A closer look at the unveiling of the Cal men's basketball team's new uniforms:

NEW ORLEANS - Cal coach Lindsay Gottlieb is about as thorough a coach as you will find. She is a film junkie. She prepares for every scenario and every situation in a basketball game. She's been known to rehearse her press conference quotes.

So when she told her team Sunday night that she was only going to spend two minutes thinking about the Bears' 64-57 loss to Louisville in the Final Four, it may have been a little white lie.

But you get the point.

Sunday's loss stung, not only because it ended such a remarkable season, but even more because the Bears were in position to win. Cal led by 10 at halftime. The Bears still held a lead with under four remaining. It wasn't so much the Cardinals were significantly better than the Bears; they were just a little bit better when it counted.

That all being said, a team that was ranked No. 13 in the preseason Associated Press top 25 went to the Final Four. That came after winning a share of the Pac-12 championship. That came after knocking off Stanford at Maples Pavilion. That came after winning a program-best 32 games.

So even though the Bears were right there with a chance to play for the national championship Tuesday night, Gottlieb's point is really the only one to make - once the sting wears off.

"What I said to our team in the locker room is that we can be disappointed about a half of basketball that we wish we had back," Gottlieb said. "We could be disappointed to not be playing on Tuesday night because we really wanted to be playing Tuesday night. But I'm going to think about that or two minutes, and for the next 10,000 minutes I'm going to think about what this group did for the University of California, the legacy they will have left this year - that when you come to Cal, you play or the person next to you, you play with a lot of character, you work really hard that you make the name on the front of your chest the most important thing, even if you are really, really talented."

During Cal's postgame news conference Sunday night, after the players left the podium, Gottlieb jokingly admitted she is going to think about her team's missed opportunities against Louisville for more than two minutes. "That was kind of a lie," she said.

One of the most lingering moments of the season came when the season was over. Moments after the final horn sounded, senior and team leader Layshia Clarendon huddled the team together and adamantly implored them to remember what they accomplished this season, to not let a loss on the second-to-last day a team can play tarnish the legacy the 2012-13 Bears will leave behind.

"I told them, don't hang your head for one second because we've just come too far, done too much. It's hard to let it go. It's going to hurt definitely. But when you look at this team, you think about this team, I just can't help but smile because what we've done is beyond amazing. We've affected so many people and just to see all the good that's come out of it, all the positive, all the love and the legacy we are going to leave."

The Bears' magical season came to an end tonight in New Orleans. The Bears lost to Louisville at the New Orleans Arena, ending the greatest season in school history.

Senior Layshia Clarendon played as hard as a player can, scoring 17 points with five rebounds and playing magnificent defense against Louisville star Shoni Schimell, who scored 10 points on 4-13 shooting. Junior Gennifer Brandon had 12 points and nine rebounds.

Cal, after making its first Final Four appearance in school history, finishes the season 32-4.

There's no denying the significance of the accomplishments of this year's team. The Bears won their first Pac-12 championship ever. They earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, their highest seed ever. They beat Stanford at Maples Pavilion. And they showcased the program on college basketball's biggest stage on the highest level.

And this program isn't going anywhere. There's no question Cal will miss its four seniors - Clarendon, Talia Caldwell, Eliza Pierre and Tierra Rogers. But the Bears have a strong nucleus of returning players with point guard Brittany Boyd, wing Afure Jemerigbe and Brandon and Reshanda Gray up front. Add in an influx of new talent and Lindsay Gottlieb's stewardship as coach, and expect the Bears to be firmly in the national conversation again in 2013-14.

Sunday night was a tough one for these Bears. There were a lot of tears in the locker room afterward. But it didn't take too long for those tears to turn into hugs, smiles and even a few laughs. This team likes to have fun. Sunday night wasn't fun. But the Bears personality couldn't allow them to not try to find the good in their amazing season before too long.

The Bears will fly back home tomorrow morning. And you can bet these Bears will find some time to fit in a few laughs.

The Bears have built a 10-point halftime lead by dominating the paint and shutting down Louisville star Shoni Schimmel. Cal is outscoring the Cardinals 24-10 in the paint and has 10 second-chance points. The Bears are also shooting 59 percent from the field and outrebounding the Cardinals 23-11.

Schimmel has just three points on 1-7 shooting. Louisville is shooting only 40 percent from the field.

Layshia Clarendon leads the Bears with eight points. Talia Caldwell has seven points and nine rebounds.

Considering starting point guard Brittany Boyd played only 10 minutes in the first half because of a back ailment and two fouls, the Bears have to like their position. Second half is just a few minutes away.

Cal's starting lineup for the first Final Four game in school history:

G Brittany Boyd
G Layshia Clarendon
G Afure Jemerigbe
F Gennifer Brandon
C Talia Caldwell

For Louisville:
G Shoni Schimmel
G Bria Smith
G Antonita Slaughter
F Sara Hammond
C Sheronne Vails

The Bears have arrived at the New Orleans Arena! Cal had its morning shootaround and then arrived at the arena about 20 minutes ago. There was a huge March to Victory outside the team hotel, as the band, cheerleaders and other Cal dignitaris gave the Bears a rousing sendoff.

Tipoff is i just about an hour. Stay tuned!

For those fans in New Orleans for the Final Four, the Cal Alumni Association is hosting a fun pre-game party at Lucy's Retired Surfers Bar & Restaurant from 2-4:30 p.m. CT. on Sunday. The Bears play Louisville at 5:30 at New Orleans Arena.

Lucy's is the official Cal gathering place during the Final Four. It's about a 20-minute walk to the arena. For Lucy's address and more information, click here.

Admission to the party is free, as long as you are wearing blue & gold! There will be a crawfish boil for guests while supplies last. The first 100 fans will receive a free Final Four T-shirt.

The Cal Straw Hat Band and Spirit Groups will make an appearance, and athletic director Sandy Barbour will kick off the party.

For those interested in going to the team hotel for the March to Victory, Cal athletics staff will make an announcement at the appropriate time for fans to make their way there.

Go Bears!

NEW ORLEANS - The Bears have been in New Orleans almost 48 hours now, and they are fully immersed in Final Four activities as well as preparations for Sunday's game against Louisville.

Friday night, the team took part in the special Salute Team Dinner, a function at Mardi Gras World, the same place they went to take a team photo immediately after arriving in the city Thursday night. Mardi Gras World is a huge warehouse where all kinds of huge, larger-than-life objects are stored for parades. It also has a long deck adjacent to it.

After the dinner, there was a "Salute Parade of Teams along the deck." It featured each team, with their bands and cheerleaders, walking past fans and throwing beads to the crowd. It was a formal affair, and afterward the teams headed back inside for a Premier hosted by ESPN's Sage Steele. The program included comments from NCAA officials and a tribute to an assortment of heroes in the New Orleans area.

Saturday was a busy morning for the Bears. They arrived at the New Orleans Arena and immediately had their media access. Coach Lindsay Gottlieb and players Layshia Clarendon, Talia Caldwell and Eliza Pierre answered questions from the podium. At the same time, Cal's locker room was open to the media and it became a very busy place. A steady stream of local media, as well as Bay Area reporters, made their way into the locker room to do extensive interviews with the Bears.

At 11 a.m., it was time for Cal's open practice. All four teams held one-hour practices at the New Orleans Arena today that were free to the public, and the Bears were up first. It was a festive scene, with fans in the stands, the band and cheerleaders performing and music playing throughout. A slew of photographers and camera operators documented the proceedings, and afterward Clarendon conduced an on-court interview which appeared on the video board for the fans in attendance.

But without question, the highlight of the practice came at the very end, when the players assembled at mid-court and did their rendition of "The Free World," the choreographed dance they have been doing throughout the NCAA Tournament. It got a great reaction from the crowd and was caught on tape by multiple cameras and sources. Also, about midway through the practice, the video board aired the team's music video, "Started From The Bottom." That got a great reaction from fans and assorted staff and officials throughout the arena.

When practice finally came to the end, it was a brief trip back to the locker room and then up to the concourse for an autograph session. Hundreds of fans waited in line to get posters signed by all of the Bears' players and coaches.

The Bears left the arena and then went off-site for a closed practice. Afterward, before returning to the hotel, team host Polly Jones guided the squad on a bus tour around the city, pointing out the city's historical and traditional landmarks.

And now, for some images of last night and today:

Today's Final Four news conference:

Check out this video recap of the Bears' first day in New Orleans for the Final Four:

NEW ORLEANS - Some images of the Bears' trek to New Orleans on Thursday:

NEW ORLEANS - Observing Cal coach Lindsay Gottlieb and her players this afternoon was a good illustration of just how far women's basketball has come.

Gottlieb and her five starters spent two hours at New Orleans Arena today going through a series of interviews and photo shoots to promote the Final Four. It was attention fit for royalty, and the Bears appeared to have a lot of fun doing it.

