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Cal's moving on in the Pac-10 tourney, UCLA's next
By Morris Phillips March 11, 2010 |
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Against Washington State, the Oregon Ducks were gritty, playing with a never-say-die mentality. Just 16 hours later, facing the top-seeded Cal Bears, the embattled Ducks were the Washington Generals. In a comfortable 90-74 victory, the Bears got everything they wanted: an opportunity to move into the Pac-10 semifinals against UCLA without playing any of their starters extended minutes, along with the bonus of some eye-opening play from several of their bench players. Throughout, the Ducks’ fatigued, disjointed effort fueled Cal’s extraordinary shooting as the teams, especially in the first half, seemed to be competing on a tilted playing surface. While the Bears stepped rhythmically into a slew of uncontested jumpers, the Ducks appeared to be hoisting bowling balls. Cal, led by Pac-10 Player of the Year Jerome Randle, shot 55 percent and established a double-digit lead in just six minutes of action. Meanwhile, Oregon shot a YMCA-like 28 percent and trailed by as many as 16. “They’re playing at a very, very high level offensively. When you’ve got guys that can spread the floor and shoot it like that, it makes it difficult to guard them… They’re certainly ready for (NCAA) tournament play,” Oregon coach Ernie Kent said. Randle scored 22 of the Bears first 43 points, as he was perfect in the opening half with 8 for 8 shooting, including four 3-pointers and a pair of made free throws. Patrick Christopher was just slightly less impressive with four 3-pointers, four rebounds and four assists. In a matchup of mighty-mite point guards, Randle outclassed Oregon’s Tajuan Porter, with his high-percentage shooting, while Porter missed 14 shots, and had to settle for an individual achievement, the Pac-10 record for career made 3-pointers with 345, in what was likely his final collegiate game. “There were a lot of great passes tonight,” Randle said. “The guys were able to find me and I made the open shots I needed to.” Afterwards, Coach Mike Montgomery said what was on every worried Bears fan’s mind: by winning, and getting past the “bad loss” portion of the tournament, Cal could breathe a lot easier in regards to the NCAA tournament when selections are made on Sunday. “You would not like to come in here and lose a first-round game, which starts the conversation, whatever that conversation might be,” Montgomery said. Of course, UCLA, which entered Thursday’s opener against Arizona, with a RealTime RPI of 147 (one step ahead of Hofstra, and one spot behind Arkansas) is the not the normal UCLA these days. With a 75-69 win over the Wildcats, UCLA stopped a streak of four losses in their final five Pac-10 games and their 14-17 overall record is unsightly in Westwood. A loss to the Bruins would definitely raise eyebrows within the NCAA committee, but it won’t doom the Bears. Winning eight of their last nine games, winning the regular season title and forging their first five-game win streak of the season means the Bears have done enough work. But UCLA’s win over the Bears in Berkeley in January means Cal better be ready. “Now that UCLA has Reeves Nelson back, they’re very dangerous. They beat us at home in a game that we thought would knock us out of the championship. Obviously, it didn’t, but any time you play UCLA in Los Angeles, on their turf, you have to be ready and I know we will be,” Montgomery said. Helping the cause are the return of Big Max Zhang, who hadn’t played February 20 because of a collapsed lung, and the quick recovery of Jorge Gutierrez. Gutierreztierez left the Stanford game with a sprained ankle and only practiced on Wednesday in preparation for the opener. But in 19 minutes against Oregon he moved flawlessly and played with his trademark tenaciousness. Zhang, who hadn’t been seen on the hardwood since his breakout second half stint at Oregon, appeared a half-step off his normal languid pace when Montgomery called upon him initially in the first half. He got called for a couple of personal fouls, while lacking the aggression Montgomery has demanded, and Oregon greeted him with a pair of their 19 offensive rebounds. But when Montgomery brought him back a few minutes after that, it was apparent the Ducks had forgotten how effective he could be. First, Teondre Williams tried to face up and shoot over Zhang, and his shot was errant. Then E.J. Singler tried to spin off his man, and into a layup, and Zhang came from the weak side for a rejection. Soon after that, the 5’6” Porter and the 6’10” Michael Dunigan tried to score in the paint and their shots were sent back by Zhang. After the Dunigan rejection, the Cal bench howled with approval, and Zhang did his own roar. And the performances didn't stop there. Jamal Boykin took off after halftime by hitting seven of his first eight shots. Then Omondi Amoke, the one Bear Montgomery felt comfortable playing big minutes, went into his high-flying act with a pair of emphatic slams and nine rebounds. Amoke saved his best for last, at the end of his 32-minute stint, which was the most played by any of the Bears on Thursday. Big Max is back! Hip Hip Jorge! Boykin and Amoke. Montgomery might not be a big fan of conference tournaments, but his Bears seem poised to make a run at the NCAA automatic bid and the highest possible seeding. They’re definitely off on the right foot. |
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