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.
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.
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 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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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).
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 12th-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."
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."
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."
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:
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."
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.