Starting at Noon, Gottlieb, guards Layshia Clarendon and Brittany Boyd and forward Gennifer Brandon posed for some NCAA photos. Clarendon and Boyd were also interviewed by ESPN for sound bites that will be aired throughout the network's coverage. Later, each of the five starters were filmed in ESPN's "Tease Room," where they posed with different moods and different positions, sometimes dribbling or holding a basketball. Finally, Gottlieb and the starters were filmed as a group. The five starters also did the same choreographed dance the team did after winning the Spokane Regional last weekend.

Later, Gottlieb and the players spent extensive time in a conference room meeting with ESPN's crew, including announcers Doris Burke and Holly Rowe as well as producers and other crew members. Gottlieb and the players also did interviews for content that will appear on the video board at the New Orleans Arena.

Finally, Gottlieb and the players also did interviews for the Dial Global Radio Network which is broadcasting the game, as well as NCAA.com.

The media obligations took two hours, and Gottlieb and the players immediately met the rest of the team afterward for practice.

Some images from today:

NEW ORLEANS - What an amazing first day of this journey for Cal's women's basketball team. After an incredible sendoff at Haas Pavilion in front of a large crowd, the Bears boarded their busses for the Oakland Airport. When they arrived at the terminal, they were greeted at security with an airport sign to wish them well. At their gate, there were blue and gold balloons and another "Go Bears" sign.

After a smooth flight to New Orleans, the Bears got on their busses and were immediately taken to Mardi Gras World, a large warehouse where floats are made for Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans. During the ride, team host Polly Thomas pointed out special sights of the city and educated Cal's players about New Orleans and Mardi Gras. Once inside, the Bears had the opportunity to explore, finding larger than life characters and other memorabilia. Then it was time for a group picture.

Back to the busses the Bears went again for the short drive to the team hotel. Along the way, when players found out that weren't included in a special VIP dinner on Saturday night on a riverboat, it produced a couple of groans. That's when assistant coach Charmin Smith pointed out "Yes, but you do get to play in a game." That was followed by a few people saying, "Two games!"

Things really got festive when the team arrived at the hotel.. The players were met with hotel personnel, which issued them beads with a Final Four emblem attached to the bottom. The band was already in place and played for the Bears as they headed up the escalators for a special welcome from the hotel and the city of New Orleans.

Once inside a special banquet room, Cal coach Lindsay Gottlieb was presented with a game ball and a welcome from the local organizing committee. Then it was off to a late team dinner.

Tomorrow, Gottlieb and selected players will tape several interviews and shoots with ESPN at New Orleans Arena. Then there will be a special team dinner back at Mardi Gras World.

 A large crowd of fans came to Haas Pavilion Thursday morning to help give the Golden Bears a rousing send-off for their trip to New Orleans and the Final Four. In addition to performances from the Cal Straw Hat Band and Dance Team, Director of Athletics Sandy Barbour, head coach Lindsay Gottlieb and junior guard Mikayla Lyles all spoke and thanked the Cal fans for their enduring and enthusiastic support. Here are a few photos from the event. You can view more images in this photo gallery on CalBears.com. See you in New Orleans!

There are a ton of activities for fans to take part in at the NCAA Women's Basketball Final Four this weekend in New Orleans. We all know the Bears are playing Louisville on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. PT on ESPN. For fans who will be in The Big Easy, check out this schedule of daily activities provided by the NCAA.

Some highlights to point out:

• Cal is the "High Seed Semifinal 1," meaning the Bears' open practice at The New Orleans Arena on Saturday is from 11 a.m.-Noon CT. That practice is completely open to the public and free of charge.
  
• Following the open practice, the Bears will hold an autograph session from 12:10-12:40 p.m. CT. The session will be held in sections 112 and 114 on the arena concourse.
• Not listed on the schedule is a "Battle of the Bands" that will take place Saturday from 3:45-4:15 p.m. CT at the arena.
• Lucy's Retired Surfer's Bar & Restaurant will serve as the official "Cal Gathering Place" for the weekend. Spend some free time there socializing with your fellow Cal fans.
  

Listen to Dave Lewis' call of the final seconds of Cal's 65-62 overtime victory over Georgia on Monday night that sent the Bears to the Final Four:

The Bears are full of hugs, smiles and tears of joy as they celebrate their win over Georgia on Monday night, sending them to the first Final Four in school history.

Watch ESPN's highlights of Cal's win over Georgia last night:

Watch the Bears celebrate their first Final Four berth in school history:

For just the fifth time this season, the Bears trail at halftime. Cal is shooting just 24 percent from the floor.

Layshia Clarendon leads the Bears with eight points. Brittany Boyd has six rebounds.

For the record, out of the four games the Bears have trailed at the half this season, they have come back to win three of them.

We're ready for a game! Follow Twitter updates at @CalBearBlog throughout the evening.

It's the starters we've come to expect from the 31-3 Bears:

G Brittany Boyd
G Layshia Clarendon
G Afure Jemerigbe
F Gennifer Brandon
C Talia Caldwell

For the Bulldogs (28-6), who are seeded fourth in the Spokane Regional, it's:

G Shacobia Barbee
G Tiaria Griffin
G Jasmine James
F Jasmine Hassell
F Anne Marie Armstrong

Tipoff is 20 minutes away!

Watch the Bears' March to Victory before tonight's Elite Eight game against Georgia:

SPOKANE, Wash. -- Cal's women's basketball team plays the biggest game in program history tonight when it meets Georgia in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. Before heading off to a team breakfast this morning, coach Lindsay Gottlieb took a few minutes to speak with the Bear Blog about the team's run to the regional final, and the chapters that have been written to get to this point.

Bear Blog: Have you taken time to reflect on just how special this season has been, or are you too focused on the next task at hand?

Lindsay Gottlieb: I think it's a little bit of both. I always feel like you are losing half of the experience if you don't take a minute to say this is really cool or this is fun or this is amazing. All of those things have come into my mind but without taking away from the goal and the next thing and keeping everybody focused. But I think we definitely have a group that is really appreciative of what is going on.

Bear Blog: Virtually the entire roster returned from last year's team that went to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. But that doesn't guarantee you will automatically take the next step. How has the team taken that next step?

Lindsay Gottlieb: I credit our players for doing everything I've asked them to do and more. The first thing I said last year after we lost to Notre Dame is I want to be really good next year, not just because we'll have everyone back, but because everyone is better. From an individual standpoint, I think they all took that to heart and became better athletes, better conditioned and better players. Just over the course of this year, we've come together and jelled and had experiences that have made us improve throughout the course of the season, too. I think all of those things factor in.

Bear Blog: Was there a moment or two during the season where you realized you have taken that next step?

Lindsay Gottlieb: There are a lot of moments. You can point to the dominance at the beginning of the year. We came out and just sort of asserted our will on some people. That was huge. Going to Duke and battling like we did and losing, that's kind of why I put it on the schedule. Did we want to win that game? Yes. But I saw something there that told me this team was going to be in it at the end. Obviously, the start of conference - that run with Stanford twice and Colorado and Utah twice and UCLA and USC - that was unreal. At the end of that, I remember Charmin said at one point, 'If I told you we were going to come out of this 9-1, what would you have said?' I thought that was huge. There were so many moments where I said OK, this is something special.

Bear Blog: Was the team huddle before overtime against South Florida in the second round the biggest challenge you've faced as a coach?

Lindsay Gottlieb: I've been asked about that maybe more than anything else ever. There was no doubt in my mind what to say. There wasn't one second where I looked at Layshia and said, 'why'd you foul a 3-point shooter?' or look at anyone and ask why they missed their free throws. It was all about looking them in the eye and making sure they knew I believed we were winning that game. All I said was every single person look forward. We don't waste one minute looking back at the last minute. The second I said that, I think they locked in on that. Now, they went out on the court and I turned to Charmin and I said, 'Oh my God, did that just happen?' But I'm never going to say that to the team. It was all about making sure they knew there was only one option, and that was to win the game.

Bear Blog: How quickly did you think of what you were going to say during that huddle?

Lindsay Gottlieb: My thought process through all of it was, how are they seeing me react? What do they need to see from me? If I projected any type of panic or even being upset, I think they would have fed off that.

Bear Blog: You seemed very calm outwardly during that last minute of regulation against South Florida. Were you that calm on the inside?

Lindsay Gottlieb: On the inside, I was maybe as torn up as you could imagine, as much as any point during the season. But there was just no option. It doesn't help if I'm showing that. We played really well that game against a very good team. We had a horrific 59 seconds or whatever it was. But I feel like if I let that 59 seconds define us, then we would have lost in overtime. We just had to go back to being who we are and doing what we do. It was five extra minutes. Nobody really scripted it that way, but the only option was to win the game.

Bear Blog: When you took the job at Cal, did you think you could get this far in your second season?

