-10 CSU-Bakersfield team that plays in a very weak WAC conference. That same schizophrenic play continued this past weekend when Cal defeated #21 ranked Washington before falling to a very weak Washington State team. 

     The easy answer to diagnosing Cal's inconsistent play is that they don't have Jabari Bird healthy, but that feels more like a cop-out than it does a legitimate diagnosis. Jabari Bird is expected to be back from his stress fracture injury in less than two weeks and possibly as soon as the Stanford game on the 14th, and I am not at all confident that his return will cure Cal's up and down play. 

     I don't deny that Jabari Bird's absence has hurt this team. He's the third scoring option behind Jordan Mathews and Tyrone Wallace who both are having a hard time getting solid offensive production out of anybody else on the team including senior power forward David Kravish. I get all of that. I also understand that Bird has tremendous upside and that it may only be a matter of time before he explodes into a lottery pick in the NBA draft. Losing a guy like that really hurts a team like Cal, who quite honestly doesn't have much talent outside of their starting five. 

     But as I stated above, there is more to Cal's woes than just Jabari Bird's absence. There seems to be an apathy on the team that has the tendency to show up at the beginning of games.  I don't know why, but at the beginning of every game, Cal gets off to these really slow starts in which they struggle to score the basketball and get into an offensive rhythm. 

     One thing I've noticed is that is that teams are using zones and it takes Cal a while to figure them out. CSU-Bakersfield for example used a zone as did Princeton and both times it was very effective against Cal. The goal of a zone defense, if done properly is to defend the perimeter and force teams to beat you from the outside. 

     Since Cal's only reliable three-point shooter is Jordan Mathews, it makes sense that a zone would be effective against them. Especially when guys like Sam Singer and Roger Moute a Bidias resort to jacking up threes instead of driving and attacking the basket. The zone also appears to lull Tyrone Wallace to sleep and make him play more passively, keeping him out of the lane and making him pass the ball to those guys who can't shoot well. So all across the board, the zone is certainly giving Cal trouble. 

     But the biggest problem that I've noticed hasn't been Cal's offensive play, as poor as that has been. It has actually been Cal's poor defense, especially on the interior. Cal's defense on the perimeter is pretty solid. Tyrone Wallace, Roger Moute a Bidias, and Sam Singer are all fantastic perimeter defenders, but inside Christian Behrens and David Kravish are having a hard time playing defense. 

     If there is a common link between the CSU-Baksersfield loss and the Washington State loss, it is that Cal got murdered in the paint like King Duncan in Macbeth. Washington State power forward Josh Hawkinson had 18 points and 13 rebounds against them and CSU-Bakersfield center Aly Ahmed had 19 points and 10 rebounds against them. Cal's inability to stop both players is what ultimately did them in and in my opinion is the biggest reason why they lost. 

     David Kravish has a track record of playing good defense inside, but Christian Behrens on the other hand doesn't have that same track record and he unfortunately is undersized for a power forward, which makes it difficult for him to play defense. This is why I think Cuonzo Martin needs to play freshman center Kingsley Okoroh more, who stands at 7'1 and has actually played well defensively in the paint.

      Does playing Kingsley Okoroh more solve Cal's interior defensive woes? It may not totally get rid of the problem, but I think it would alleviate the problem substantially. Against CSU-Bakersfield Okoroh only played 10 minutes and against Washington State he played only 15 minutes. Given that Kingsley Okoroh and David Kravish are the only legitimate post defenders on the team, it stands to reason that Okoroh has to get more than 15 minutes of action if Cal doesn't want to get killed in the paint. 

     I personally think if his minutes were ramped up to around 25 minutes per game,  Cal would allow a lot fewer points in the paint, which I think would make them a lot better. If he were playing those kind of minutes against CSU-Bakersfield and Washington State, Aly Ahmed and Josh Hawkinson would not have had the kind of success that they did, which likely means Cal wins both games. 

     If Cal wants to have success on this week's road trip @USC (1/7) and @UCLA (1/11), they have to make sure they don't get killed in the paint. The way to make sure that doesn't happen is to play Kingsley Okoroh more and possibly start him. He's a 7'1 center with a knack for blocking shots which is what they need more of. Giving him more minutes doesn't solve all of their problems, but it should prevent teams from having so much success inside. 

