No. 25/25 California concludes the regular season when the Golden Bears visit Arizona State Saturday. The game gets underway at 5 p.m. PT and will be broadcast on ESPN2 and KGO 810 AM.
Cal, which stands at 21-9 on the year and 11-6 in the Pac-12, has a chance to win at least 22 games in the regular season for only the fourth time since 1959-60 with a victory over the Sun Devils. The other seasons came in 1993-94 (22 wins), 2008-09 (22) and 2011-12 (23). The Bears can also assure themselves of an opening day bye in next week's Pac-12 Tournament if they prevail Saturday.
Although Cal dropped a 64-61 decision at No. 18/16 Arizona Thursday, the Bears fell just one position to 16th in the latest RPI.
As a team, Cal continues to lead the Pac-12 in scoring defense (66.6 ppg), field goal percentage defense (39.0%) and fewest 3-pointers allowed (5.2 per game). The Bears also rank second nationally in 2-point field goal percentage defense at 40.7 percent and sixth in the country for fewest 3-pointers allowed per game.
Freshman F Jaylen Brown paces the offense with 15.5 ppg, while freshman F Ivan Rabb leads the squad on the glass with 8.5 rpg after a 15-point, 13-rebound effort at Arizona.
Last Time Out: Arizona Slips Past Cal, 64-61
Cal built an eight-point lead over No. 18/16 Arizona Thursday night in Tucson, but the Bears couldn't hold on and lost, 64-61. Gabe York's 3-pointer with 19 seconds left, which gave the Wildcats the lead, proved to be the difference. Ivan Rabb paced Cal with 15 points (13 in the second half), 13 rebounds and three steals. He also connected on his first 3-pointer of the season. Cal outrebounded Arizona, 44-31, which helped the Bears post a 28-10 scoring advantage on second-chance points. In addition to Rabb, Jabari Bird had 13 points and Jordan Mathews 12. Limited by foul trouble, Jaylen Brown finished with five points.
Cal Returns to Top 25
Having won seven in a row and 9 of 11 before this week's action, Cal returned to the national rankings for the first time since November. This week, the Bears are ranked 25th by both the Associated Press and USA Today. This marks the first time Cal has been among the top 25 in March since they were 24th on March 10, 2003. Although the Bears fell out the next week after a Pac-12 Tournament semifinal loss, they did go on to reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Cal entered this year ranked 14th by AP and remained in the poll through the first three rankings of the season.
Brown Finalist for Tisdale Award
Forward Jaylen Brown, who leads the Bears with 15.5 ppg, has been named one of five finalists for the Integris Wayman Tisdale Award, which is presented annually to the national freshman of the year by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. The other finalists are Henry Ellenson, Marquette; Brandon Ingram, Duke; Jamal Murray, Kentucky; and Ben Simmons, LSU. The USBWA began selecting the National Freshman of the Year in 1989, with Cal's Jason Kidd winning the award in 1993. The award will be presented on April 11 at the College Basketball Awards gala and dinner in Oklahoma City.
Martin Gets 20 in Year 2 ... Again
Cuonzo Martin has made three stops in his career as a head coach, and at each one he has directed his team to 20 wins in his second season. At Missouri State, he was 11-20 in year one, then led the squad to a 24-12 mark in 2009-10. His first Tennessee team was 19-15 in 2011-12 and finished 20-13 a year later. Now at Cal, the Bears were 18-15 last season and have improved to 21-9 this year after last week's victories over UCLA and USC.
Cal Ranked 6th in Fewest 3-Pointers Allowed
Over 30 games this season, Cal has allowed just 157 3-pointers or 5.2 per game. That average ranks sixth nationally and first among schools from the five power conferences. Within the Pac-12, the Bears have surrendered 27 fewer treys than Arizona, which ranks second with 184. The contrast is even greater in conference games, where Cal has given up 72 3-pointers in 17 games (4.2 per game) - well ahead of No. 2 Utah (104 in 17 games, 6.1 per game). Only Oregon (7 in Eugene) and Washington State (6 in Pullman) have made more than five 3-pointers against the Bears in Pac-12 play this year. Looked at another way, Cal gives up 12.7 ppg on 3-pointers in conference games, while Utah surrenders 18.3 ppg.
