Well I'm not quite a random campus person. Administrator for 34 years. Faculty member for 30 years. Former president of the Alumni Assoc, academic sponsor of the Rally Committee's class on Cal Spitit and Traditions. Former Alumni Sec. of the Order of the Golden Bear. So I have some experience with Cal Spirit.
Nadesan I stand corrected. Any chance you can reach out to the current academic sponsor to see if they can help open up lines of communication? My guess is there are lots of moving parts involved in coordinating what takes place when there are breaks in the action.
Overall I think the pieces have gelled as the season progressed. Some DJs blended seamlessly (zona, sc?) others not so much. It has been wonderful hearing the band bringing it every game.
It’s obvious to me and probably others that your heart is in the right place, but I can also understand the athletics dept’s reluctance to have some rando coming along and telling them what to do. So how to get everyone on the same page where an authentic discussion and feedback can happen is the question.
A thoughtful, and heartfelt reflection, filled with optimism and hope. The Bears have followed the prescription thus far, winning three games in a row. Now the task becomes more difficult. It will take perfect games at Colorado and Utah to be in those contests to the finish. The growth of bench performers has been a demonstration that coaching has improved this team. The Bears will have to be competitive from the outset as they were with Oregon, avoid turnovers, hit their free-throws, and play the kind of defense that has secured the last three wins. Now I want to turn to another issue.
Cal Marketing and the Impact on Cal Spirit
1. The constant interruption of the game with canned music, especially interrupting the Cal Band is a clear indication that those in charge have no connection to Cal. They interrupt "The Big C March" without allowing the students and the band to give the "grrrrh" cheer, they interrupt "Sons of California before the band and yell leaders can do the "California" spell out. They also have no concept of when to use canned music after a big play and time out. It's disgusting.
2. The insipid marketing games they impose on us preclude the student spirit groups from building support for the team. Yell leaders barely have time to lead cheers.
3. The yell leaders do not know or have not been instructed how to teach the students how and when to cheer. They do not clap when the band plays Cal spirit songs, they do not know the "grrrh" chant, or the "California" spell out, and at the Senior's farewell, did not even stand until prompted to cheer for these student athletes who made this season so enjoyable.
4. It would be good if Alums and students filled Maples Pavilion for the final game of the season to support the team, but will athletics encourage it? Well see.
This is probably another article entirely, but my take on micmen/rally com/spirit/etc. is that Cal being largely bad at major sports + the pandemic combined to kill a lot of student institutional knowledge/culture, and it's going to take some time and athletic success for that to get rebuilt.
Nick I think you (and Nick P) have hit the proverbial nail on the head.
What now can be referred to as the dark ages(wyking/fox era) and end times(Covid), several generations of students didn’t get to experience the home court
Vibe that evolved over the years.
Please dive into this area with an article after we finish off the upcoming games. Thx
Nick, first of all, I really have enjoyed and appreciated your post-game articles this year. Thank you! I think your theory on this topic is spot on. And now that we have a program worth cheering for again, I would love an article in the off-season that explores the unique/quirky/fun things the Bench used to do but stopped doing during those dark years. Maybe an article like that can help inspire students to bring back or adapt some of our cheers and traditions. Or create new ones in the same spirit. Everything Nadesan mentioned resonates. I can think of more examples, even simple things like “Defense, Bears, Defense!” were absent and replaced by more generic cheers this year. Students have every right to change and add cheers/traditions, but what we had in the not-so-distant past were tried-and-true traditions that helped unify the whole crowd and strengthen our homecourt advantage. Would love to see some of that come back as we enter the ACC.
Arizona & Washington State. Utah and Colorado still have a bubble chance, but need to get a few more W's. We likely knocked Oregon out last night. We can play more spoiler in the Mountains next week.
This website should be the starting point as to how many teams each conference should get into the Dance, unless there is another website that tries to figure that out, but I don't think it exists. Then we can argue that this website is wrong in stating the Pac 12 will only get three teams in and, of course, what those three teams should be.
Haven't spent much time at all on this topiic, as I want to move onto my favorite topic, what the revised Pac whatever should consist of for football. A new article jjust came oujt on this topic. I disagree with it slightly, but I think it is a good atarting point. Lots of risk that the ACC will fold. If so, what conference is Cal going ot play in then?