Lindsay Gottlieb: I knew I was coming into a group of people that had Final Four potential. I definitely felt like going into this year, it wasn't crazy to say I want to be working in New Orleans. So much has to go into that. The players have to buy in. There has to be a little bit of luck. That's why we focus on the journey and the process. It's not just about the outcome. But I did think that this is possible. That doesn't mean I'm not in awe of this whole thing. We have one more game to get there. But did I think it was possible? Yes.

Bear Blog: How closely did you follow Cal's program during your three years as the head coach at UCSB?

Lindsay Gottlieb: Very, very closely. I just cared a lot. I knew a lot of the players. Joanne (Boyle, former Cal coach) is one of my best friends. I was always close with Charmin (Smith, assistant coach). I was always respectful of the different role, but wanted to be somebody that was always connected in a positive way. I think that didn't change.

Bear Blog: When you heard Joanne might be leaving Cal, did you immediately think about the possibility of returning to Cal as head coach?

Lindsay Gottlieb: When Joanne initially got contacted by Virginia, we were in a big meeting with about 200 coaches at the Final Four. I get a text message from Joanne, asking if I was in the room. She asked if I could come out to the hallway. I came out to the hallway and she has this look on her face, and she said she just got a call from Virginia. My first five thoughts were how to be a good friend to Joanne. What does she need to talk about? After I got through that, I thought, 'Oh my gosh, in some way could this affect me? Joanne made a great move for what she wanted in her life. Did that ultimately open the door for me to come to Cal? Yes. I think it all worked out the way it was supposed to and in a positive way.

Bear Blog: How much did what Joanne accomplish at Cal lay the groundwork for the success you are having now?

Lindsay Gottlieb: It's everything. Joanne came in when Cal had 13 losing seasons in a row and the culture wasn't in place yet. She did all of that heavy lifting. Just making players aware on a daily basis of what it takes to be a winner. She fought a lot of battles and laid all that groundwork. In addition, for me personally, from the time I was 24 years old she gave me an incredible amount of responsibility. There's no question in my mind I wouldn't be a head coach anywhere if it wasn't for Joanne and also in this situation at Cal with this type of program.

Bear Blog: How similar are you philosophically to Joanne?

Lindsay Gottlieb: I think I learned so much from Joanne about how to run a program and how to recruit and how to handle things on a day to day basis. In terms of our work ethic and approach, we are similar. I think our personalities are really different, and I think that's why I was a really good assistant for her. I think you evolve as a head coach. You change and figure out what works for you. What works for me might be a little different than what works for her, but I think there are a lot of similarities because I came from her coaching tree.

Bear Blog: Have you allowed yourself at all to fantasize about the clock hitting 0:00 tonight and you are going to the Final Four?

Lindsay Gottlieb: I'm really trying to work on what I'm going to say to the team to get them ready. What am I going to say in the first media timeout? What adjustments do we need to make? What defense is Georgia going to play? I have to just focus on all those things that have gotten us to this point, just because I'm asking the players to do the same. If we do those things, I think we'll have a great moment at 0:00 on the clock. But it won't happen unless we do what we've done all year.

SPOKANE, Wash. - Cal's women's basketball team hopes the best version of itself is yet to come.

It will have to as the Bears move deeper into the NCAA Tournament. As the stakes grow higher and the competition grows stiffer, Cal knows it must move closer and closer to fulfilling its significant potential to keep the best season in school history alive.

The Bears next chance to do that is Monday when they meet Georgia in the finals of the Spokane Regional at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN with a berth in the Final Four on the line.

These new and improved versions of the Bears have become a rallying cry for head coach Lindsay Gottlieb and her players this postseason. Others may call it maximizing their potential or playing to the best of their ability. But for Cal, it means simply being Cal. And being Cal as much as Cal can be itself.

"That's kind of been our theme -- we don't have to do anything really different. We just have to be the best version of ourselves," Gottlieb said. "And I think that's what we have done all year. We have been able to stay in the moment and focus on the task at hand, while recognizing the bigger picture and enjoying it. But I think that it's a really good feeling to know, hey, be confident in what we do and just do it really well."

The good thing is the Bears' best version of themselves could mean many things. Gottlieb all season has embraced the idea that her team can win in a variety of ways. Successfully forced into a half-court battle by LSU during the first half Saturday night, Gottlieb and her coaching staff made the necessary halftime adjustments to shut down the Tigers' inside-out offense and jump-start their own transition game. That allowed the Bears to turn a halftime tie into a double-digit victory.

"Just be us. Embrace the moment," Cal point guard Brittany Boyd said. "Be happy that we are here, but don't be satisfied, want more for each other, want more for this team, want more for our program, our school and do something that Cal has never done before. I think that just gives us chills and makes us want to go out and just think we can dunk or something. So just be us and play Cal basketball."

Gottlieb has spent the entire season striking an effective balance between allowing her players to be individuals and have fun while reeling them in when necessary. The credit there not only goes to Gottlieb, but to the players for allowing themselves to be coached and appreciating the staff's willingness to afford them freedom.

"If anyone has seen us, we're a team that celebrates everything," Cal guard Layshia Clarendon said. "We're a grateful, upbeat, thankful team. I think Lindsay keeps us focused."

This is a new day for the Bears, but the bright lights of the Elite Eight don't seem to be bothering them. Players and coaches had their share of smiles and laughs before and after practice today at Spokane Arena. While players waited for the last few members of the team party to exit the locker room after practice, they were sprawled out in the parking lot sunbathing on an unusually warm spring afternoon in the Pacific Northwest.

"There's no question we're a team that embraces the moment and enjoys it but without losing our focus or losing our hunger to want to do more," Gottlieb said. "I think the best thing I can do is let them prepare the same way we always do and let us be the best version of ourselves. They know it's a bigger stage and I don't think that scares any of us. I think these kids rise to that occasion when given the opportunity."

The Bears are back at Spokane Arena for practice, preparing for their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Elite Eight. Saturday was certainly an exciting night. After a jubilant locker room celebration, the Bears returned to the hotel and found a group of Cal fans waiting in the lobby to congratulate them. At that point, it was late in the night and the Bears quickly retreated to their rooms to get a good night's sleep.

The team had breakfast together this morning and then a film session to study tomorrow's opponent, Georgia. Then it was on to the bus for the arena, where first the Bears went through their media obligations. All five of Cal's starters and head coach Lindsay Gottlieb appeared at a news conference and the locker room was open to the media as well. Several of Cal's players were interviewed by newspapers, television stations and radio stations.

And now for some sights from postgame last night and today:

The second-seeded Bears have advanced to their first Elite Eight ever after knocking off No. 6 LSU here at the Spokane Arena on Saturday night. After being tied at halftime, Cal (31-3) pulled away in the second half after tightening up on the defensive end.

The Bears will play fourth-seeded Georgia at 6:30 p.m. on Monday night for the chance to go to the Final Four in New Orleans.

Layshia Clarendon led Cal with 19 points and a career-high six steals while Gennifer Brandon had 17 points and 13 rebounds. Brittany Boyd added 14 points, seven assists and four steals.

The Bears and Tigers are locked in a tight one here at the Spokane Arena in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. Cal took an early 11-6 lead but LSU has been able to stabilize things by utilizing a strong inside game and half-court offense. The Bears have done a good job of forcing turnovers and getting out and running when they can.

Gennifer Brandon leads the Bears with eight points and six rebounds. That included two free throws after she was fouled with just 0.4 seconds left in the first half. Afure Jemerigbe and Reshanda Gray have five points apiece, and Gray also has four rebounds.

Second half coming up in about 15 minutes.

Same starting lineup as always, and why not>

G Brittany Boyd
G Layshia Clarendon
G Afure Jemerigbe
F Gennifer Brandon
C Talia Caldwell

For LSU:
G Danielle Ballard
G Adrienne Webb
F Bianca Lutley
F Theresa Plaisance
C Shanece McKinney

The Bears arrived at Spokane Arena a little while ago. As usual, the band and cheerleaders greeted the team in the lobby of the team hotel as the players headed for the bus. There is also a huge youth volleyball tournament going on in town here and several volleyball players and families got a kick out of the March to Victory when the team headed to the bus. Many took pictures and have generally been heard saying "Go Bears" around the lobby the last couple of days.

Right now, Stanford leads Georgia 42-34 with 10:05 left in the first game here tonight. The winner will face the Cal-LSU winner on Monday night, with a trip to the Final Four on the line.

Cal's game is estimated to tip off at 8:32 p.m., but that is an estimate and will depend on when the first game here ends. We will provide an updated start time, if necessary, when we get it.

Stay tuned!

SPOKANE, Wash. -- For the second week in a row, Cal's women's basketball program spent a NCAA Tournament press conference answering a lot of questions that didn't have much to do with basketball.

The Bears wouldn't want it any other way.

Not only does Cal embrace its personality and its culture off the court, it helps fuel its performance on the court. The Bears are a collection of unique and compelling personalities; not separate but intertwined in a way that produces an exemplary model of a team.

