I hope those two walk-ons are able to return to active duty!

This was a game of the men against the boys. TCU has three top 100 ranked recruits, including Chuck O'Bannon, son of Charles O'Bannon, a very good player for UCLA who had a good career in the NBA. And TCU also has Mike Miles who is a better player (by miles, pun intended) than all three of them.

The game started with bad calls and no calls. Worst refereeing I've seen in quite a while. These guys qualify for jobs in the PAC12, they were so bad. Lars was getting pushed, tripped, and bumped, fouled, and no calls early on. TCU figured out that Cal has two players who can actually put the ball in the basket, and they beat up on both of them. Miles carried the ball for threes steps without dribbling on his way to an easy bucket. No call. Fox caught on camera several times screaming at the refs, counterbalanced by Jamie Dixon screaming all game long at his players. Why? (They were winning, easily). Too many "authoritarians" in one gym.

Prettiest play all game was the perfect pass by Askew to Lars on the fast break. Best teamwork I've seen on one play this season from this team. Trouble is, we need 15-20 of these plays per game, and we are getting far less.

And the gym had max about 200 fans. Why are we flying all the way across the country to play in an arena like this, in front of so few fans? And this is after Covid, not during. Who schedules these games?

Big C said:

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I hope those two walk-ons are able to return to active duty!

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I'd be ok with Knowlton extending him another couple years of the walk-ons aren't able to return. Can't blame him for playing without a full deck.

SFCityBear said:

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Prettiest play all game was the perfect pass by Askew to Lars on the fast break. Best teamwork I've seen on one play this season from this team.

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i didn't see first half, but agree it was a great play

one thing about that play…. how did 7 foot Lars beat every player from both teams down the floor?

Since no Clemson thread I'll post this here. Remember the last time a Cal team played Clemson in Florida? The Citrus Bowl 1/1/92. Our last New Year's Day bowl. So depressing for both programs lol.

HoopDreams said:

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SFCityBear said:

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Prettiest play all game was the perfect pass by Askew to Lars on the fast break. Best teamwork I've seen on one play this season from this team.

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i didn't see first half, but agree it was a great play

one thing about that play…. how did 7 foot Lars beat every player from both teams down the floor?

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My recollection is that there were one or two players even with him or maybe slightly ahead of him. but he was wide open with nobody close enough to him to challenge the shot.

I've remarked before that Lars is pretty fast for a 7-footer, and he often is one the first ones back on defense. He does not have Wilt Chamberlain speed, but he runs the floor very well, a lot faster than Kam Rooks or Kingsley Okoroh, IMO. He is just not quick.

He didn't have his best game, and I think the officials were one of his problems. I don't think he dropped many balls, like he usually does. He must have dropped some, but none that I saw.

KoreAmBear said:

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Since no Clemson thread I'll post this here. Remember the last time a Cal team played Clemson in Florida? The Citrus Bowl 1/1/92. Our last New Year's Day bowl. So depressing for both programs lol.

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This is sad. Was the game televised? I looked for it but couldn't find it, and gave up.

SFCityBear said:

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KoreAmBear said:

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Since no Clemson thread I'll post this here. Remember the last time a Cal team played Clemson in Florida? The Citrus Bowl 1/1/92. Our last New Year's Day bowl. So depressing for both programs lol.

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This is sad. Was the game televised? I looked for it but couldn't find it, and gave up.

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The game v TCU was on CBS Sportsnet. I have no idea if the Clemson game was as well. I assume so as typically the same station usually covers the entire tourney. But again I didn't bother to check.

HoopDreams said:

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SFCityBear said:

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Prettiest play all game was the perfect pass by Askew to Lars on the fast break. Best teamwork I've seen on one play this season from this team.

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i didn't see first half, but agree it was a great play

one thing about that play…. how did 7 foot Lars beat every player from both teams down the floor?

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Sounds like an NBA prospect!

is that a reason to criticize and mock him more than any other player?

eastcoastcal said:

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HoopDreams said:

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i dont know why lars gets so much criticism on this board

he's improved every year, is one of our top 2 players on this team, scores in double figures, is our top rebounder, forces defenses to double and triple team him, and as far as i can tell his a good teammate

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I have a lot of respect for Lars. Two things can be true: 1) he's a hard worker + good person, and 2) he also should not be remotely near a major role on a power-5 team.