As most of you might know, that is easily my most favorite topic. I've spent a lot of time on it. Much more imporrtant that who the Pac 12 gets into the Dance.
So you want to talk about a done deal? You're 6 months late, there is no Pac, sir. It's a 2-Pac right now, Cal and Stanfurd are off to the ACC and absolutely nothing is changing in the next 5 years. Come back in 5 years to discuss this topic, just let it rest if you can possibly do that. Here and on BI.
You are not up to date. Go to YouTube every day and you will find articles dealing with how some conferences may not be around for long, or drasticalluy adjusted.. Leaders in that category are the ACC and the Big 12. I willl try to comment on what has been said about the ACC tpmprrow. I have written that the Pac 2 should be transformed into new Pac 12
Got an appointment. More likely tomorrow tomorrow.
Would be great, if anyone knows (though it could be confidential, to prevent other teams from trying to scoop them who Madsen is targeting to bring into Cal. We do have one player, whose name I forget, who is injured. Someone who has been playing forever. Someone on the blog must know what that is.
BTW, even if Jalen does not leave, I doubt if our returing players plus new players will make us better than this season. The two guys we are losing, Conee and our center, Alma, are really good. Amazing Cal survived by really only having one truly big guy, which is how I look at our current roster.
I never said anything about being guaranteed getting into the tournament. I was tlaking about how a team can get INTO the touunament, which, obviously, was my goal for Cal. . Of couse, a team does not have to win the tournament to do that and there is no fixed number as to how many teams get in. Thast is a vvariable number.
The NCAA tournament takes approximately the best 50 teams in the nation, plus another 18 or so automatic qualifiers who won their conference tournaments. Therefore, Cal's season-long performance needs to be in the top 50 or so to receive at-large consideration.
The Massey Index lists the rating of every school by dozens of metrics and polls, including the AP and Coaches polls, NET, BPI, Kenpom, Torvik, and more. Cal's average rating is 117. I invite you to look through the Top 50 so we can break down why those teams will merit at-large consideration and Cal won't.
So it seems like folks are getting wrapped around the axle in technical terms - even though everyone here is 100% supportive of our Bears and grateful for the remarkable turnaround that has taken place - especially during the latter part of the Pac-12 season.
That said, I find the sentiment expressed by the overwhelming majority here (many of whom are expert analysts) is the right one - outside of winning the conference tournament, Cal has essentially 0% chance to be selected at-large for the NCAA tournament.
Consider:
(1) The conference overall is not strong this year. Most projections over the past 6 weeks have had between 2-4 teams in the field. Not strong at all. 3rd place in a relatively down year guarantees nothing.
(2) If I recall correctly, wasn't there a season in the past 10 years where the regular season Pac 12 champ (Washington, perhaps?) didn't even make the NCAA tourney because the conference was down and their overall season resume was questionable....
(3) This is why those on this board have said (rather emphatically) that outside of winning the conference tourney, Cal would easily be on the outside looking in - despite a fantastic season and amazing improvement from just a year ago. 3rd place in the Big 12 this year may get you in, but not in the Pac-12 (2023-24).
A potentially more realistic scenario for us would be to post enough wins with limited losses through the conference tourney so that the overall record is .500 or even 1-2 games above. Then I would not only hope but perhaps expect us to be invited to the NIT. A great capstone to the season
Glad you admit it's not impossible for Cal to get into the tournament, just which is essentially allI I said. Was surprised I was pounded on for not agreeing to what others now agree was incorrect. Cal is doing a fantastic job of making a seasonal comeback. Madsen is a helluva coach. Maybe could easiluy be coach of the year for the job he has done, coming out of a three win season. Not surprised at that watching his Utah Valley team las season. Jalen may be the best guard I have seen at Cal, and I have been watching them for a long time.
I love it that the Cal writers pn WFC, including, I believe, our feerless leader, can go, in just a day or two, from Cal having ZERO CHANCE IN MAKING THE DANCE to this -- "(Psst. Hey. Don’t look too closely, but Cal is only a half game out of 4th place in the conference right now.)