After last week discussing President Barack Obama's bracket that had Cal advancing to the Final Four, the Bears spent much of their news conference Thursday talking about a music video the team produced and released on Wednesday. Using a song called "Started From The Bottom" that was written primarily by backup point guard Eliza Pierre with conceptual help from guard Mikayla Lyles, video coordinator Erik Williams produced the video which included players and the program's support staff as well.

"My philosophy in general is that college athletics should be an enjoyable experience for the people that are involved in it," Cal coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. "That doesn't mean they love every second. I'm pretty sure they don't love sprints and drills and every type of off-season workout. But I do think that you have to embrace their nature of being fun-loving. I think you have to empower them to enjoy the experience. And I think I can do that because I'm so confident in their focus level. I'm so confident that the basketball is serious to them."

The formula has obviously worked. Cal won a share of its first-ever Pac-12 championship this season, earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and is in its second-ever Sweet Sixteen, where it will meet sixth-seeded LSU here Saturday night. At 30-3, the Bears have amassed their most wins in a single season in school history.

And they have done so balancing those personalities, ones that have a lot in common but that can also be strong at times. And ones that have never caused players to lose sight of the responsibility, commitment and affection they have for one another.

"I think it speaks to Lindsay's coaching mentality and style, how she really relates to the players," Cal guard Layshia Clarendon said. "'I don't know if a lot of head coaches around the country would let their players make this kind of video going into the tournament. It really speaks to her supporting us and all we want to do - our dreams, our hopes, our goals, our just wanting to have fun. We're really thankful to be in a program like this where they do support us."

While Pierre admitted this is now a serious time - the stakes keep getting higher as the Bears advance further into the tournament - it doesn't seem to have affected Cal's attitude. The Bears were a loose bunch before taking the floor at Spokane Arena for practice today. The team was singing and dancing in the locker room before practice, even engaging in a pseudo flash mob with a loosely choreographed dance.

As the team warmed up before practice, the Bears took part in their usual ritual of tossing a football around. And point guard Brittany Boyd borrowed a photographer's camera and took Gottlieb's picture from across the court.

"Our team is really loose and we like to have fun," Pierre said. "It was about to get real serious so we wanted to have fun and make the music video. Just to have the coaches approve that and say that they want us to have fun, that they want the world to see us as a team, I think that we were really appreciative of that."

The Bears had a smooth arrival into Spokane last night. Their charter flight left the Oakland Airport around 5:15 p.m and landed in Spokane just before 7 p.m. When the team bus arrived at the team hotel, the Bears were greeted in the lobby with blue and gold balloons and the Cal fight song playing, not to mention a warm welcome by the hotel staff. The Bears then had a team dinner.

In a few hours, the Bears will head over to Spokane Arena for media interviews and a 90-minute practice.

A couple sights from yesterday's trip into Spokane:

After returning from Lubbock, Texas at about 4 a.m. early Tuesday, Cal women's basketball coach Lindsay Gottlieb had no time to worry about matching the fashion sense of LSU coach Nikki Caldwell.

As it turns out, she had no time to worry about sleeping, either.

It was right back to work for Gottlieb and the Bears' coaching staff as soon as they got back home. Truth be told, the work started on the charter flight that departed two hours after Cal beat South Florida in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Monday.

The second-seeded Bears (30-3) meet No. 6 LSU (22-11) on Saturday night at Spokane Arena in the NCAA regional semifinals.

"It's a lot of film. There's not a lot of sleep," Gottlieb said. "We are thrilled as a coaching staff to be having late nights in late March."

The Tigers are a mild surprise to be at the Sweet Sixteen, having upset third-seeded Penn State on their home floor to earn the trip to Spokane. Gottlieb and the Bears are familiar with Caldwell, who was the head coach at UCLA for three years before taking the LSU job in 2011.

Caldwell is known to be an impeccable dresser with an affinity for high heels.

"They know that their coach is going to be outdressed," Gottlieb said. "I've lost the fashion battle already. They know that. I'm sure I'll hear about it all week."

The Tigers had the advantage of playing their first two games on its home floor, but they also beat Penn State with only seven healthy players after starting point guard Jeanne Kenney suffered a concussion in their first-round win over Green Bay.

Since the Bears played Monday and LSU played Tuesday, Cal has an extra day to prepare for Saturday. Gottlieb gave her players the day off Tuesday but were back in the gym Wednesday with three full days to prepare for the Tigers.

"You don't have time to complain about being tired. People are sitting at home right now," Cal guard Layshia Clarendon said. "There are only 16 teams left that have this opportunity. So I think at the end of the day that gratitude alone kind of helps push you forward."

Cal's women's basketball team has come a long way. How long? The Bears will tell you themselves:

Cal coach Lindsay Gottlieb and players Layshia Clarendon and Gennifer Brandon met the media Wednesday afternoon to talk about this weekend's trip to Spokane, Wash. for the NCAA Sweet Sixteen.

LUBBOCK, Texas - Forget the missed throws or fouling 3-point shooters. None of that mattered during a jubilant late night and early morning after the Cal women's basketball team advanced to the second Sweet Sixteen in school history with an 82-78 victory over South Florida in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Monday at Texas Tech University.

The Bears fully know why they allowed the Bulls to come back to force the extra session Monday night. They've never claimed to be perfect and have never shied away from working at curing those imperfections.

But the bottom line is the Bears were clearly the better team Monday, not by a lot but by enough. The Bears outplayed USF in almost every facet except free throw shooting. Indeed, had Cal not missed eight of 11 free throws down the stretch, it would have won comfortably.

"I said, 'Not one person looks behind'," Cal coach Lindsay Gottlieb said about her message during the team huddle heading into overtime. "We don't think, talk about the time that's already lost. We're looking forward. Not that it was easy, but there was no carryover whatsoever and again that short memory is important. We all know we made mistakes down the stretch but what are you going to do? We're going into overtime and I said there's no option but to win this game."

Once overtime started, it was back to regular basketball again because South Florida had no reason to send the Bears to the line. And once Cal regained the lead, this time it made 8 of 10 free throws to seal it.

"It was exciting," said Cal guard Layshia Clarendon, who led the Bears with 27 points, two short of her career-high. "I think this is what March is all about. It's one of those games where toward the end, the clock couldn't tick any slower. It felt like you were in a movie."

When the game finally did end, the Bears engaged in an on-court celebration that was part-joy, part-relief. But this is where Cal expected to be. Ranked in the top-10 for almost the entire season, anything short of at least the Sweet Sixteen would have felt like an unfulfilled season.

The Bears enjoyed the win as much as they could after a physically draining game that ended after 11 p.m. local time. By the time Cal completed its media obligations, showered and reached the airport, it was 1 a.m.

Still, there were a ton of smiles and laughs as the team headed to the airport. The Southwest Airlines crew guiding the charter flight back to Oakland congratulated the Bears over the airplane intercom. The plane touched down in Oakland at 2:10 a.m. local time.

The Bears were ready and deserved a good night's sleep at that point. They will watch tonight's Penn State-LSU game with great interest, as the winner will be their next opponent Saturday in Spokane, Washington.

"I'm so proud and excited and happy for the young women in our locker room that we're going to the Sweet Sixteen," Gottlieb said. "Just very thankful to be in this position with these young people."

No surprise that the Bears are getting a tough test from South Florida. The Bulls were impressive Saturday night in winning on Texas Tech's home floor and have dynamic players in the backcourt. But the difference so far has been the play of Cal senior Layshia Clarendon, who has 17 points at the half on 7-10 floor shooting. Clarendon ended the half with a terrific spin move and drive that resulted in a 3-point play with 1.9 seconds remaining. Clarendon scored eight off the Bears' final nine points of the first half.

Brittany Boyd, coming off arguably the best Cal performance ever in an NCAA Tournament game, has a game-high six assists. Reshanda Gray has provided a spark off the bench with six points and three rebounds in 11 minutes.

Second half coming up in about 10 minutes. 

Usual starters: Boyd, Jemerigbe, Clarendon, Brandon and Caldwell.

For South Florida: Andrell Smith, Inga Orekhova, Andrea Smith, Alisia Jenkins and Akila McDonald.

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

A couple more pregame sights. Tipoff in just about a half-hour!

 

After a film session yesterday evening, the Bears went out to a nice dinner at a Texas steakhouse. They then turned in for the night to get ready for this afternoon's game.

The Bears are currently going through their morning shootaround at the United Spirit Arena. It's a beautiful facility here on the Texas Tech campus, and the arena looks great and ready to host a pair of NCAA Tournament games today.

Cal tips off at 3:20 p.m. Central Time against Fresno State. At No. 2, the Bears have their highest seeding in program history.

 

The Bears knew it was coming, and it didn't take long for the media at the United Spirit Arena to oblige Friday morning.

Seniors Talia Caldwell, Layshia Clarendon and Eliza Pierre had barely gotten comfortable in their seats at the podium for their NCAA Tournament press conference when they were asked for their reaction to being picked to advance to the Final Four by President Obama.

