California falls to Arizona, 107-105

In the most exciting game of the weekend, the California Golden Bears came up short against the Arizona Wildcats in triple overtime, 107-105.

It was the longest home game for the Bears since a five-overtime battle against Oregon back in 1977.

Harper Kamp scored a career-high 33 points to go along with 10 rebounds and two steals in a losing effort.

It was a painful loss for the Bears, who fell at home in a game that could have possibly helped them reach the NCAA tournament. (Read More…)

Tuesday, February 8, 2011 at 4:25 pm by steve

Tags: California news, California schedule, California tickets

California can’t upset Oregon, 15-13

The California Golden Bears kept it close and put a real scare into the No. 1 Oregon Ducks before falling, 15-13.

California put together an impressive defensive gameplan that surprisingly stymied Oregon’s high-octane offense, something that hasn’t happened yet this year.

Oregon’s defense, though opportunistic, has been vulnerable all year, but California was really unable to take advantage of the Ducks’ biggest weakness.

Quarterback Brock Mansion really struggled and handicapped any chance for an upset, going just 10-28 for 69 yards. (Read More…)

Monday, November 15, 2010 at 11:57 am by steve

Tags: California news, California schedule, California tickets

California shocks Louisville, 77-62

The Louisville Cardinals fell behind by 18 points just minutes into the first half and could never get over the hump in a 77-62 loss to the California Golden Bears.

The Cardinals were the up-and-down team that many figured would easily handle California, which had been bounced in the first round of last year’s tournament.

Everyone was highly anticipating a showdown between Rick Pitino and Coach K in the second round and thinking a Louisville upset could be very much in the cards.

Instead, California jumped all over the inconsistent Cardinals and buried them in the first half. Louisville fought back and was able to cut the deficit to single digits, but they could not get over the hump.

This is just the latest example of how important it is to get have quality guards at this time of the season, and the team with the better group is advancing to the second round.

Saturday, March 20, 2010 at 5:14 pm by steve

Cal clinches outright Pac-10 title

The California Golden Bears won their first outright Pac-10 regular season title in over 40 years, securing it with a 71-61 win at Stanford on Saturday. The win capped off an impressive run through the league, although it comes during a season in which the conference was possibly its worst overall in its existence.

As a result, Cal still isn’t ensured of a bid to the NCAA Tournament despite the league crown. A conference tournament crown might be necessary for the Bears, who challenged themselves with a difficult nonconference schedule but didn’t defeat anyone of consequence. And with the league so down and its reputation taking a beating in the media, the Bears would do well to win it just to be safe.

Patrick Christopher scored 23 points in the win over the Cardinal, and Jamal Boykin added 13. There’s no doubt that this team could make noise in the Big Dance, sporting a senior-laden squad, but it cannot afford to rest on its laurels.

Monday, March 8, 2010 at 3:47 pm by Raj Sethi

Cal handles Arizona State to remain in first place in Pac-10

If there’s one team that could earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament in the abysmal Pac-10 this season, it’s the California Golden Bears.

But the way they’re playing, they won’t need one; they’ll earn the conference’s automic bid. They’re clearly the league’s best team.

Cal proved that fact once again on Thursday night, visiting Arizona State and coming away with a 78-70 win over the Sun Devils in a game they dominated before almost giving away late.

Jamal Boykin’s career-high 25 points and 10 rebounds paced the Golden Bears, who sit atop the conference standings with a 6-2 record and are 14-6 overall. They led by 16 points in the second half before seeing the lead cut to 1 with three minutes remaining, but a 3-pointer by Jorge Gutierrez ended the Sun Devils’ rally for good.

Cal, which found itself ranked as high as 12th in the preseason, stumbled out of the gates but has found its form of late. And while it was fashionable to criticize this team early on, the fact remains that this team really has no bad losses. The six teams who beat the Golden Bears: Syracuse, Ohio State, New Mexico, Kansas, UCLA, and Washington. All of those teams with the exception of UCLA have been ranked this season, and all but UCLA and Washington still are.

The next three games will be telling, though. Cal hits the road for three consecutive road games. First is a Sunday showdown with Arizona, with first place in the conference on the line (the Wildcats are one game back). Then, the Golden Bears make a trip to Los Angeles to face USC and UCLA.

Friday, January 29, 2010 at 9:48 am by Raj Sethi

Best set for NFL

California Golden Bears star running back Jahvid Best has already announced that he will forgo his senior year and will enter the NFL Draft.

Best was one of the top players in the country this year and is expected to be a first round draft pick, so declaring for the NFL Draft seems like the smart move here.

Meanwhile, the Golden Bears understand the decision but can’t be too happy that they are losing their most explosive offensive player.

Best said that it was not an easy decision and that he took a lot of advice in from a lot of different people. In the end, he said it was simply an opportunity that he couldn’t pass up.

He said it ended up being a gut feeling that made his decision, and he just felt that it was time to make the jump to the NFL and that he will be successful in the league.

Monday, January 4, 2010 at 6:51 pm by steve

Cal set to face No. 23 Utah in Poinsettia Bowl

The Mountain West Conference has owned the Pac-10 in recent seasons. The California Golden Bears will get a chance for redemption this postseason. Cal has been matched up with the Utah Utes in the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego on Dec. 23.

Given how inconsistent the Bears have played this season, it’s anybody’s guess as to how they’ll perform in this affair. Also worth noting is that had Cal knocked off Washington in the season finale, it could have finished in a tie for second place in the conference and a shot at a team from one of the power conferences, Oklahoma or Boston College.

It would be unwise to overlook the Utes, though, who enter ranked No. 23. The program has established itself as a force to be reckoned with nationally, evident in last year’s dismantling of Alabama in the BCS Sugar Bowl. This team is led by a freshman quarterback in Jordan Wynn, but still features talent all over the field and a coaching staff that knows how to prepare its team for bowl game.

It is unknown whether Cal star running back Jahvid Best will play, as he is still recovering from a concussion and back injury suffered that has forced him to miss the team’s past three games. Backup RB Shane Vereen is almost as explosive as Best, which is really saying something, but having their star back could cause fits for Utah.

Sunday, December 13, 2009 at 9:11 pm by Raj Sethi