"We’re just three games away from the conclusion of the Pac-12 regular season, and thanks to this home sweep and results around the rest of the conference, we’re not in a wild situation where Cal is actually in competition for a first round bye in the Pac-12 tournament."
Never in my life have I seen a turnaround like this. In contrast, I have been saying in the past two weeks or so that it was not late enough in the Cal season to rule out Cal making the Dance. But I get it -- Cal writers, or at least most of them (I forget where Nick came out on this subject, and I certainlhy am not going to take the time to look that up), can turn on a dime as to Cal's chances in making the Dance,, though it raises issues about how seriously you can take anything they write in the future.
The WriteforCalifornia moderator team has decided to ban you from further participation in our discussion threads. You have continually discussed only two topics, even on discussion threads entirely unrelated. When the moderators and greater community have told you to move on from those topics, you have become argumentative to bordering on personal responses. For these reasons, you have been banned from further interactions.
Any dues or monies pending will be prorated refunded immediately.
This decision is final. There is no appeal process.
I think the writers are responding the changing in circumstances. I always appreciate that they taper expectations because I can understand whether my wild hopes are probable or simple dreams of what could come in a few years.
I think you take the disagreements on this board too personally. This is a community where we all love Cal and all come from different angles. You often offer good insights, but when the writers or other members don’t see it the same way, that isn’t a reflection on you or them.
Bob it is way past the time to let this go. I recognize you were on to something (let’s call it you were right) and the writers/commentors respectfully pointed out not in your wildest dreams(let’s catalog that as they were wrong). Not making the Dance will not tarnish the Celebration of Life that this season has presented to us. I propose using our collective energy to start studying the ACC landscape to prepare for the coming battles next year. I for one am salivating over a Duke or Carolina coming to Haas. Heck even Wake Forest will be awesome.
Pal. No one is forcing you to comment on our site or stay in our community. If you don’t agree with us or trust us just take your readership elsewhere. Happy to refund your sub fee too.
Finishing high in the conference does not guarantee a berth. The only guaranteed berth is the winner of the conference tournament. That is Cal's only path. Going 3-0 or 0-3 these last few games does not change that at all. Getting to 4th gives Cal one less game to play in the tournament, and would be a huge achievement in Madsen's first year.
Bob, you are getting close to another ban, this one maybe longer. We are volunteer writers who put our love and passion for Cal and it's athletic programs into writing. Please keep that in mind when you comment.
Feb 25·edited Feb 25Liked by Nick Kranz, Rob Hwang, Piotr Le, BentPawn
The only way Cal makes it to the tourney is if they win the PAC-12 championship. The chances of an at large bid is slim and would be unprecedented . Would it be amazing if they did yes, but we are on the right path to get back there in the future.
The writers know what they are talking about and I for one would not doubt them for a minute.
Happy days are here again...The after game interviews were the most revealing of the year, with both the players and Madsen commenting on a pivotal meeting back at the start of the Pac12 season. And I wish the media would ask Celestine more about his ability to clutch up in tight situations. The guy has ice in his veins and has played critical roles in several of our recent wins. He's so quiet, I have to admire that.
Just read the article again. Never seen such a change regarding how a team will perform in the future. From NO CHANCE TO MAKE THE TOURNAMENT, which is all I heard for the last two weeks, to a feeling we could do well there.
Bob: we've all be saying the ONLY chance for the Dance is to win teh P12 tourney. We could win the next 5 straight and lose in teh Championship game of the tourney and the odds of a bid is near zero.
That said, the odds of us winning the tourney improve if we can get a bye. We just don't have to horses to play 3 straight days.
To be 100% crystal clear: Cal has zero chance to making the NCAA tournament, unless they win the Pac-12 tournament. That fact will not change even if Cal wins ever remaining regular season game.
Nick you have out done yourself. I rank this article as best of the year. It has been an absolute joy watching Jaylon Tyson lead this team to where Cal Home games, at least for me are can’t miss for anything!
What I find most impressive was wading into where Jaylon fits in the pantheon of our legends, heroes and icons. It’s is tricky business and folks can be easily triggered if their personal favorites are not as close to the throne as would like or even remember.