ESPN announced earlier this week that Obama had chosen Cal to make the Final Four in New Orleans along with Baylor, Notre Dame and Connecticut. The president's entire bracket was shown today on ESPN.

Sure enough, the first question of the morning was directed at Caldwell, as she was asked how that has affected the team's focus.

"Our focus is completely on tomorrow's game and all week long we worked on just getting better at the little stuff," Caldwell said. "Just perfecting things we have done all year, so it is nothing completely different. Just focusing on them and doing the game plan and making sure we execute. Just the simple stuff we've done all year."

Cal coach Lindsay Gottlieb joked earlier in the week that the news that Obama had picked her team to go to the Final Four came mere hours after she instructed her players not to pay attention to what outsiders were saying.

"I was like, 'Wow, I don't think I can ask them to block that out,'" Gottlieb said during Friday's news conference. "But our team is very mature and I respect them a lot and I knonw that I can talk to them about things and know that they will stick with me on it. So I said, 'You know, it is really cool. You all have put California basketball to the point where the president sees fit to pick us. This is great, but let's take it for what it is -- a really cool thing -- and let's focus on beating Fresno State. And I have every confidence that the young women I coach can do that."

For the record, Pierre was asked about it, too.

Shortly after the news conference, the Bears took the floor for a 90-minute practice inside the beautiful 15,000-seat arena. Then it was time for lunch and back to the hotel.

Before boarding the bus for lunch, the Bears ran into Texas Tech guard Casey Morris, who played at Cal as a freshman before moving on to Lubbock. Morris shared embraces with Cal's coaches, staff and veteran players that knew her. If the Red Raiders beat South Florida on Saturday and the second-seeded Bears get by No. 15 seed Fresno State, they will match up against each other on Monday night.

For now, though, the focus is on Fresno State. The Bulldogs have won 14 of 16, including three in a row to win the Mountain West Tournament.

"I don't think they seem like a 15 seed," Gottlieb said. "They are really good for a lot of different reasons. We have a lot of respect for them."

The Bears are practicing at United Spirit Arena on the Texas Tech campus. A little earlier, coach Lindsay Gottlieb, guards Layshia Clarendon and Eliza Pierre and center Talia Caldwell participated in an NCAA news conference (more on that later).

The women's hoops team had a nice trip into Lubbock. After landing through a good ole' Texas dust storm, the Bears went to their hotel where they got some dinner and watched the men's team take down UNLV. Then it was time to turn in for the night.

Cal will have a practice at the United Spirit Arena in the morning and a press conference. Seniors Layshia Clarendon, Talia Caldwell and Eliza Pierre, along with coach Lindsay Gottlieb, are scheduled to appear at the podium for the Bears.

For a few images from today, check out Twitter.com/CalBearBlog.

One of the Cal women's basketball team's strengths this season is the respect the players have for head coach Lindsay Gottlieb, and vice versa. Gottlieb has repeatedly said this season how much she has appreciated her team being engaged to what she is saying.

But a few days before the Bears open play in the NCAA Tournament, Gottlieb will cut her players a little slack if they slightly ignore one of her words of wisdom.

Earlier this week, just hours after Gottlieb implored her players to block out whatever is being said about them outside their locker room, President Barack Obama went on ESPN and picked Cal to advance to the Final Four.

It's one thing if a television analyst or bracketologist weighs in with an opinion about your team. It's another when the most powerful man in the world does so.

"Literally my message to the team was anything you hear, good or bad, block it out," Gottlieb said. "But I didn't expect that would include President Obama. We'll probably give them a pass on that one and laugh about it today."

For Gottlieb, it required her to strike the delicate balance between ignoring the pundits while also keeping with one of the themes off the season - having fun. She let her players talk about it for a short time Wednesday, and then took them back into full preparation mode for Saturday's first-round game against Fresno State in Lubbock, Texas.

"I love these kids and we can be real and talk about stuff like that," Gottlieb said. "We try to appreciate the moment and have fun, but certainly I'll let them know that's all it is - a chance to laugh and smile and then focus on Fresno State."

The president's endorsement meant a little more to Gottlieb because she comes from a civic-minded family. Her father, Stephen, is a retired New York Supreme Court and former assemblyman. Her sister is a law professor and her brother is a lawyer.

Gottlieb said she called her father around 11:30 p.m. ET that night, despite the fact she may wake him up.

"I said sorry it's late but I want to tell you something. The President picked us in his Final Four," Gottlieb said. "He said, `President Obama?' It was pretty funny and I explained bracketology and he was like, 'that's really cool.'

The women's basketball team is about to head to the airport for its flight to Lubbock, Texas for the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. The Bear Blog is going to be tagging along, following the Bears' throughout their NCAA journey. Stay tuned for in-depth coverage, on and off the court. Don't forget to also always follow the Bear Blog on Twitter (@CalBearBlog).

Go Bears!!!

Cal men's basketball coach Mike Montgomery isn't so sure his team really has a home-court advantage for the Bears' second-round NCAA Tournament game against UNLV this afternoon at HP Pavilion in San Jose.

"If there is traffic on 880, it may take Vegas less time to get to the arena by flying in," Montgomery said.

The Bears beat the traffic just fine yesterday afternoon, getting to the arena and going through their open workout in the evening. Cal expects a highly partisan crowd to be in full support for today's game which tips off at 4:27 p.m.

"It will be exciting to have so many people there supporting us," Cal point guard Justin Cobbs said. "It's good to be playing so close to home. We're excited to play."

Of course, the expected home-court advantage will take Cal only so far. The 12^th-seeded Bears will have their hands full with fifth-seeded UNLV, which beat Cal 76-75 during the regular season at Haas Pavilion on a putback with 1.2 seconds remaining.

The Rebels also weren't at full strength for that game. The Bears, meanwhile, have shown vast improvement since that matchup in December.

"We're a different team than we were at that point," forward David Kravish said. "We are playing hader and better defensively and we're better as a team. We've come a long way."

The regular season loss to UNLV isn't the only source of motivation for the Bears. The returning players also vividly remember their disappointing first-round loss to South Florida last year.

"It was tough. I didn't want to watch basketball for awhile," Cobbs said. "I don't think I watched again until the Elite Eight. That feeling is still fresh in my mind. Nobody likes losing, whether it's the NCAA Tournament or a regular season game. But it sticks in your mind a little bit more. That was the end of my sophomore season. I don't want to feel that."

The Bears got another reminder of the cut-throat nature of a one-and-done tournament when they were surprised by Utah in the first round of last week's Pac-12 Tournament. But the next time Cal loses, its season will be over.

"Twenty percent of the teams are playing and we're one of those 20 percent," Montgomery said. "We need to take advantage of this. We need to understand five months of hard work have paid off with the reward at the end, which is an invitation to the NCAA Tournament. There are no do-overs. We don't have a next game unless we earn the right for a next game. We have to lay it on the line. We have to approach it with that sense of urgency."

Ten years ago, it hurt so good for former Cal sharpshooter Richard Midgley.

Starting at point guard for the Bears as a freshman, Midgley hit a game-winning 3-pointer with 3.9 seconds left in overtime on March 20, 2003 to lift Cal to a 76-74 victory over North Carolina State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The shot helped the Bears avoid a painful loss, but Midgley was still ailing afterward. That's because in the ensuing wild celebration, Midgley and teammate Conor Famulener banged heads together. Midgley ended up with blood running down his face and was forced to get four stitches immediately afterward.

"I had no idea I was bleeding," said Midgley, now the head coach at Modesto Christian High School, his alma mater. "I had to get a few stitches on the side of my head, but it was good fun."

Midgley set a Cal freshman record by connecting on 44.9 percent of his 3-point attempts during the 2002-03 season, but no connection was bigger than the one against the Wolfpack. N.C. State took a 74-73 lead on Scooter Sherrill's 3-pointer with 12.8 seconds left in overtime. Cal leading scorer Joe Shipp took the inbounds pass and drove the length of the court, luring multiple N.C. State defenders with him. Midgley, trailing on the play, clapped for the ball. Shipp passed back out to him, and Midgley coolly sunk the pivotal shot.

"Joe was our scorer that year," Midgley said. "The whole defense collapsed to him. Nobody picked me up at all. Joe made a great play."

And did Midgley know it was going in when the shot left his hands?

"It felt good," he said.

The Wolfpack had time to get off one last shot, but Sherrill's attempt from the top off the key missed.

Midgley essentially was attacked by his teammates after the final horn sounded, as a stream of Golden Bears sprinted toward him from the bench and engaged in celebration.

"It didn't hurt me, but it hurt him," said Famulener, who now works in commercial real estate in San Francisco. "We jumped toward each other to hug and Joe kind of accidentally pushed our heads together. I remember seeing blood all over his face. It's something that we laughed about a little bit."

Since Midgley and Famulener still reside in Northern California, they still are able to follow the Cal program closely. And Midgley says his dramatic shot against N.C. State still draws reaction from Cal ffans to this day.

