We are less than a half-hour away from tipoff now. Before we get this second-round game underway, a few pregame sights:

A long wait before playing today allowed the Bears to receive some inspiration in a different ways. Cal's players received a huge surprise around breakfast when they received well-wishes from a fairly well-known basketball player.

Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant visited the Simpson Center on Sunday night to use the under water treadmill. The Lakers are in town to play the Golden State Warriors tonight. Before he left, Bryant sent a special message to the Bears!

Click the link below to watch.

CalWBB Kobe from Cal Women's Basketball on Vimeo.

Later in the day, the Bears had lunch at the team hotel. While they ate, they watched the latest ESPN "30 for 30" documentary called "Survive and Advance," a look at former inspirational North Carolina State coach Jim Valvano.

The Bears are at the United Spirit Arena now. They boarded the bus in the back of the hotel while the Cal band played the fight song and the cheerleaders and Oski greeted them.

It's almost showtime!

With an 8:30 p.m. local tipoff time, it's a long day until the Bears finally get to get back on the court for their second-round game against South Florida. By the time tonight's game starts, it will be well over 48 hours since Cal polished off its first-round win over Fresno State.

Cal will head to the United Spirit Arena shortly for its pregame shootaround. Then it will be a pregame meal and back to the gym for the game.

At stake is a berth in the NCAA regional semifinals next weekend in Spokane, Wash. The Bears have advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen just one other time in program history, back in 2009 when they fell to eventual national champion Connecticut. If Cal wins tonight, it will play the winner of tomorrow's game between Penn State and LSU on Saturday.

First things first, however. Cal is playing an athletic and skilled South Florida team tonight that took No. 2 Notre Dame to overtime before losing in January.  The Bulls are led by senior guard Andrea Smith, a unanimous All-Big East First Team selection who leads the team in scoring at 16.1 points per game. Her twin sister, Andrell, is USF's second-leading scorer at 13.8 ppg.

The Bulls also feature a dynamic player in junior Inga Orekhova, a 6-2 guard with a multitude of skills. She led USF with 20 points in a first-round win over Texas Tech.

Stay tuned for more throughout the night.

The Bears spent Sunday getting ready for Monday's second-round game against South Florida. After a press conference and media availability, Cal held a practice at the United Spirit Arena. Then it was time for a late lunch. Later, the Bears held a film session and then went out to a team dinner at a local Japanese restaurant.

A couple of images from today:

For today's visual aid on just how far Brittany Boyd has come since her promising yet sometimes inconsistent freshman year, we direct you to the final six seconds of the first half Saturday night.

After grabbing a rebound off a miss by Fresno State star Ki-Ki Moore, Boyd did not sprint full speed to the other end of the court as though the basket was going to disappear in a few seconds. Instead, she checked the clock, took a measured gallop up court and let fly a perfectly timed 3-pointer which swished through the net as time expired.

It was yet another reminder of what Boyd is and can further become. Blessed with dynamic athleticism and skill, Boyd continues to harness her talents in a way that has helped the Bears become a national power this season.

"Brittany's basketball IQ is very high," Cal coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. "She's fun-loving and just wants to play. That's a woman who loves the big stage. She's been good for us all year but she rises to the occasion and I think we needed it today."

Boyd's overall performance during Saturday's 90-76 win over Fresno State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament was right up there with the best in Cal postseason history. Boyd was one assist shy off a triple double - 21 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists. She was 8-for-12 from the field and added two steals and two blocks.

As the afternoon wore on, you got the feeling she had the game in the palm of her hands. And as a result, the Bears were in good hands.

Gottlieb, evidently an amateur psychic, told Boyd earlier in the week that a triple-double was a distinct possibility for her against the Bulldogs.

"I said to her, 'I don't care about stats but this is the kind of game you could have a triple-double," Gottlieb said. "I felt like she was better than I could have ever imagined. I loved her poise. It was a total team effort but Brittany was spectacular."