So why is Jaylon Brown missing? Though his time at Cal was memorable and his nba career has evolved into something incredible, he was a a bull in a China shop. There was no subtly to his game. Yes it can be argued the season JB stopped by was a success but it was a wobbly group that flamed out of the first round of Big Dance.
Nick’s list of players includes several of my favorites, thank you for bringing Jorge into the discussion.
So where am I going with this diatribe? I will get to the point. I put Jaylon Tyson on the throne between Jason Kidd and Kevin Johnson. I have a simple criteria for this very subjective list. It is the anticipation of going to a game prepared to see something never seen before (Kidd) or sheer artistry to control that games narrative (Kidd & KJ). Of course each had amazing players around them to allowing them to shine.
Two more talking points then I’ll shut up.
Mad Dog bleeds Blue and Gold. He is where he wants to be. How he ended up down on the Farm is a travesty that doesn’t deserve mention. I think WSU has to worry more about Kyle Smith being poached by the Cardinal.
Lastly, the lingering discussion about Cal and the Big Dance. Historically Cal’s overall record kills the deal. A W over a SDS, Butler or Old Miss would have gotten us on the bubble but it is what it is.
That said it’s a brave new world where far too often it’s all about the money. If we can steal two out of three on the road and make it at least to a thrilling semifinal or final loss maybe the selection committee gets a memo that the Golden Bears are ratings gold. This occurring must realistically be called magical thinking. Other than that best we can hope for….NIT or that bastard child the CBI. The silver lining of landing in either of these two is we will get a home game or two.
Just one quibble: that loss to Pacific (nearing the worst of teh worst in Net rankings) means that we'd need a lot more than just a win over xx team to even see the bottom of the bubble.
I love Jaylen Brown, and he’s certainly among the most talented players to play at Haas, but he was probably the 3rd best player on the team in terms of on court production for Cal in his only season in Berkeley because of how raw he was
I liked very much the comments by Westside Bear. To put Jason up with Kidd and Johnson is really insightful! I think Jason belongs there. I have not been to a Cal BB game this year but I am thinking about going to Vegas or Stanford. We should beat the hell out of the furd!
It’s very entertaining to watch him play for sure. He’s definitely more in the Kidd category in terms of us not knowing what he’s going to show in a game. All the ways that he’s able to score and set up teammates is amazing. Kidd was the same, but heavier on the playmaking and passing. Oh, the passing!! He was tops in entertainment value and in the old 6600-seat capacity Haas at full throat was incredible! At the other end of the spectrum are the physical specimens such as Leon Powe, Ivan Rabb, Jaylon Brown and Shareef to name a few recent Bears that brought in the fans.
Terence & I exchanged some posts in another thread the other day, but Celestine, Newell, Rodney, plus Larson/Okafor/Curtis, is a real solid nucleus to build around. With the portal, you’re not too far away from contention with a couple more solid additions.
I think it’s all up in the air with Covid + transfer rules and Daws and Cone being 24 and 25; I think this is the last year we see all these super super seniors.
Ya, that was what I was wondering…plus I think he participated in SR day yesterday so not sure if he’ll be back…then again, in portal era you can’t be sure anyone will be back I guess.
Well I'm not quite a random campus person. Administrator for 34 years. Faculty member for 30 years. Former president of the Alumni Assoc, academic sponsor of the Rally Committee's class on Cal Spitit and Traditions. Former Alumni Sec. of the Order of the Golden Bear. So I have some experience with Cal Spirit.
Nadesan I stand corrected. Any chance you can reach out to the current academic sponsor to see if they can help open up lines of communication? My guess is there are lots of moving parts involved in coordinating what takes place when there are breaks in the action.
Overall I think the pieces have gelled as the season progressed. Some DJs blended seamlessly (zona, sc?) others not so much. It has been wonderful hearing the band bringing it every game.
Nadesan, I wish the Athletic Department had taken you up on your offer to volunteer with the Spirit Groups. You definitely have the credentials!
I volunteered to work with the spirit groups and athletics rejected the offer.
It’s obvious to me and probably others that your heart is in the right place, but I can also understand the athletics dept’s reluctance to have some rando coming along and telling them what to do. So how to get everyone on the same page where an authentic discussion and feedback can happen is the question.