"I was at Dublin High School the other day and a Cal fan mentioned it to me," he said. "Same thing at the Cal-Stanford game. I guess that's how I'll always be remembered."

 

Women's basketball coach Lindsay Gottlieb spoke to the Pac-12 Networks after the Bears received their NCAA Tournament assignment Monday.

Cal women's basketball coach Lindsay Gottlieb has encouraged her players all season to embrace the moment.

Perhaps that's why the Bears looked like a bubble team that just squeaked its way into the NCAA Tournament when their name was revealed during ESPN's broadcast of the selections on Monday afternoon.

Joined by a large gathering of fans and supporters at the Field Club inside Memorial Stadium, the Bears simply went bonkers when the big screen flashed their name as the No. 2 seed in the Spokane Regional, where they will take on Fresno State in Lubbock, Texas on Saturday at 1:20 p.m. PT. Players jumped out of their chairs and engaged in hugs, yells and dance in a jubilant moment during a benchmark season.

"We were a little more excited than we thought we would be," Cal guard Layshia Clarendon said.

With a 28-3 record, a Pac-12 regular season co-championship, a No. 6 national ranking and an RPI of 9, the Bears knew they were going to be in the tournament and garner a high seed. But they didn't expect to be in the same region as conference rival, and they weren't totally convinced they would receive a No. 2 seed.

The Spokane Regional was the first bracket revealed on the ESPN broadcast, and once Stanford popped up as the No. 1 seed, the Bears figured it would be a little while before their name was called.

"When we saw Stanford, I don't think we were expecting to be in that bracket," Clarendon said. "I didn't think we thought we'd come up that early. We were all kind of hanging out, and then we see No. 2. I think you guys got a pretty genuine reaction of excitement and surprise."

The Bears earned their highest seed ever in what will be the ninth NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. Cal's deepest run came in 2008 when it advanced to the third round.

Should the Bears get by Fresno State (24-8), which won the Mountain West Tournament title to get an automatic bid to the field, they'll face the winner of the first-round game between South Florida and Texas Tech.

"When you reflect on what this team has done, and where this program was years and years ago, I think it's pretty neat that we're on that 2-line," Gottlieb said. "But right now our focus is on Fresno State. I can think about the big picture when all is said and done."

Reminisce about the Bears upset of Duke in the 1993 NCAA Tournament:

A compilation of what was said after the men's basketball team found out it was selected for the NCAA Tournament on Sunday:

While most pundits seemed sure that Cal's men's basketball team would receive an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament, head coach Mike Montgomery wasn't necessarily himself.

"They can say you are in or you are out, but nobody knows," Montgomery said.

After the first two regions were revealed Sunday afternoon, the Bears hadn't been selected and Oregon, the Pac-12 Tournament champions, received only a No. 12 seed in the Midwest Region.

"It was kind of weird. Oregon wins the Pac-12 Tournament championship and they get a 12, and UCLA gets a 6," Cal star Allen Crabbe said. "But I just felt like we did what we needed to do toward the end of the season. We opened people's eyes. We deserved to be in the tournament."

Crabbe was right. Cal was finally announced as the No. 12 seed in the East Region, and the wait was made even more worth it when it was revealed the Bears would be playing down Interstate 880 at HP Pavilion in San Jose.

Cal will meet No. 5 seed UNLV in a first-round game Thursday. The Bears fell to the Rebels 76-75 at Haas Pavilion on Dec. 9 when UNLV's Quintrell Thomas scored on a putback with 1.2 seconds remaining

Cal's players broke into a wild celebration after watching the team get selected in the Grille Room inside Haas Pavilion.

"We basically have a home game," Cal point guard Justin Cobbs said. "We're playing an opponent that we've already played and probably should have beaten if we get that one rebound. We're blessed to make the tournament."

Should the Bears get past UNLV, they would meet the winner of the first-round matchup between Syracuse and Montana on Saturday.

"You play for five months, you work so hard to earn the right to be in this tournament, and we've done that," Montgomery said. "That's a tribute to the kids. Now, we've just got this opportunity and hopefully we can take advantage of it. This is where you kind of make or break. You can really do some things if you can advance through the tournament."

The Bears began opening eyes with a seven-game win streak late in the season. Cal lost to Stanford in its regular season finale and then in overtime to Utah at the Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas.

But Cal's players remain confident heading into the NCAA Tournament, buoyed by the prospect of playing in front of a large contingent of partial fans.

"It's a big opportunity for Cal," Crabbe said. "We can really make a name for ourselves. The tournament is about making or breaking people. We just have to really cherish this moment. We can't let it go to waste. I don't want this season to be over on Thursday."

Men's basketball coach Mike Montgomery talks about keeping his team mentally tough:

Former Cal star basketball player Shareef Abdur-Rahim is one of 12 players who will be inducted into the Pac-12 Hall of Honor at this week's Pac-12 Tournament. Here's more:

This week's show looks ahead to this weekend's Pac-12 Tournament and the Bears chances for an NCAA Tournament bid.

This week's edition takes a look back at the Pac-12 Tournament and looks ahead to the NCAA Tournament.

Cal's men's basketball team wasn't able to capitalize on its opportunity to win the Pac-12 regular season championship. Now, the Bears get a chance to win another kind of title.

The Bears open play in the Pac-12 Tournament on Thursday night in Las Vegas against either USC or Utah. They narrowly missed out on the regular season crown, and plan to use that as motivation to win the Pac-12's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.

"We let the regular season slip away. We have a new focus now," said Cal guard Allen Crabbe, the Pac-12 Player of the Year. "We have three games to win this Pac-12 Tournament."

Cal (20-10) entered the final week of the regular season needing to beat Stanford and then have UCLA and Oregon each lose one game. The Bruins and Ducks both lost, but the Bears were knocked off by Stanford.

That left Cal in second place to finish the season, giving them the No. 2 seed at the conference tournament, which is being held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

The overwhelming consensus is this will be the most wide-open tournaments in years, with as many as nine teams believed to be legitimate contenders for the championship.

"Stanford came in as the ninth-place team and played great, which was really disappointing in retrospect because it was all there for us," Cal coach Mike Montgomery said. "We didn't get it done, but you have to give credit where credit is due. This league has been really good. You could look at it as the teams at the top have been more impressive because it has been so hard."

The Bears will have had eight days off between games by the time they take the floor in Las Vegas on Thursday night. Cal has been using the time off to rest tired bodies and re-commit itself to performing on the defensive end, which was the primary reason the Bears strung together seven straight wins before falling to Stanford.

"We lost one championship. Now we want to see if we can get this one," Cal point guard Justin Cobbs said. "It would be a great accomplishment if this team can win the conference championship. We're capable of doing that."

Pac-12 Player of the Year Allen Crabbe talks about winning the award:

Allen Crabbe may be the Pac-12's leading scorer, but he doesn't believe that's why he was named Pac-12 Player of the Year on Monday.

Crabbe averages 18.6 points per game, but it was his realization that he doesn't need to score that turned him into more of a complete player this season.

"I realized it doesn't really matter if I score," Crabbe said Monday, just a few hours after learning he had been named the conference's top player for the 2012-13 season. "It's a team effort. I trust in my teammates to make plays. I just tried to find ways to get them involved."

Indeed, when the Bears became less dependent on Crabbe to score, they became better. During the final 11 games of the regular season, in which Cal went 9-2, Crabbe scored more than 16 points just three times. Twice, he didn't even reach double-digits, and both times those games ended up as victories.

"I'm happy or Allen," Cal coach Mike Montgomery said. "He came in as a highly touted freshman and worked himself up to being the conference leading scorer. But now he's doing other things. He's been drawing everybody's best shot all year long. He's had to work really hard to get anything done."

Crabbe is the third Cal player to be named Pac-12 Player of the Year in the past four seasons, joining Jerome Randle in 2010 and Jorge Gutierrez last year.

"I realized all the hard work I put into the offseason really does matter," Crabbe said. "I feel like I'm really blessed to be in this situation to be considered the MVP of this conference. I want to thank my team for sticking with me through my hardships. They've always been there to pick me up. I wasn't able to do this alone. And I want to thank the coaching staff for believing in me. I thank all of them for being there and trusting me."

In addition to Crabbe earning Player of the Year honors, teammate Justin Cobbs was named to the All-Pac-12 second team. Cobbs was disappointed to be left off the all-conference team last year, but now that he's on the second team, he has his sights set on more.

"I'm blessed to make the second team," Cobbs said. "At the same time, I want to reach the higher goal and make first team. There's room for improvement. I have to keep working. It's not a negative thing. I'm blessed to make second team. At the same time, now I have work to do."

Pappy's in Berkeley is hosting a watch party for the women's basketball team's Pac-12 Tournament game against USC. Pappy's will continue to host parties as long as the Bears stay alive in the tourney. Go Bears!

Bill Walton may have attended UCLA, but at least part of his heart has always been in Berkeley.