     USC and UCLA are not impressive this year and Cal on paper has way more talent than either team. But both UCLA and USC have guys who can kill Cal inside, which is why I'm worried. USC has a kid named Nikola Jovanovic who as I recall gave Cal trouble inside last year and UCLA has a kid named Kevon Looney who can be a handful inside. If those guys both go off against Cal, Cal will likely lose both games. If Cal can contain them and keep them pinned below or right at their season averages, then Cal will likely win. It's that simple. 

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

     

     

Bear Territory Tuesday: We learned nothing from Cal's loss to Wisconsin

     Cal had its biggest game of the season on Monday night when the #6 ranked Wisconsin Badgers came to Haas Pavilion. I arrived at Haas Pavilion 5 minutes into the game partly due to getting held up at the Bart Station. My ticket did not have enough money on it to allow me through the turnstiles and so I had to make the necessary payments to get through. After running back and forth across the downtown Berkeley Bart station to get a new ticket, which I later threw away thinking it was the other ticket, I eventually left the station and arrived at Haas Pavilion.
   
     When I finally got to my seat, I found myself in an environment that I hadn't experienced at Haas Pavilion since the game against #1 ranked Arizona last year. The building was absolutely electric and buzzing. Without even knowing who Cal was playing, you could sense that it was a game with something much more on the line than the other games played this season.
   
     Cal started off really slow and struggled to find their groove early on in the game. Only Tyrone Wallace appeared to be comfortable under the bright lights from the very beginning. Wisconsin simply outplayed Cal in the first half. They dominated in the paint, they got good looks from beyond the arc, etc. The play that capped it all off was a play at the very end of the first half in which Wisconsin executed a beautiful backdoor play, with one Wisconsin player hitting a cutting teammate for an And-1 opportunity. It was at that moment that I realized we were not in Kansas anymore. Wisconsin was at a whole other level, taking Cal completely by surprise while in the process taking a 32-20 lead into the half.

     The second half was much better for Cal. Jordan Mathews finally woke up and gave Tyrone Wallace some much needed help, hitting some jump shots and getting to the lane for some baskets inside. Unfortunately for Cal, the hole they dug themselves into during the first half was too much for them to overcome, but to their credit they didn't go down without a fight. Rather than letting Wisconsin win by 20 or 30 points, Cal played Wisconsin to a 36-36 tie in the second half, losing only by 12 points by the final score of 68-56. Tyrone Wallace finished the game with 17 points and 7 rebounds and Nigel Hayes led Wisconsin with 17 points and 13 rebounds.

     If you are a Cal fan reading this, you probably have your own conclusions about what this loss means for Cal and what we should take away from this loss. I will share with you what my main conclusion is and you are free to agree or disagree. My conclusion is that we really didn't learn anything about Cal.  You are probably asking yourself upon reading this "Why am I reading a blog post that says we didn't learn anything? That's why I'm reading this blog post!" This is a fair question to ask, so let me explain what I mean by this.

     Going into this game there were a ton of questions about where Cal fits in the big picture of college basketball. Are they a Top 25 team? Are they an NCAA tournament caliber team? Are they as good as their record or is their record inflated due to a string of easy opponents? None of those questions were answered after Monday night's loss. I repeat none of them!

     In terms of whether or not Cal is a Top 25 team, we still don't know. A lot of teams in the Top 25 would go down to Wisconsin by 12-16 points and we would still consider those teams worthy to be in the Top 25. Wisconsin is more than a Top 25 team. They are a serious threat to win the National Championship. They backed up their #6 ranking as I think most of us thought they would. Losing to a team that is ranked as high as Wisconsin is nothing to be ashamed of. Especially when you play them as close as Cal did.

     In addition, Cal was without their sophomore starting shooting guard Jabari Bird, who is currently dealing with a stress fracture in his left foot. With him being out, it really wasn't realistic to expect Cal to win the game. Would Cal have defeated Wisconsin with Jabari Bird healthy? Probably not, but it is certainly conceivable given the fact that Cal only lost by 12 points. Therefore, it really isn't fair to judge this loss too harshly.

     Are they a legitimate NCAA tournament caliber team? I think they have what it takes to get to the tournament, but let's keep in mind that Cal knocked off #1 ranked Arizona last year and still failed to reach the NCAA tournament. That fact alone teaches us that one game against a national title contender win or lose doesn't determine your NCAA tournament status.