Thats all for now.
A thoughtful, and heartfelt reflection, filled with optimism and hope. The Bears have followed the prescription thus far, winning three games in a row. Now the task becomes more difficult. It will take perfect games at Colorado and Utah to be in those contests to the finish. The growth of bench performers has been a demonstration that coaching has improved this team. The Bears will have to be competitive from the outset as they were with Oregon, avoid turnovers, hit their free-throws, and play the kind of defense that has secured the last three wins. Now I want to turn to another issue.
Cal Marketing and the Impact on Cal Spirit
1. The constant interruption of the game with canned music, especially interrupting the Cal Band is a clear indication that those in charge have no connection to Cal. They interrupt "The Big C March" without allowing the students and the band to give the "grrrrh" cheer, they interrupt "Sons of California before the band and yell leaders can do the "California" spell out. They also have no concept of when to use canned music after a big play and time out. It's disgusting.
2. The insipid marketing games they impose on us preclude the student spirit groups from building support for the team. Yell leaders barely have time to lead cheers.
3. The yell leaders do not know or have not been instructed how to teach the students how and when to cheer. They do not clap when the band plays Cal spirit songs, they do not know the "grrrh" chant, or the "California" spell out, and at the Senior's farewell, did not even stand until prompted to cheer for these student athletes who made this season so enjoyable.
4. It would be good if Alums and students filled Maples Pavilion for the final game of the season to support the team, but will athletics encourage it? Well see.
This is probably another article entirely, but my take on micmen/rally com/spirit/etc. is that Cal being largely bad at major sports + the pandemic combined to kill a lot of student institutional knowledge/culture, and it's going to take some time and athletic success for that to get rebuilt.
Nick I think you (and Nick P) have hit the proverbial nail on the head.
What now can be referred to as the dark ages(wyking/fox era) and end times(Covid), several generations of students didn’t get to experience the home court
Vibe that evolved over the years.
Please dive into this area with an article after we finish off the upcoming games. Thx
Nick, first of all, I really have enjoyed and appreciated your post-game articles this year. Thank you! I think your theory on this topic is spot on. And now that we have a program worth cheering for again, I would love an article in the off-season that explores the unique/quirky/fun things the Bench used to do but stopped doing during those dark years. Maybe an article like that can help inspire students to bring back or adapt some of our cheers and traditions. Or create new ones in the same spirit. Everything Nadesan mentioned resonates. I can think of more examples, even simple things like “Defense, Bears, Defense!” were absent and replaced by more generic cheers this year. Students have every right to change and add cheers/traditions, but what we had in the not-so-distant past were tried-and-true traditions that helped unify the whole crowd and strengthen our homecourt advantage. Would love to see some of that come back as we enter the ACC.
what a exciting piece to read, Thank you Nick.
Godbears49
I never said Cal was in. What I said, or should have said, was there were several games left.
There are now three . Just looked, but have not posted, but the Pac 12 recemtly is projected to get in two aams in. A few days ago it was three.
Arizona & Washington State. Utah and Colorado still have a bubble chance, but need to get a few more W's. We likely knocked Oregon out last night. We can play more spoiler in the Mountains next week.
Honestly, Tyson might be one of the most complete (if not the most complete) player we have ever had.
Calbears49,
This website should be the starting point as to how many teams each conference should get into the Dance, unless there is another website that tries to figure that out, but I don't think it exists. Then we can argue that this website is wrong in stating the Pac 12 will only get three teams in and, of course, what those three teams should be.
https://bracketologists.com/conferences/
Haven't spent much time at all on this topiic, as I want to move onto my favorite topic, what the revised Pac whatever should consist of for football. A new article jjust came oujt on this topic. I disagree with it slightly, but I think it is a good atarting point. Lots of risk that the ACC will fold. If so, what conference is Cal going ot play in then?
As most of you might know, that is easily my most favorite topic. I've spent a lot of time on it. Much more imporrtant that who the Pac 12 gets into the Dance.