A Perfect February for Bears
With its win over USC this past Sunday, Cal completed February with a 7-0 record, giving the Bears their first undefeated February since Pete Newell's 1959-60 squad finished 6-0 during the month. During the run, Cal posted several impressive numbers - 80.3 ppg, a +10.6 rebounding margin and a +14.6 scoring margin. Only one of Cal's wins was by less than 12 points, and the Bears hit the 80-point barrier four times (compared to none in their first nine Pac-12 games).
February success has also become a hallmark of Cuonzo Martin-coached teams, which are 34-12 over the past six seasons at three different schools. At Cal, the Bears are now 11-3 in February under Martin.
Cal's 7-0 stretch was its longest in Pac-12 action since also putting together a seven-game streak in 2013.
Bears Set Home Wins Mark
At 18-0 this season, Cal has set a school record for consecutive home victories in a single season. The old record was 13 in a row during the 1953-54 and 1959-60 seasons.
Back-to-Back 20+ Games for Bird
Junior Jabari Bird put together the two best back-to-back games of his career Feb. 11 and 13 when he averaged 23.5 ppg and 6.5 rpg in home wins over Oregon and Oregon State - performances that earned him Pac-12 Player of the Week honors. Against the Ducks, he shot 9-of-14 from the floor and 5-of-8 from 3-point range to tie his personal best of 24 points. Two days later, he totaled 23 points, again on 9-of-14 shooting (4-8 3P). It marked the first time in Bird's three seasons at Cal that he had scored at least 20 points in consecutive games. Since starting Pac-12 play averaging only 3.3 ppg on 4-of-21 shooting through the first four games, Bird has contributed 13.5 ppg over the past 13 contests with 10 double-digit efforts. During Cal's seven-game winning streak, he averaged 15.3 ppg on 57.1 percent shooting from the floor and 57.9 percent shooting from 3-point range (22-of-38).
Wallace Makes Return vs. Ducks
Senior guard Tyrone Wallace, who missed five consecutive games starting Jan. 16 after he broke a bone his right hand in practice, gained medical clearance not long before Cal's home contest vs. Oregon Feb. 11 and returned to the lineup that night. “Tyrone is cleared for takeoff,” is how head coach Cuonzo Martin announced the news in a text to the team. Wallace came off the bench to contribute 10 points, a team-high eight rebounds and four assists in 28 minutes during an 83-63 victory over the Ducks. A first-team All-Pac-12 selection last year, Wallace was averaging 15.4 ppg and 4.6 apg while also pulling down 5.1 rpg before the injury. He's contributed 13.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg and 3.7 apg since coming back to the active roster.
Homecourt Heroes
After completing its home schedule with an 18-0 mark inside Haas Pavilion, Cal has extended its homecourt winning streak to 19 games when including a victory from the final contest of the 2014-15 campaign. The run is the second-longest in school history.
Defending the Home Court
Cal's defense was particularly stingy inside Haas Pavilion this year with the Bears surrendering just 62.8 ppg and 37.7 percent shooting from the floor. Cal owned a +10.0 rebounding margin and averaged 6.1 blocks per game. Individually, three Cal players contributed at least 14 ppg at home - Jaylen Brown (14.8), Tyrone Wallace (14.5) and Jordan Mathews (14.4).
How Cal's Home Record Stacks Up
At 18-0, Cal has the best home record against Division I opponents in the country (as of March 4). Oregon is also 18-0, but one win came against Division II Western Oregon.