     I suppose had they gotten crushed by 40 points that would have been a bad thing, but nobody expected that. The betting line on the game was Wisconsin by 10 points and the game more or less went just as the guys down in Vegas thought it would go. The win over Syracuse told us that Cal has a very good team that should be able to compete in the PAC-12 and make a push for the NCAA tournament. Nothing from the loss to Wisconsin should change that belief.

     In terms of are they as good as their record indicates (10-2), once again we don't know. They've played a lot of close games against some mid-major schools like Montana, Princeton, and Wyoming, but to their credit Cal won those games. We can't knock them for almost losing when they exhibited a lot of toughness and determination to get those wins. There's a lot more good to take away from those close wins then there is bad.

     In conclusion, we learned nothing from Cal's loss to Wisconsin. One could say we learned that Tyrone Wallace can step up his game against big time competition, but that really shouldn't have come as a surprise judging by how he played against Princeton, Syracuse, and Nevada. One could also say we learned that David Kravish is in a funk and that Cal needs him to be successful, but this we already knew going into the game. He hasn't played particularly well all year and this game was just another data point on that map.

     Lastly, one could also say we learned that Cal needs Jabari Bird healthy, but this is stating the obvious. Every team needs their McDonald's All-American healthy to compete against top ten teams except for maybe Kentucky since they are stacked beyond belief. What will really teach us about Cal is how they play during PAC-12 play and how they play once Jabari Bird returns.

---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 

Bear Territory Thursday: What to look for in Cal's upcoming exhibitions

                                               (credit: www.sportslogos.net) 

     The Cal Men's Basketball team has two exhibitions within the next week, both of which will be played in Berkeley at Haas Pavilion. On Halloween night, CSU-East Bay will come to Berkeley and then on November 6, it will be CSU-San Marcos.
     What is of importance in these two games is the fact that it will give Cal head coach Cuonzo Martin a chance to experiment with different lineups and start to get a feel for his team. What I will try to do is give you a sense of what to look for in both of these games.
     The first thing that Cal fans should expect to see is a lot of different lineups. If you have been following my coverage of the Cal Men's Basketball team, you know Cuonzo Martin can use a lot of different lineups. What better place to try stuff out than in exhibition games that don't count in the win-loss column? One such experiment could be Jabari Bird used as a power forward and another such experiment could be Dwight Tarwater as a power forward, which according to David Kravish is also a possibility.
     If there is an area of experimentation that Cal fans should look for, it's at the power forward position. With Kameron Rooks red shirting the season due to his torn ACL, Cal will likely go small a lot of the time, but it isn't entirely clear what type of lineups we will see as a result.
     The good news is that there are some options for Cuonzo Martin to go with at that position in terms of going small. Bird and Tarwater have already been mentioned, but Roger Moute a Bidias is another guy who likely gets some time as a stretch-four.
     In addition to various guys taking a stab at the power forward position, Cal fans should also be looking at how freshmen Brandon Chauca and Kingsley Okoroh do. Chauca is a 5'9 point guard and Okoroh is a 7'1 center, so it certainly won't be hard to tell them apart! Both guys could play really important roles on this team. Especially Okoroh since Cal is really struggling in the size department without Kameron Rooks.
     If Okoroh is able to play quality minutes right out of the shoot, there won't be as much pressure on Cuonzo Martin to use a lot of small lineups, which I think would overall be a good thing. Small ball works in stretches, but if it's used all the time it's really hard to not get absolutely killed on the boards. Even when you have a quality big man like David Kravish.
     Overall, these first two games will be really interesting to watch. Obviously it's our first look into the Cuonzo Martin era, but more importantly, it will be our first look into what kind of lineups we should see and what kind of basketball Cal will be playing. I can't wait!

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

Bear Territory Thursday: Is Cal getting overlooked?

                                          (credit: basketball.wikia.com)

     Going into this season, the main teams people have their eyes on in the PAC-12 are Utah, Stanford, UCLA, and Arizona. There is a great season preview of the PAC-12 by Dan Hanner of Real GM that goes into more detail about why these teams are expected to be good. In his preview of Cal,  Hanner concludes that Cal "can sneak into the tournament", implying that a trip to the tournament is the best they can hope to do and that odds are not in their favor to do so.
     Hanner's core thesis that supports his conclusion is:

"With Ty Wallace and David Kravish Back, and with Jabari Bird and Jordan Mathews likely to make the sophomore leap and become dominant players, California's core four players are very strong. But the rest of the roster is filled with a bunch of recruits with fairly low potential."