Bob, there is another key website, and one that the ncaa uses for bubbles.
https://bballnet.com/conferences/Pac-12
Wow we're 1-6 in Quad 1 and 3 loses each in Q3 and Q4? That's bad.
yeah, the Pacific loss is about as bad a loss can get
So you want to talk about a done deal? You're 6 months late, there is no Pac, sir. It's a 2-Pac right now, Cal and Stanfurd are off to the ACC and absolutely nothing is changing in the next 5 years. Come back in 5 years to discuss this topic, just let it rest if you can possibly do that. Here and on BI.
Calbears49
You are not up to date. Go to YouTube every day and you will find articles dealing with how some conferences may not be around for long, or drasticalluy adjusted.. Leaders in that category are the ACC and the Big 12. I willl try to comment on what has been said about the ACC tpmprrow. I have written that the Pac 2 should be transformed into new Pac 12
Got an appointment. More likely tomorrow tomorrow.
Calbears49
Would be great, if anyone knows (though it could be confidential, to prevent other teams from trying to scoop them who Madsen is targeting to bring into Cal. We do have one player, whose name I forget, who is injured. Someone who has been playing forever. Someone on the blog must know what that is.
BTW, even if Jalen does not leave, I doubt if our returing players plus new players will make us better than this season. The two guys we are losing, Conee and our center, Alma, are really good. Amazing Cal survived by really only having one truly big guy, which is how I look at our current roster.
Gobears49,
I never said anything about being guaranteed getting into the tournament. I was tlaking about how a team can get INTO the touunament, which, obviously, was my goal for Cal. . Of couse, a team does not have to win the tournament to do that and there is no fixed number as to how many teams get in. Thast is a vvariable number.
The NCAA tournament takes approximately the best 50 teams in the nation, plus another 18 or so automatic qualifiers who won their conference tournaments. Therefore, Cal's season-long performance needs to be in the top 50 or so to receive at-large consideration.
The Massey Index lists the rating of every school by dozens of metrics and polls, including the AP and Coaches polls, NET, BPI, Kenpom, Torvik, and more. Cal's average rating is 117. I invite you to look through the Top 50 so we can break down why those teams will merit at-large consideration and Cal won't.
So it seems like folks are getting wrapped around the axle in technical terms - even though everyone here is 100% supportive of our Bears and grateful for the remarkable turnaround that has taken place - especially during the latter part of the Pac-12 season.
That said, I find the sentiment expressed by the overwhelming majority here (many of whom are expert analysts) is the right one - outside of winning the conference tournament, Cal has essentially 0% chance to be selected at-large for the NCAA tournament.
Consider:
(1) The conference overall is not strong this year. Most projections over the past 6 weeks have had between 2-4 teams in the field. Not strong at all. 3rd place in a relatively down year guarantees nothing.
(2) If I recall correctly, wasn't there a season in the past 10 years where the regular season Pac 12 champ (Washington, perhaps?) didn't even make the NCAA tourney because the conference was down and their overall season resume was questionable....
(3) This is why those on this board have said (rather emphatically) that outside of winning the conference tourney, Cal would easily be on the outside looking in - despite a fantastic season and amazing improvement from just a year ago. 3rd place in the Big 12 this year may get you in, but not in the Pac-12 (2023-24).
A potentially more realistic scenario for us would be to post enough wins with limited losses through the conference tourney so that the overall record is .500 or even 1-2 games above. Then I would not only hope but perhaps expect us to be invited to the NIT. A great capstone to the season
Jimmy,
Glad you admit it's not impossible for Cal to get into the tournament, just which is essentially allI I said. Was surprised I was pounded on for not agreeing to what others now agree was incorrect. Cal is doing a fantastic job of making a seasonal comeback. Madsen is a helluva coach. Maybe could easiluy be coach of the year for the job he has done, coming out of a three win season. Not surprised at that watching his Utah Valley team las season. Jalen may be the best guard I have seen at Cal, and I have been watching them for a long time.
I love it that the Cal writers pn WFC, including, I believe, our feerless leader, can go, in just a day or two, from Cal having ZERO CHANCE IN MAKING THE DANCE to this -- "(Psst. Hey. Don’t look too closely, but Cal is only a half game out of 4th place in the conference right now.)