Cal's women's basketball program has had some other memorable performances in the NCAA Tournament. Trisha Stafford went for 33 points and 12 rebounds in a loss to Santa Clara in 1992. Ashley Walker had 21 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in a win over San Diego in 2008. Walker went for 32 points and 10 boards in a 2009 victory over Virginia.

But it's hard to imagine there being a more complete NCAA Tournament performance than the one Boyd had Saturday night.

"I just want to be the best teammate to my teammates, just do what I have to do to get the win," Boyd said. "Coach told me at the beginning of the week that this is going to be a big game and I could get a triple-double. I was one assist away, but that's OK. I was just focused and my teammates kept me focused. It was just a good feeling all-around."

The Bears have advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a 90-76 win over Fresno State here at the United Spirit Arena. Point guard Brittany Boyd arguably had the best game of her career, considering the stage. Boyd just missed a triple-double with 21 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists. She also was 8-12 from the field.

Cal had five players in double-figures, led by Boyd. Layshia Clarendon had 19 points and five rebounds, Gennifer Brandon had 17 points and 12 rebounds, Talia Caldwell had 14 points and seven rebounds and Reshanda Gray had 12 points and six boards. Eliza Pierre had six assists and Afure Jemerigbe had five.

Ki-Ki Moore was brilliant for Fresno State, scoring a career-high 33 points with six rebounds.

The Bears shot 52.2 percent from the floor, which is a team record in the NCAA Tournament. Cal dominated the inside, outscoring the Bulldogs 56-26 in the paint and outrebounding Fresno St. 51-28. The Bears also had a season-high 23 assists.

The Bears are now 29-3 and will play here Monday night at 6:30 p.m. PT on ESPN2. Cal will face the winner of the Texas Tech-South Florida game that is taking place right now. Monday night's winner will advance to the Regional Semifinals in Spokane, Wash. next weekend.

The Bears are dominating the paint and point guard Brittany Boyd is having one of her best games of the season as Cal has opened up a seven-point halftime lead, its biggest advantage of the game.

Boyd has 12 points on 5-7 floor shooting, six rebounds and four assists to lead the Bears. That includes an in-control pull-up 3-pointer as time expired to end the half. Layshia Clarendon has 11 points for the Bears, and Reshanda Gray has added 10 points off the bench on 5-for-6 from the field. Cal is dominating the inside, outscoring the Bulldogs 34-14 in the paint. Overall, the Bears are shooting 57 percent from the floor.

Fresno St. is also shooting well, connecting on 46 percent of its shots. The Bulldogs, who led the Mountain West in 3-pointers made per game during the regular season, are 8-for-16 from beyond the arc so far. San Francisco native Ki-Ki Moore, who knows several of Cal's players, has 16 points to lead Fresno St.

Second half to come in about 10 minutes.

The Bears are dominating the paint and point guard Brittany Boyd is having one of her best games of the season as Cal has opened up a seven-point halftime lead, its biggest advantage of the game.

Boyd has 12 points on 5-7 floor shooting, six rebounds and four assists to lead the Bears. That includes an in-control pull-up 3-pointer as time expired to end the half. Layshia Clarendon has 11 points for the Bears, and Reshanda Gray has added 10 points off the bench on 5-for-6 from the field. Cal is dominating the inside, outscoring the Bulldogs 34-14 in the paint. Overall, the Bears are shooting 57 percent from the floor.

Fresno St. is also shooting well, connecting on 46 percent of its shots. The Bulldogs, who led the Mountain West in 3-pointers made per game during the regular season, are 8-for-16 from beyond the arc so far. San Francisco native Ki-Ki Moore, who knows several of Cal's players, has 16 points to lead Fresno St.

Second half to come in about 10 minutes.

We're ready. The starting lineups are about to be announced here at the United Spirit Arena, and then the Bears' postseason quest will begin. Stay tuned!

They've got the Bears this far so why change a thing? Same starting lineup as always:

G Brittany Boyd

G Afure Jemerigbe

G Layshia Clarendon

F Gennifer Brandon

C Talia Caldwell