 The first part I agree with, but the second part I disagree with. I agree that Tyrone Wallace, David Kravish, Jabari Bird, and Jordan Mathews make a fantastic core four. I disagree that the rest of the roster is weak.
     First of all, Cal has really nice depth at point guard. Freshman point guard Brandon Chauca is actually very talented judging by the tape I watched of him. He has a very nice shot, good ball handling skills, and the potential to be a fantastic play maker.
     As for sophomore point guard Sam Singer, he too is an underrated player. He wasn't much of a scoring threat last season, but he showed tremendous capability when it came to handling the ball, making plays for others, and playing good defense. If he improved his shot over the summer, which I'm sure he did, he will be a difference maker in Cuonzo Martin's rotation.
     This depth at point guard is huge because it gives Cuonzo Martin a lot more options and flexibility with his rotations. Even though I expect Tyrone Wallace to be the starting point guard, Wallace has the size to play shooting guard at 6'5. By having other viable options at point guard, Martin can use Wallace at the shooting guard position to give Jabari Bird and Jordan Mathews some relief. It also allows Martin the chance to experiment with Jabari Bird at the power forward position, which could give certain teams serious matchup problems.

                                                       

                             
                                            (Credit: www.Eurohopes.com) 
     As for up front, freshman center Kingsley Okoroh is raw, but stands tall at 7'1. He should be able to provide a sound post presence for the Golden Bears and keep them from feeling like small ball is their only option. If he can earn a lot of minutes, David Kravish will be able to play his more natural position of power forward and thus be much more effective inside. Plus, Roger Moute a Bidias could be due for a breakout year of sorts. I don't know where his ceiling is, but I think he is really going to surprise people and prove effective as a viable power forward option in "small ball" packages.
    While it's true that I like Cal's bench much better than Hanner does, what really makes me optimistic for Cal is Jabari Bird. He really came into his own in the NIT last season, and I think he was only showing us a glimpse of what is in store for him. I don't think he was hyped as an NBA first round draft pick for nothing. What we saw from him in the NIT is what everybody was waiting for all season.
     Now that he has a year under his belt and is being asked to step up, I expect him to deliver the goods and become one of the best players in the country. If Bird can play like a first round pick, Cal by default will be a team that has a chance to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament. All you need to be dangerous in the NCAA tournament is a couple of players who are willing to step up in crunch time.  David Kravish will be one of those players and I'm confident that Jabari Bird will be the other.
     To answer the question in the title of my article "Is Cal getting overlooked?", I think the answer is yes. The potential to make a run in the NCAA tournament is definitely there when you have a potential lottery pick on your hands, three other players who are likely to play in the NBA, and quality role players.

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

Bear Territory Thursday: Will Cal go with small ball?

                                          (credit: bigstory.ap.org) 
     
     One of the more interesting things to speculate about the Cal Men's Basketball team is what type of lineups their head coach Cuonzo Martin will go with, especially on the front line. The most experienced front court players on this Cal team are David Kravish (6'10), Christian Behrens (6'8), and Roger Moute a Bidias (6'6), none of which are true centers. The only true centers on this Cal team are freshman Kingsley Okoroh (7'1) and sophomore center Kameron Rooks (7'0), who is redshirting the season due to a torn ACL.
 
     With Rooks not playing this season and Okoroh only a freshman, odds look very high that Cal will roll with a lot of small lineups this season. With Kravish being the only guy outside of Okoroh who is capable of playing center, what type of lineups should Cal fans expect to see?
   
     First of all, lets get the backcourt situation figured out. Tyrone Wallace, who played a lot of shooting guard last season is expected to start at point guard. As for the shooting guard position, I assume that Jordan Mathews will be the starter with Jabari Bird sliding over to the small forward position. Cuonzo Martin might go with some other looks, but I expect those three guys to be starting at those positions.
   
     With positions 1-3 established, we can now look at the front court. What makes the most sense from a practical standpoint is to start Kingsley Okoroh at center and David Kravish at power forward. If this is how things go, Christian Behrens can come off the bench to play power forward and center, and Roger Moute a Bidias can come off the bench to play a mix of small forward and power forward.
   