"We’re just three games away from the conclusion of the Pac-12 regular season, and thanks to this home sweep and results around the rest of the conference, we’re not in a wild situation where Cal is actually in competition for a first round bye in the Pac-12 tournament."
Never in my life have I seen a turnaround like this. In contrast, I have been saying in the past two weeks or so that it was not late enough in the Cal season to rule out Cal making the Dance. But I get it -- Cal writers, or at least most of them (I forget where Nick came out on this subject, and I certainlhy am not going to take the time to look that up), can turn on a dime as to Cal's chances in making the Dance,, though it raises issues about how seriously you can take anything they write in the future.
The WriteforCalifornia moderator team has decided to ban you from further participation in our discussion threads. You have continually discussed only two topics, even on discussion threads entirely unrelated. When the moderators and greater community have told you to move on from those topics, you have become argumentative to bordering on personal responses. For these reasons, you have been banned from further interactions.
Any dues or monies pending will be prorated refunded immediately.
This decision is final. There is no appeal process.
tg
I think the writers are responding the changing in circumstances. I always appreciate that they taper expectations because I can understand whether my wild hopes are probable or simple dreams of what could come in a few years.
I think you take the disagreements on this board too personally. This is a community where we all love Cal and all come from different angles. You often offer good insights, but when the writers or other members don’t see it the same way, that isn’t a reflection on you or them.
Bob it is way past the time to let this go. I recognize you were on to something (let’s call it you were right) and the writers/commentors respectfully pointed out not in your wildest dreams(let’s catalog that as they were wrong). Not making the Dance will not tarnish the Celebration of Life that this season has presented to us. I propose using our collective energy to start studying the ACC landscape to prepare for the coming battles next year. I for one am salivating over a Duke or Carolina coming to Haas. Heck even Wake Forest will be awesome.
Pal. No one is forcing you to comment on our site or stay in our community. If you don’t agree with us or trust us just take your readership elsewhere. Happy to refund your sub fee too.
Finishing high in the conference does not guarantee a berth. The only guaranteed berth is the winner of the conference tournament. That is Cal's only path. Going 3-0 or 0-3 these last few games does not change that at all. Getting to 4th gives Cal one less game to play in the tournament, and would be a huge achievement in Madsen's first year.
Bob, you are getting close to another ban, this one maybe longer. We are volunteer writers who put our love and passion for Cal and it's athletic programs into writing. Please keep that in mind when you comment.
The only way Cal makes it to the tourney is if they win the PAC-12 championship. The chances of an at large bid is slim and would be unprecedented . Would it be amazing if they did yes, but we are on the right path to get back there in the future.
The writers know what they are talking about and I for one would not doubt them for a minute.
No one has said we have ZERO chance. We all said we can get in the tournament if we win the Pac12 tournament. We have no chance if we don't.
Happy days are here again...The after game interviews were the most revealing of the year, with both the players and Madsen commenting on a pivotal meeting back at the start of the Pac12 season. And I wish the media would ask Celestine more about his ability to clutch up in tight situations. The guy has ice in his veins and has played critical roles in several of our recent wins. He's so quiet, I have to admire that.
Gobears49
Just read the article again. Never seen such a change regarding how a team will perform in the future. From NO CHANCE TO MAKE THE TOURNAMENT, which is all I heard for the last two weeks, to a feeling we could do well there.
Bob: we've all be saying the ONLY chance for the Dance is to win teh P12 tourney. We could win the next 5 straight and lose in teh Championship game of the tourney and the odds of a bid is near zero.
That said, the odds of us winning the tourney improve if we can get a bye. We just don't have to horses to play 3 straight days.
We can both have zero chance of making it outside of a conference tournament championship, while also having a team that could do well in it.
We lost too many games to open the season, and that's just it.
To be 100% crystal clear: Cal has zero chance to making the NCAA tournament, unless they win the Pac-12 tournament. That fact will not change even if Cal wins ever remaining regular season game.
Nick you have out done yourself. I rank this article as best of the year. It has been an absolute joy watching Jaylon Tyson lead this team to where Cal Home games, at least for me are can’t miss for anything!