Cal Leads Pac-12 in FG%, Scoring Defense
Cal continues to lead the Pac-12 in both field goal percentage defense (39.0 percent) and scoring defense (66.6 ppg). The Bears last paced the Pac-12 in scoring defense during the 1996-97 campaign (67.8 ppg), while the Cal's most recent time on top of the league in field goal percentage defense was in 2012-13 (39.3%). Nationally, Cal is second in 2-point field goal percentage defense at 40.7 percent, just behind Cincinnati (40.4%). The figure is down from 45.6 percent last season, which ranked 90th in the country.
Brown, Rabb Climbing Freshman Charts
Forwards Jaylen Brown and Ivan Rabb are quickly moving up Cal's all-time freshman charts, particularly in scoring and rebounding. Brown, who leads the Bears with 15.5 ppg, enters Saturday's contest at Arizona State with 464 points, which is fourth all-time among Cal freshmen. His scoring average is behind only Shareef Abdur-Rahim (21.1 ppg, 1995-96) and Ryan Anderson (16.3 ppg, 2006-07). Rabb tops the Bears this season with 8.5 rpg and his 254 total rebounds make him just the eighth Cal rookie to get at least 200 in a season. At his current pace, he has a good shot at Ryan Anderson's school freshman record of 269 boards from the 2006-07 campaign.
Jaylen Brown Surging in Pac-12 Play
Freshman Jaylen Brown contributed a solid 14.5 ppg during the non-conference portion of Cal's schedule. But since the start of Pac-12 action, the 6-7 forward has ramped up his production, averaging a team-best 16.2 ppg. He's reached the 20-point level in five conference road games - 20 points at Oregon and Oregon State, a career-high-tying 27 points at Utah, 21 points (all in the second half) at Colorado and 23 points at Washington. Even when he's not scoring at such a high rate, he's finding ways to help in other areas, as when he dished out seven assists in the Bears' 74-73 victory over Arizona in Berkeley. Brown started his roll at the end of December with 18 points at Virginia and 17 more vs. Davidson before opening league play with 17 points and 11 boards vs. Colorado Jan. 1. Brown reached 27 points for the first time on Nov. 27 in Cal's game vs. Richmond at the Las Vegas Invitational.
Brown, Rabb Combo Averaging 27.8 ppg
Cal's two freshman forwards, Jaylen Brown and Ivan Rabb, are combining to average 27.8 ppg and 14.1 ppg, all while shooting 51.9 percent from the floor. They are striving to become the top scoring freshman tandem in school history, a mark currently held by Leon Powe and Marquise Kately, who contributed 25.6 ppg in 2003-04. Other notable rookie combos for the Bears have been: Lamond Murray and Alfred Grigsby in 1991-92 (24.0 ppg); Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Kenyon Jones in 1995-96 (23.8 ppg); and Ryan Anderson and Jerome Randle in 2006-07 (22.8 ppg).
Kam Can on the Glass
Since the Cal-Arizona game Jan. 23, sophomore center Kameron Rooks has set or tied his career high in rebounding five times. He had a then-PR seven boards against the Wildcats and matched the total in his next outing at Colorado. Rooks pulled down 12 caroms at Utah and had another 12 at home vs. Stanford. Then in the Feb. 18 win at Washington, he corralled 14 boards and followed up with nine more at Washington State. He had his first career double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds vs. Stanford. Rooks is averaging 7.4 rpg over his past 11 games, compared to 4.9 rpg for the full season.
Rabb Among Cal's Top Freshman Rebounders
Freshman forward Ivan Rabb, averaging 8.5 rpg, is striving to become just the fifth freshman in school history to average at least 8.0 rpg. The others who have also attained the 8.0 rpg plateau are: Leon Powe (2003-04) 9.5; Bob McKeen (1951-52) 8.6; Shareef Abdur-Rahim (1995-96) 8.4; and Ryan Anderson (2006-07) 8.2. Offensively, Rabb is scoring 12.3 ppg and shooting an impressive 61.2 percent from the floor (second in the Pac-12). No Cal player has shot more than 60% for a full season since Solomon Hughes in 2000-01 (62.9%), while the school freshman record is 64.0% by Tony Gonzalez in 1994-95. In addition, Rabb owns a team-high nine double-doubles, including 15-13 at Arizona.