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HoopDreams said:

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is that a reason to criticize and mock him more than any other player?

eastcoastcal said:

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HoopDreams said:

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i dont know why lars gets so much criticism on this board

he's improved every year, is one of our top 2 players on this team, scores in double figures, is our top rebounder, forces defenses to double and triple team him, and as far as i can tell his a good teammate

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I have a lot of respect for Lars. Two things can be true: 1) he's a hard worker + good person, and 2) he also should not be remotely near a major role on a power-5 team.

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When the critiques border on insults, that's when I think it gets inappropriate. No doubt I have approached that line myself a few times (his first two seasons, probably). People sorta get a pass on a game thread (when they are losing their s***). Sorta.

KoreAmBear said:

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SFCityBear said:

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KoreAmBear said:

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Since no Clemson thread I'll post this here. Remember the last time a Cal team played Clemson in Florida? The Citrus Bowl 1/1/92. Our last New Year's Day bowl. So depressing for both programs lol.

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This is sad. Was the game televised? I looked for it but couldn't find it, and gave up.

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The game v TCU was on CBS Sportsnet. I have no idea if the Clemson game was as well. I assume so as typically the same station usually covers the entire tourney. But again I didn't bother to check.

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Thanks. I was able to watch the TCU game on the CBS channel, and tried the same CBS channel for the Clemson game, but was unable to find it there or in a search for the game on Xfinity.

HoopDreams said:

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i dont know why lars gets so much criticism on this board

he's improved every year, is one of our top 2 players on this team, scores in double figures, is our top rebounder, forces defenses to double and triple team him, and as far as i can tell his a good teammate

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Agreed. Though a thread titled "Can our Lars get to the NBA?" is almost trolling for criticism of the kid.

I am a big fan of advanced statistics and Lars is putting up good numbers, albeit against smaller, weak competition. We will see how he stacks up by the end of the season going up against PAC-12 centers, but he is currently and most likely will remain our most valuable player.

calumnus said:

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HoopDreams said:

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i dont know why lars gets so much criticism on this board

he's improved every year, is one of our top 2 players on this team, scores in double figures, is our top rebounder, forces defenses to double and triple team him, and as far as i can tell his a good teammate

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Agreed. Though a thread titled "Can our Lars get to the NBA?" is almost trolling for criticism of the kid.

I am a big fan of advanced statistics and Lars is putting up good numbers, albeit against smaller, weak competition. We will see how he stacks up by the end of the season going up against PAC-12 centers, but he is currently and most likely will remain our most valuable player.

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I posted the original thread, as you know, and when I troll, especially during these days of negativity and cynicism on this forum, I troll to try and attract some positive comments.

SFCityBear said:

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calumnus said:

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HoopDreams said:

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i dont know why lars gets so much criticism on this board

he's improved every year, is one of our top 2 players on this team, scores in double figures, is our top rebounder, forces defenses to double and triple team him, and as far as i can tell his a good teammate

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Agreed. Though a thread titled "Can our Lars get to the NBA?" is almost trolling for criticism of the kid.

I am a big fan of advanced statistics and Lars is putting up good numbers, albeit against smaller, weak competition. We will see how he stacks up by the end of the season going up against PAC-12 centers, but he is currently and most likely will remain our most valuable player.

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I posted the original thread, as you know, and when I troll, especially during these days of negativity and cynicism on this forum, I troll to try and attract some positive comments.

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I know you were not trolling and your post was serious. You do try to be very positive about the current coach and players. Unfortunately you attempt to draw positive comments toward Lars had the opposite effect.

I try to be positive about the players, past and present, as much as possible. They are amateurs, fellow Bears, and deserving of our support.

In your Lars thread I said that I think he can play professionally overseas, which many great Bears have done and can be a great life. At 7' tall and as a German citizen, Lars is an easy roster addition to any team in the EU. The teams and players sort themselves out through promotion and relegation, so he can definitely play there at some level and I think that is where he ends up.

lars earns all tournament honors

https://instagr.am/p/Cleo-W3S9i4