     However, as I implied above, with Okoroh being a freshman, Cuonzo Martin may not want to throw him to the wolves and start him. He may prefer him to come off the bench. In that case, that means David Kravish has no choice but to start at center and either Christian Behrens or Roger Moute a Bidias starts at power forward. Either way, if Kingsley comes off the bench, Cal will be playing small ball by default.  May I add that in this lineup, Jabari Bird would be playing out of his position as he is more of a natural shooting guard. The only position where Cal would have a size advantage is point guard since Tyrone Wallace stands at 6'5.
   
     There are some other possible lineups which might have to be used as well. One such possibility would be Sam Singer at point guard, Jordan Mathews at shooting guard, Tyrone Wallace at small forward, Jabari Bird at power forward, and David Kravish at center. This kind of lineup is not likely to be used much, but it could be used in spurts. Cal is a team with not a lot of size and a lot of athleticism at the wing, which is the formula for small ball: Athletic wings + small frontcourt = small ball.

     This is not to say that David Kravish cannot play big inside. He can. He blocks a lot of shots and is very active in the paint. His offensive polish inside and defensive abilities allow him to play center just fine. It's the other guys who make this lineup small.

     With that being the case, it's all the more important that David Kravish plays big inside. With Kingsley Okoroh still looking relatively raw, odds are good that Kravish will be the only legitimate threat in the post. He'll have his work cut out for him this season and he'll have to play even bigger than last season. Especially with Richard Solomon gone.

     In conclusion, Cal will struggle to dominate people in the paint. Only David Kravish can reasonably be expected to be a force in the paint. But with him likely playing a lot of center against 7-footers, it's going to be all the more important that the players playing positions 1-3 really step it up and help space the floor.

     If Tyrone Wallace is able to penetrate and attack the rim like he does, if Jordan Mathews is knocking down threes, and if Jabari Bird is capable of scoring both inside and out, then Cal's small ball lineups could thrive. If they don't do their jobs effectively, then David Kravish will likely have to put up with a lot of double teams and guys who are bigger than him at the center position.

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

Bear Territory Thursday: 2014-15 Cal Men's Basketball Preview

                                         (credit: www.cougcenter.com)

With the college basketball season starting in six weeks, it's time for me to start my coverage of the Cal Men's Basketball team on here in my new segment "Bear Territory Thursday". Once a week I'll be doing a blog post on the California Golden Bears since I currently go to the school and I really got into the team last season. I got season tickets last year, missing only one game (the Fresno State game), and I got my season tickets again this year. Having followed the team really closely last year while also tweeting about them, I feel like I have ample knowledge about the team to start covering them more in-depth this season.

I hope that this segment will provide Cal fans a fun place to stay updated on the team and non-Cal fans a window into the college game. Now that I've set up an introduction to this new segment, let me dive into my season preview for the 2014-15 California Golden Bears.

The California Golden Bears are coming off a season that was filled with lots of highs and lows. The ultimate high point of the season was Justin Cobbs' game winning shot from the corner to down #1 ranked Arizona at the buzzer. I was present at that game and got to rush the court with my fellow students. It was an unbelievable moment and one that will forever go down in history as one of the greatest moments in the history of Cal athletics.

                                         (credit: www.sfgate.com)

The low point of the season was missing the NCAA tournament. Losses to Utah, Stanford, USC, and Colorado down the stretch cost the Golden Bears a spot in the NCAA tournament. After having such a high point with the win over Arizona, it was unfathomable to think that Cal would actually miss the tournament.

However, despite the low of missing the NCAA tournament, Cal got a second wind in the NIT and ended up losing to SMU in a heart breaker. During the NIT, Cal freshman shooting guard Jabari Bird started to show flashes of why he was a McDonald's High School All-American and why many NBA scouts had such keen interest in his talent, scoring 20 points on 3/6 three-point shooting in the game against SMU. It was disappointing to go out on a loss, but it was also encouraging to know that the future of the team appeared to be in good hands.

                                                (credit: rushthecourt.net)

Going into this season, what is probably going to be the biggest challenge is moving on from seniors Justin Cobbs and Richard Solomon. Cobbs was one of the best point guards in all of college basketball and Richard Solomon also came into his own as one of the best big men in the country. When Cal needed a basket in crunch time, they always counted on Justin Cobbs and Richard Solomon to deliver the goods. Now that those guys are gone, others will have to step up.