Hot from Downtown
Since a 12-for-22 night from 3-point range against Davidson Dec. 28, Cal has been particularly accurate from long-range, going a combined 132-for-333 from behind the arc (39.6%) over its past 18 games (compared to 33.2% over the first 12 contests). What makes the stat more remarkable is that the stretch includes an 0-for-12 night at Oregon in early January. Toss out that contest and the Bears are shooting 41.1 percent as a team during the period.
Mathews Firing from Deep
Junior Jordan Mathews, who topped the Pac-12 last season when he connected at a 44.3% clip from behind the arc, is keeping up the pace this season as Cal's top marksman by hitting 42.8 percent of his 3-point attempts. He sank a season-best six treys vs. Arizona in Berkeley and had five against both Davidson and Colorado. Now with 189 career triples, he is fourth all-time at Cal. He's also set his career high for a season with 77, and with a similar year as a senior, he would eclipse Jerome Randle's career mark of 252 3-pointers from 2007-10
Wallace All Over the Record Book
Senior guard Tyrone Wallace, a first-team All-Pac-12 last year, will go down as one of the most versatile players in school history, and a quick check of the record book explains why. He is the only Bear to rank among Cal's all-time top 10 in scoring, assists and steals, as well as in the top 15 in rebounding. This season, he has a high of 24 points vs. UC Santa Barbara and has reached double figures in all but three of the 25 games he has played.
Cal Career Scoring
8. Leonard Taylor (1985-89) - 1,608
9. Tyrone Wallace (2013-present) - 1,567
Cal Career Rebounds
13. John Coughran (1971-73) - 672
14. Tyrone Wallace (2013-present) - 661
Cal Career Assists
5. Jason Kidd (1992-94) - 494
6. Jorge Gutierrez (2009-12) - 423
7. Tyrone Wallace (2013-present) - 421
Cal Career Steals
6. Michael Chavez (1980-83) - 140
7. Tyrone Wallace (2013-present) - 138
Singer Finding the Open Man
Junior Sam Singer, inserted as Cal's starter at point guard for the first time this year when Tyrone Wallace went out with a hand injury, has been piling up the assists over the Bears' past 12 games. During the stretch, which included eight starts, he has compiled 50 assists (4.2 apg) against just 22 turnovers. Singer began with eight assists in his first start vs. Arizona State, tying his career high. He then raised the mark with nine against Stanford and again with 11 vs. Oregon. During Cal's three-game homestand vs. Stanford, Oregon and Oregon State, he totaled 24 assists.
Bears Having a Block Party
Cal is closing in on the school record for blocks in a season. The Bears enter Saturday's contest at Arizona State with 148, which ranks third in school history behind the 161 from 2012-13 and 159 from 2013-14. Cal is averaging 4.9 blocks per game, and since stat began being kept in 1978-79, the Bears have averaged more than 4.0 just five times. This season, six players have at least 10, led by 35 from Ivan Rabb and 33 by Kingsley Okoroh.
Boards Make a Difference for Bears
So far this season, Cal is 18-3 when it wins the rebounding battle, with the lone setbacks at Virginia when the Bears held a 36-30 edge on the glass, at Oregon (38-35) and at Arizona (44-31). Cal raised its differential vs. the Ducks to +13 at home, which helped in an 83-63 victory, while the Bears had 28 second-chance points at UA. Cal has had a double-digit difference in 14 of its victories, including a high of +21 at Washington State Feb. 21. Overall, Cal owns a +7.3 rebounding margin, which, if it holds up for the season, would be the second highest in school history.
