For me, it was a moment that could have been the greatest in Cal history, but the shot didn't go in. It was Cal's Al Buch missing a short floater in the lane with no time left on the clock after it left his hand, against Seattle and Elgin Baylor in the Western Regional Final in 1958. Cal had the ball to inbound at the far end, and with 5 seconds on the clock, Newell called one of his rare time-outs. He set up a play for the players to be set up to catch the inbounds pass and pass it from player to player until it reached Buck in the lane at the other end and he released the shot. The ball never touched the floor once, not a single dribble, not even a dribble by Buch. He just turned, took a step, leaped up and shot. The game went to overtime and Cal lost. Missing that one shot cost Cal the win over favored Seattle, and likely cost Cal its first NCAA title. Seattle was the best opponent Cal could have faced on the road to the title. Baylor got hurt in the semifinal of the Final Four, and as a result Kentucky was able to beat Seattle the next night in the Final. When Denny Fitzpatrick was asked about Cal winning the title the following year in 1959, he said, "We could have won three NCAA titles in a row. Probably should have."
SFCityBear