What I find most impressive was wading into where Jaylon fits in the pantheon of our legends, heroes and icons. It’s is tricky business and folks can be easily triggered if their personal favorites are not as close to the throne as would like or even remember.
So why is Jaylon Brown missing? Though his time at Cal was memorable and his nba career has evolved into something incredible, he was a a bull in a China shop. There was no subtly to his game. Yes it can be argued the season JB stopped by was a success but it was a wobbly group that flamed out of the first round of Big Dance.
Nick’s list of players includes several of my favorites, thank you for bringing Jorge into the discussion.
So where am I going with this diatribe? I will get to the point. I put Jaylon Tyson on the throne between Jason Kidd and Kevin Johnson. I have a simple criteria for this very subjective list. It is the anticipation of going to a game prepared to see something never seen before (Kidd) or sheer artistry to control that games narrative (Kidd & KJ). Of course each had amazing players around them to allowing them to shine.
Two more talking points then I’ll shut up.
Mad Dog bleeds Blue and Gold. He is where he wants to be. How he ended up down on the Farm is a travesty that doesn’t deserve mention. I think WSU has to worry more about Kyle Smith being poached by the Cardinal.
Lastly, the lingering discussion about Cal and the Big Dance. Historically Cal’s overall record kills the deal. A W over a SDS, Butler or Old Miss would have gotten us on the bubble but it is what it is.
That said it’s a brave new world where far too often it’s all about the money. If we can steal two out of three on the road and make it at least to a thrilling semifinal or final loss maybe the selection committee gets a memo that the Golden Bears are ratings gold. This occurring must realistically be called magical thinking. Other than that best we can hope for….NIT or that bastard child the CBI. The silver lining of landing in either of these two is we will get a home game or two.
That is all.
Just one quibble: that loss to Pacific (nearing the worst of teh worst in Net rankings) means that we'd need a lot more than just a win over xx team to even see the bottom of the bubble.
Kyle Smith is 100% going to get poached, but by a program with deeper pockets that cares more about basketball.
I love Jaylen Brown, and he’s certainly among the most talented players to play at Haas, but he was probably the 3rd best player on the team in terms of on court production for Cal in his only season in Berkeley because of how raw he was
I liked very much the comments by Westside Bear. To put Jason up with Kidd and Johnson is really insightful! I think Jason belongs there. I have not been to a Cal BB game this year but I am thinking about going to Vegas or Stanford. We should beat the hell out of the furd!
What is the CBI?
It’s very entertaining to watch him play for sure. He’s definitely more in the Kidd category in terms of us not knowing what he’s going to show in a game. All the ways that he’s able to score and set up teammates is amazing. Kidd was the same, but heavier on the playmaking and passing. Oh, the passing!! He was tops in entertainment value and in the old 6600-seat capacity Haas at full throat was incredible! At the other end of the spectrum are the physical specimens such as Leon Powe, Ivan Rabb, Jaylon Brown and Shareef to name a few recent Bears that brought in the fans.
*Jaylon
CBI as I understand it is a pay to play bottom feeder of a tournament that many self respecting programs decline if they receive an invitation.
Thanks Nick.
Terence & I exchanged some posts in another thread the other day, but Celestine, Newell, Rodney, plus Larson/Okafor/Curtis, is a real solid nucleus to build around. With the portal, you’re not too far away from contention with a couple more solid additions.
And you’d think Madsen’s ability to attract talent would be improved after what he’s demonstrated this year.
Askew too (if his body lets him)
Askew is coming back. Madsen said that earlier in the year. He was honored because by schooling years he is a senior.
But Askew was feted as a graduating senior on Senior Night. Does this happen if he’s returning?
I think it’s all up in the air with Covid + transfer rules and Daws and Cone being 24 and 25; I think this is the last year we see all these super super seniors.
Ya, that was what I was wondering…plus I think he participated in SR day yesterday so not sure if he’ll be back…then again, in portal era you can’t be sure anyone will be back I guess.
I think as of last season, Askew is out of basketball transfers - to his credit he has been extremely engaged and active in the huddles.
Burn the mountains, burn the salt lake, burn the forest (again).
Burn the slopes, burn the salt lake, burn The Trees.
Only we can start forest fires