                                                    (credit: mercurynews.com)

The good news is that there appears to be other guys ready to fill the void left by Cobbs and Solomon. The guy most ready to fill that void is David Kravish, who plays the power forward position. Kravish is going to be a senior this year and he is coming off his best season in a Golden Bears uniform in which he averaged 11.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game. He too was one who the team could count on in crunch time, remaining consistent and steady throughout the season.

If there is anything certain and definitive that I can tell you about the Cal Men's Basketball team, it is that David Kravish will come to play every night. He will score, he will rebound, and he will defend. He will always play a complete game on both ends of the floor.

As for the rest of the team, that really remains to be seen. Jabari Bird, who I've already mentioned has the talent to be really good this year and turn Cal into a legitimate threat to win the Pac-12. If Bird turns into an NBA first round pick, Cal could be scary. However, it's no slam dunk that he becomes that kind of player since he still seems to be a work in progress.

                                                  (credit: usatodaysportsimages.com)

The other two players who legitimately can fill the void left by Cobbs and Solomon are Tyrone Wallace (junior) and Jordan Mathews (sophomore). Wallace is a 6'5 combo guard who played a lot of shooting guard last season, but seems to be more of a natural point guard. His driving, ball handling, and passing abilities are fantastic, but his outside shot comes and goes. While it is was encouraging that his three point percentage improved from 22.4% in his freshman year to 32.1% in his sophomore year, his three point shooting was still a weak spot for him and one that he'll have to continue to improve on if he wants to be effective at the shooting guard position.

 He didn't have the kind of season that everybody hoped he would have in his sophomore year after there were whispers of him being a potential first round pick in the NBA draft. He only averaged 11.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game. More importantly, he wasn't reliable down the stretch when Cal needed him to step up. There were some games when he evaporated and appeared to be invisible as Justin Cobbs, Richard Solomon, and David Kravish carried the load.

With Cobbs and Solomon now gone, Wallace will get a chance to prove that the hype around him is legitimate. If he backs up the hype along with Jabari Bird, Cal will have a really competitive team that will be tough to beat whether they are at home or on the road.

As for Jordan Mathews, who is a natural shooting guard, he too could be really good. His 32 points against Oregon on the road last season raised some eyebrows across the PAC-12 and gave people reason to believe that he could be something special. But like Wallace and Bird we'll have to see if the hype around him is legitimate. If he can come into his own, Cal's new head coach Cuonzo Martin will have four quality pieces to work with. 

As for the rest of the team, there isn't anybody who can be expected to fill the void left by Cobbs and Solomon, but there are guys who can be really nice pieces to go alongside the four guys I just mentioned. Sam Singer is a really solid point guard who passes well, defends well, and doesn't turn the ball over. His assist to turnover ratio last season was above 2.0 which I found to be remarkable for a freshman.

Incoming freshmen Brandon Chauca, a 5'9 point guard, and Kingsley Okoroh, a 7'1 center, will also be players who could make a difference on this Cal team. Chauca was really good at scoring the ball in high school and Okoroh has the potential to be a force in the paint.

Swingman Roger Moute a Bidias and power forward Christian Behrens should also be able to provide quality minutes off the bench as well. Moute a Bidias might be in for a breakout season of sorts, but the lack of minutes he got last year makes it really hard to gauge where his ceiling is.

                                          (credit: sfgate.com)

Last but certainly not least is the departure of head coach Mike Montgomery and the arrival of new head coach Cuonzo Martin, who coached last season at Tennessee. Martin has a good track record and the players at Tennessee from what I've heard really loved him. What helps confirm this to me is that one Cal player I talked to said he loves Coach Martin and that he is excited to play for him.

Also, for what it's worth, I've been hearing from people close to the team that Martin is really making the team work hard and put in the extra time so that they can get a grip on his basketball philosophy. In addition, other Cal players have told me to expect big things this season, implying that they are really buying into Martin's coaching method and philosophy.

To sum this all up, what I will say is that Cal has the potential to be as good as they were last year and possibly better. If Jabari Bird and Tyrone Wallace show why they were hyped to be first round picks in the NBA draft, Cal could make a deep run in the NCAA tournament. If those guys fail to live up to the hype, then Cal will be in a dog fight to make the NCAA tournament. The uncertainty surrounding Bird, Wallace, and Mathews is the biggest question mark going into the season. Until we see how those guys pan out, we won't be able to figure out the ceiling of this Cal team. Go Bears!

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

.