The son of a Cal alum, Walton has spent many nights at the Greek Theatre watching his favorite band, The Grateful Dead, perform. His spirit, his philosophies - ooze the Berkeley culture. He even told UCLA basketball coach John Wooden he planned on spending the spring quarter in Berkeley every year (never happened).

That's why Walton was (and is always) in his element when he was on campus Wednesday. Prior to calling the Bears' game against Stanford on ESPN2, Walton addressed about 150students in the Haas Pavilion club room as part of his "Bill Walton Pac-12 Campus Tour," which took him to all 12 campuses during the past 10 weeks. Cal was the final stop on his journey.

"This is Berkeley, where anything is possible," Walton said during his 75-minute appearance. "This is where civilization began."

Walton touched on a variety of topics, telling stories about his time at UCLA and in the NBA, but also sharing inspirational messages with the students. Walton implored the students to make the most of their time in college and prepare themselves for the future.

"I was the highest-paid player in team sports, and my quality of life went down," Walton said of his time with the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers. "That's how great UCLA was."

The talk was moderated by Cal radio voice Todd McKim. Walton also took a few questions from students.

Walton reminisced about a charmed childhood, one that ended with major college programs doting over him. It continued on when he arrived at UCLA, where he was named National Player of the Year three times and led the Bruins to two NCAA championships.

"I was 21 before I encountered someone who didn't have my best interest at heart," Walton said.

Walton had fun with the Cal crowd, saying about the upcoming game: "The trees of Stanford have come. The fate of the world as we know it lies in the balance."

After his remarks, a huge line formed for autographs and pictures with Walton.

Walton traveled over 3,500 miles total during his bus tour.

 

Not as many updates tonight because of some technical problems. The Bears saw their Pac-12 title hopes all but evaporate in a loss to Stanford. Allen Crabbe and Justin Cobbs scored 24 points each, but Cal wasn't able to play the signature defense it had been demonstrating in recent games. Stanford shot 49 percent from the floor, and its 83 points were the most the Bears have allowed this year.

Cal finishes the regular season at 20-10, 12-6 in the Pac-12. The only way the Bears can still win the title is if Oregon loses its remaining two games and UCLA drops its finale against Washington. The Bears next game will be at the Pac-12 Tournament on Thursday.

We are about 30 minutes from the opening tip here at Haas Pavilion for tonight's game against rival Stanford. This game is huge for so many reasons. For one, it's Stanford. Enough said. But as we have all heard by now, the Bears can put themselves in position to win the Pac-12 championship if they win and Oregon and UCLA both lose one more time. It's also Senior Night, as Robert Thurman, Brandon Smith and Bak Bak will play their final home match here this evening.

Stay tuned here and throughout the night on Twitter (@CalBearBlog) for updates.

This week's edition looks back at last week's wins, ahead to the regular season finale against Stanford and goes deeper with sophomore David Kravish.

This week's edition recaps the Bears' win at Washington that clinched a share of the Pac-12 title and goes in-depth with guard Afure Jemerigbe.

Allen Crabbe pleased the crowd with his 3-point shooting and Justin Cobbs followed up his Pac-12 Player of the Week efforts with seven assists, but the final analysis of Cal's 64-46 win over Utah on Thursday night came down to defense - specifically, defending the paint.

The Bears continued their recent strong defensive play, holding the Utes to 29 percent floor shooting. That included an 11-minute stretch in which the Utes made just one field goal. During that span, Cal outscored Utah 24-2 to turn a 22-14 deficit into a 38-24 advantage with 13:57 remaining.

And it was Cal's interior players - most notably, Richard Solomon - that spearheaded the defensive effort. Solomon silenced Utah center Jason Washburn, holding him to our points on 2-for-9 shooting. Washburn entered the night ranked fourth in the Pac-12 in field goal percentage (57.3%) and averaging 11.7 points per game.

David Kravish and Robert Thurman also helped out on the defensive effort inside. Utah scored just 16 points in the paint, and a handful of those points came late in the game when the outcome was decided.

"I feel like they are playing with a lot more confidence for us," Crabbe said of Cal's post players. "Things are going well or them on offense and it carries over to their defense. They're making their presence felt on the defensive side."

Thursday's win was the sixth in a row for the Bears, and eighth in their past nine games. The constant during the hot streak has been defense, especially in the past three games when Cal is holding opponents to 30.4 percent floor shooting. In two of the last three games, the Bears have held their opponent to 46 points, a season-best.

"I think this team has developed a defensive mindset," Cobbs said. "We don't rely on our offense to win games. We know it's important to play defense. We're maturing a lot and taking pride in the defense and getting stops."

Although the Utes entered the night 3-11 in Pac-12 play, they have been extremely competitive night in and night out. They've lost five conference games by five points or less. Cal's 18-point win resulted in Utah's second-worst loss of the season.

"Nobody has beaten Utah like that," Montgomery said. "Utah has been very difficult to get away from. It's great that we were able to do that."

The win allowed the Bears to keep pace with the leaders in the Pac-12. At 11-5 in conference play (19-9 overall), Cal is one game behind UCLA and Oregon in the Pac-12 standings. The Ducks were playing Oregon State later Thursday night.

Cal has two regular season games remaining - Saturday against Colorado and Wednesday against Stanford. Both games are at Haas Pavilion. If the Bears can win both and get some help around the conference, they could win their second Pac-12 title in the past four years.

"We know we have two games left and we're in second place," Cobbs said. "If we handle our business and get two wins, the rest is out of our hands."

The Bears held Utah to 29 percent floor shooting to win their sixth in a row and eighth out of their past nine games. The win puts the pressure on the other contenders in the Pac-12 to keep winning. Cal now is 19-9, 11-5 in conference play.

Allen Crabbe led the Bears with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Justin Cobbs had 12 points and seven assists and Tyrone Wallace had 11 points and five rebounds. Meanwhile, Richard Solomon was a force inside defensively, silencing the Utes' inside game.

Next up for the Bears: A big one Saturday afternoon against Colorado.

The Bears held Utah two just one field goal during the final 6:33 and lead by 10 at the break. After trailing 22-14, the Bears went on a 20-2 run to end the first half, forcing five turnovers and otherwise playing smothering defense. Allen Crabbe has 10 points and seven rebounds for the Bears, while point guard Justin Cobbs has six assists. 

The Bears are going with their usual starting lineup tonight, the same one they've had for the past 11 games: Allen Crabbe, Justin Cobbs, David Kravish, Tyrone Wallace and Richard Solomon.

The stretch drive begins tonight at Haas Pavilion. In about 30 minutes, the Bears are hosting the Utah Utes, the first off three home games in a row to close out the regular season. Cal still has its eye on a Pac-12 championship, and a win tonight will keep the Bears firmly in the mix. Stay tuned throughout the night for updates, here and on Twitter (@CalBearBlog).

Haas Pavilion provides a great environment for college basketball, and things have fallen into place nicely for Cal's basketball arena to be a special place during the final week of the regular season.

Because of a hot streak during the second half of the season - the Bears have won five in a row and seven of their last eight - Cal has firmly put itself in the race to win its second Pac-12 regular season championship in the last four years. The Bears are battling Oregon, UCLA and Arizona for the conference crown.

The first ingredient to a Cal championship will be to win its final three regular season games. All three of those games are at Haas Pavilion, beginning Thursday night against Utah.

"There's going to be a lot of hype in Haas," Cal forward Robert Thurman said. "I think Haas is going to be rocking. I think there are going to be a lot of people here. The energy is going to be great."

Following Thursday's matchup against Utah, the Bears then host Colorado on Saturday and rival Stanford in their regular season finale next Wednesday.

Cal currently stands in fourth place in the Pac-12 standings, but only one game behind conference co-leaders Oregon and UCLA. The Bears are also one-half game behind Arizona, which lost to USC on Wednesday night. Cal owns the tiebreak against all three of the other teams vying for the Pac-12 title.

UCLA escaped Arizona State in overtime Wednesday night but still has to play Arizona on Saturday. Two of Oregon's final three games are on the road, including a tough one at Colorado next weekend.

"We just have to stay focused for one more week and one day," Cal point guard Justin Cobbs said at Tuesday's weekly press conference. "If we win those three games, the rest is out of our hands. If we take care of our business, hopefully we put ourselves in great position to win a Pac-12 championship."

The Bears were in the race for the Pac-12 title last season before coming up short at the end. But this year, as the past eight games suggest, Cal is heading into the stretch run playing its best basketball of the season.

"Last year, I think we peaked too early," Thurman said. "Now, I think we are peaking at the right time. I think we just need to keep that momentum. I think we're going to come out and play really hard."

This week's "Men's Basketball Report":

Justin Cobbs and Robert Thurman speak at Tuesday's weekly men's basketball press conference.

