JimSox said:
Umm is anybody watching?
Looks like the three starters are still out.
Bears up just two halfway through the first half
I watched the whole game. I like Patraitis's hustle and intensity. Wilkinson is still playing surprisingly well for a true freshman. Andrej Stojakovic played well, but struggled at the line a bit. Also, I'm not sure if he came to Cal to carry the load, but in these past few games, that's exactly what he's been asked to do.
Sisoko got a couple BS fouls and a BS tech called on him. The one in the first half where he got bumped into the Sacto's guard was ridiculous as was the reaching foul at the end (though that one was more understandable; he really should've known better than to reach).
Spencer Mahoney played well in the few minutes he got off the bench. He made the most of his time on the floor and did what he had to do without trying to do too much.
I also really like all the blocks that the Bears managed. I just wish they would've hauled in the balls instead of swatting it out of bounds. Still, the swats denied the Hornets of easy buckets.
With Blacksher, Omot, and Campbell out, the Bears managed to win the games they were supposed to win. This bodes well, but I'm withholding judgment until Cal plays some better teams. The Vandy game was an unpleasant surprise; I'm hoping that was just a fluke. OTOH, the SC game was a surprise in the other direction. However, SC hasn't beaten anyone of note in their pre-conference games.
Long story short, Cal looks like it's trending upward but it's still too early to know what we have in Cal's team this year. So far, though, I do like what I've seen. The team defense needs time to gel and the players need to space better on offense. But I think Madsen will get the team playing in sync by the time conference play begins in earnest.
Even though I just said that it's too early to know what Cal has, I have a feeling Cal will be a middle of the ACC team this year. The team will probably make the NIT, though a ticket to the Dance seems unlikely.