Mike Montgomery speaks at Tuesday's weekly men's basketball press conference

Cal star Layshia Clarendon talks about the Bears' comeback win over Oregon State on Sunday:

Highlights from the women's basketball team's comeback win over Oregon State on Sunday afternoon:

Highlights of the men's basketball team's win over Oregon State on Saturday:

Cal's women's basketball team can't afford to play without starting point guard Brittany Boyd for an extended period of time. But the sixth-ranked Bears showed Friday night what they have at other times this season - they are built to withstand a hiccup or two in their playing rotation.

Boyd missed Friday's game against Oregon with an injured groin, but Cal received important contributions from Afure Jemerigbe and Mikayla Lyles in a 77-55 victory in front of 2,673 at Haas Pavilion.

Jemerigbe had 13 points, six rebounds and a career-high four assists without committing a turnover in 32 minutes. Lyles, meanwhile, played a season-high 25 minutes and had eight points and five rebounds.

"I thought a lot of people stepped up," Cal coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. "Several people did the small individual things to lead to the better collective effort. We really showed we are balanced and versatile."

Jemerigbe has started all 26 games this season, but with stars like Layshia Clarendon, Gennifer Brandon and Boyd, she doesn't always grab many of the headlines. But the former prep All-American is a glue player that does a little bit of everything for the Bears.

"With Brittany out, I knew I had to step up," Jemerigbe said. "The coaches wanted everyone to step up. The token was given to me and I stepped up a little bit."

Lyles also made a huge difference. She came in averaging just 11.4 minutes per game but was a steadying force on the floor throughout the evening. Lyles has produced before this season - she had 14 points and seven rebounds in the Bears' 67-55 win over Stanford on Jan. 13.

"Mikayla always gives us a lift," Gottlieb said. "The way this team is built, we can withstand someone being out or someone having a bad shooting night. Mik is the same whether she plays two minutes or 25 minutes. I talked to Mik after shootaround, not to tell her she's going to play more minutes, but that she needs to be really dialed in on Oregon. Mik is such a leader that she probably knew that meant more minutes for her."

For a first-place team playing a last-place team, the first half was a little too close for comfort for the Bears. After racing out to a 10-0 lead, Cal trailed 19-18 with 3:49 left before halftime. But the Bears then went on a 12-2 run to take a 30-21 lead at the break. Lyles hit a pair of 3-pointers during the stretch.

The Ducks (4-23, 2-13) were still within striking distance at 37-30 with 16:54 remaining, but the Bears went on a 10-0 run to take control.

"I was really happy with our second half," Gottlieb said. "I loved the way we started. I thought we didn't miss a beat. Then we went into a shooting drought, and that zapped our energy a bit. But I thought we responded and came out with great energy in the second half, and with or team great energy often leads to good things happening."

The Bears went on a 10-0 run early in the second half and went on to a comfortable 77-55 win over the Ducks. Layshia Clarendon led Cal with 14 points, while Afure Jemerigbe had one of her best all-around games of the season with 13 points, six rebounds, a career-high our assists and no turnovers.

Talia Caldwell had 10 points and 10 rebounds or Cal (24-2, 13-1). Gennifer Brandon added 10 points and nine rebounds.

Without starting point guard Brittany Boyd, junior guard Mikayla Lyles assumed a bigger role and finished with eight points and five rebounds in a season-high 25 minutes. Lyles entered the game averaging 11.4 minutes per game.

A 12-3 run helped the sixth-ranked Bears take a 30-21 lead into the half. Without starting point guard Brittany Boyd, Cal's offense is struggling a bit. But the Bears got hot near the end off the first half, with Mikayla Lyles hitting two clutch 3-pointers and Layshia Clarendon scoring five points to help erase a 19-18 deficit.

A win tonight would keep the Bears in at least a tie atop the Pac-12 standings. Cal and Stanford enter tonight both with 13-1 records in conference play. Oregon, meanwhile, is last in the Pac-12 standings at 2-12 (4-22 overall). The Ducks have beaten Washington State twice this season and lost to everyone else in conference play.

Senior Layshia Clarendon leads the Bears at the half with 12 points. Gennifer Brandon has eight rebounds.

Checking in here from Haas Pavilion, where the No. 6 women's basketball team is hosting Oregon. The Bears are off to a strong start, leading 14-5 with 11:38 left in the first half. More to come...

Highlights of the men's basketball team's big win over No. 23 Oregon last night:

Eight straight wins. The last four by double-digits. Three over nationally ranked teams. Twenty wins overall.

Like most coaches, Lindsay Gottlieb wants more. The No. 6 Bears committed 18 turnovers during their 66-53 win over Arizona State on Friday night. They missed five free throws. Their energy level wasn't always at optimal level.

If Cal is hitting its stride, Gottlieb wants it to be a sprint.

But the second-year coach does admit that when her team dictates the style of a game, the Bears tend to get the results they want.

"Of course, we respect all of our opponents, but I think we understand if we do the things we do well, it's going to produce results," Gottlieb said. "I think our players are buying into that. From a coaching perspective, you always want to do things better. You want to keep improving and correct your weaknesses. But I think our players embrace what we do well, and that gives us a lot of positive momentum. And in women's basketball, confidence is huge."

And confidence should be high for the Bears (20-2, 10-1 Pac-12). They negotiated the toughest part of their schedule - an eight-game stretch to begin the conference season that included five ranked opponents - by going 7-1. And the only team they lost to - Stanford - they ended up beating four days later. They are comfortably handling the teams they should handle and remain tied for first place in the Pac-12 standings. They only face one ore ranked opponent the rest of the regular season.

"Even with our wins, we think we should be doing better," said senior guard Layshia Clarendon, who led the Bears on Friday with 18 points. "But it's definitely better than last year, when we learned our lessons in losses instead of wins. But we're still critical. Our energy dragged tonight. There are things the fans don't see. We know internally we are always trying to be better every single game."

Gennifer Brandon had a double-double for the Bears with 10 points and 15 rebounds, her 12^th double-double this season and 27^th of her career. Brittany Boyd had 11 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

And it was a special night for senior Talia Caldwell. When she drained two free throws with 1:46 left in the first half, she became the 23^rd Cal women's basketball player ever to score 1,000 career points. Caldwell finished with 14.

"That's cool," Caldwell said. "I appreciate being able to play since my freshman year. A lot of great players don't get the opportunity to play their freshman year. I'm thankful I was part of the rotation."

There was also a milestone for Clarendon, who moved into eighth place on Cal's all-time scoring list with 1,560 points. It's been a big week for Clarendon, who earlier was named one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award and a midseason candidate for the Wade Trophy along with Brandon.

"I have homework due tomorrow," Clarendon said when asked to recap her week. "I'm really happy because it says 'California' on the bottom. The team is starting to get national recognition. I'm really happy Cal is rolling along. I've seen the program grow. It's exciting."

Layshia Clarendon had 18 points, Gennifer Brandon had her 12th double-double of the season with 10 points and 15 rebounds and Brittany Boyd finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and five assists as the Bears cruised in the second half to the win. The Bears have now won seven in a row and improved to 20-2 overall, 10-1 in the conference. Cal remains in a first-place tie with Stanford atop the Pac-12 standings.

The Bears have also won their last four games by double-digits.

The Bears held Arizona St. to 38 percent floor shooting and Layshia Clarendon has 12 points as Cal holds a 36-25 advantage at the half. Cal led 21-8 with 9:35 left but the Sun Devils went on a 9-2 run to cut it to 23-17 with 6:59 left. Arizona St. kept the deficit within single-digits for most of the remainder of the first half but the Bears scored five points in a row to establish a 34-21 advantage after a 3-pointer by Brittany Boyd with 1:22 left.

Boyd has eight points, six rebounds and three assists.

With 1:46 left in the first half, senior Talia Caldwell made two free throws to become the 23rd Cal women's basketball player ever to score 1,000 career points.

One other note: Forward Reshanda Gray is missing her third straight game with a hamstring injury.

The Bears are going with their usual starting lineup against the Sun Devils -- Brittany Boyd, Layshia Clarendon, Afure Jemerigbe, Gennier Brandon and Talia Caldwell.

About 45 minutes away from tipoff here at Haas Pavilion as the Bears go for their seventh straight victory and look to maintain at least a share of first place in the Pac-12 standings. A win would also be No. 20 on the season for Cal and match the program's best start ever at 20-2.

Special night as it's the "Play 4 Kay Pink Game" designed to raise Breast Cancer awareness. Cal's players made custom T-shirts that will be part of a silent auction during the first half. There also will be plenty of pink in the arena has the first 1,000 fans are being issued pink T-shirts.

Stay tuned throughout the night and on Twitter (@CalBearBlog) for updates.

The women's basketball team gathered in the Haas Pavilion club room this afternoon to decorate T-shirts for this Friday's "Pink Game" against Arizona State. Cal's players will wear the T-shirts during warm-ups and then they will be available during a silent auction in the first half. The fan with the winning bid will have the player belonging to the winning T-shirt present it to him or her after the game.

Highlights from Cal's big win over No. 10 Oregon yesterday:

Highlights of Thursday's comeback win over Oregon State, courtesy of the Pac-12 Networks.