Just the perfect way to end THIS particular season…against a good team, the roster once again impacted by key injuries, showed signs of offensive firepower for about 20 minutes of game action before the combination of complete defensive ineptitude, especially in the paint, and a frustrating string of empty possessions and bonehead decisions, would end up costing them the game.
Now you face an uncertain future personnel-wise, from the Head Coach all the way down to their top-50 rated RS FR recruit. It’s fair to wonder just who will be back.
Winning 22 games with this limited of a roster was really fantastic. Building on this momentum is now essential. Cal needs major NIL contributions in the worst way if they are going to take the next step. Provided the key parts return, unless the staff changes up the scheme dramatically (especially on defense), the program is going to need a sizable talent bump to get over the hump and Dance next year.
But all in all, by far the best year in a decade. Now they have to build on it!
I actually think they took a decent step forward on defense achamtically. For example, I much prefer the big man pinch at the top of the screens as compared to lag off and anticipate the roll like the past two years. Shows the team is more engaged on switching on defense and puts more immediate pressure on the ball handler.
I think our bigs were overcommiting at the top earlier in the year but got smarter about getting back to the post. I could see improvement in Ilic and Kocanas so I think that's a coaching W for MM. Still felt like we didn't have P4 depth inside.
They were definitely better this year defensively than in MM’s first 2 years, and not surprisingly it resulted in their best season of his tenure. However, it became very predictable and seemingly a breeze to game plan for, IMO. Dort or no Dort, they were entirely too easy to score on in the paint. And conversely, they didn’t score nearly enough in the paint. That needs to change - they need to be more efficient on 2 PT FGs, both offensively and defensively, to get to the next level.
If MM is gonna continue to run these same defensive sets, he needs better athletes, with more length and stronger fundamentals.
Up 19 points with 15 minutes left and we keep chucking up bad, iso shots 7 seconds into the 35 second clock. Burn 20 seconds and then chuck up a bad shot. You'll limit the number of possessions your opponent gets and decrease the possibility of them scoring enough to take the lead. I've never understood not running clock when up double digits late.
100% agree. Twice in the second half we inbounded on the end line on the offensive end to a shooter in the corner who immediately launched a contested three. When we did a second time - I think we were up around 10 around 10 minutes to go - I said to myself we would lose.
I coulda sworn this game was coached by Justin Wilcox. Beat their butts up and down the court for 35 minutes ... only to lose by one point at the end. Just felt like deja vu from the last 8 years of football.
Coach made a fatal error switching to the zone defense near the end of the game..From the looks of it, the team was totally unfamiliar with it. He should have plugged in something they had at least gone over once or twice in practice.
Yes. You saw what was so evident. Switching to that awful zone was really a surprise and it utterly failed miserably. Oh well. Season's over. Hope for more of our great season's improvement next year.
Frustrating way to go out but kudos to the team and coaches for exceeding expectations. We were a little too reliant on the 3-ball with this roster...which explains our hot/cold nature. Losing Rytis reallly hurt us, as he was one of the only guys who could get points in the paint when the shooting gets cold. Slightly better back-/front-court balance (both offense and defense) would likely have resulted in a trip to the NCAA tournament.
Not having one of our four shooters (Camden) certainly did not help against St. Joe's. And sad to see that guy go; I really enjoyed watching him shoot.
I think if we hold on to Pippen and Ames, we'll have a bright future....even better if we can somehow get Rytis and Dort back for another year. I already like the pieces we've recruited; they will help to fill some of the weakness on this year's team.
Thanks to the players and coaches for a fun season that restored hope in Cal basketball.
Thanks for the article as always, it probably wasn’t easy to write. That said, I’m trying to look at the season as a whole and letting myself believe that it was a good step up. Try to keep a few core players and then get some good depth. I’d rather have 6-7 solid players rather than 1-2 great ones. I also believe that MM will learn and improve his coaching. Hoping for an invite to a nice pre-conference tourney - somewhere sunny please!
The pre-conference Tourney would be big on a number of fronts, Dave, specifically the non-con schedule. Unless you’re playing (and losing) to Chaminade like the awful Wyking, ideally you grab at least a couple of decent Q2’s in a preseason destination tourney, and maybe win a few.
I know people were down on the soft non-con slate, but it did keep us in the NCAAT discussion. P4 clubs K-State and Utah crapping the bed were killers. Yes, you have to schedule tougher, because you need a NET ranking below 45 to be a realistically at-large team….however, you don’t want to go overboard, as 7-6 preseason does you no good.
But until you see what your roster looks like it’s tough to know the right answer. A yearly neutral site game v SMC, USF, SJSU, or Santa Clara wouldn’t be a bad idea, tho they are dicey.
Likely a highly unpopular question: is it time to part ways with Coach Madsen? By that are we staring at someone with many similar traits to Wilcox (high character, honest, accountable, unable to hold leads)? If so, should we just cut the cord and take a shot at someone that may bring us to high ACC relevancy?
No. Madsen is a great coach. Why would you fire a coach after that big of an improvement... especially with caliber of recruits we have coming in? Guy had to build three teams from nothing.
Not at all. Madsen is showing insane developmental abilities, and has essentially been competing in P4 conferences with a mid-major roster. This is his first year with real guards, and we were on the bubble.
We need to be giving him NIL resources to put an actual P4 level team together, not canning him and restarting.
Thanks all. I know I don't know much about MBB, so this is helpful/interesting. To all these NIL resource comments, should we understand that No. of Wins is primarily a function of NIL dollars? If so, then would we think Iowa St, Iowa, VCU, & St. Johns (ex-aging Pitino factor) have larger NIL budgets for MBB? The first two are major conference teams while the next two aren't. Does that matter?
Honestly, no sad or discontent feelings here. This was very much our team. We live and die by the three, and every injury is fewer threes to buffer our wins. No P4 level 4s or 5s to protect the paint or grab rebounds without fouling out in half a game.
I love that Dai Dai is at least vocally saying he wants to be back. I think Carr / Ruff / Petraitus / Dorsey / Yeanay / Ilic will be easier to retain. The question is going to be Pippen. There's going to be a lot of interest in him, and we need to focus our NIL on 4's and 5's this off-season.
Pippen and Aimes are the MOST IMPORTANT pieces; both of them. That gives you the veteran back court.
I think Ilic and Dorsey were both graduate transfers...and Petraitis might technically be graduating. I think Yeanay might have more elgibility, but right now he's a depth piece (until he proves otherwise).
This was Petraitus' "last year", but he only played in 7 games. I'm sure he can (and would) appeal. Yeanay is younger than the rest and was always a project that now gets another off season.
TT was tremendous in the first. Truly flying around real physical.
Disappointing ending to the game and season, but we can now look back at a VERY successful season. Hope to retain some key players who will take steps forward and find some talented new faces.
Player retention is big. Those players need to continue to improve, however.
JP shot 37% from the floor in ACC play, and then went 7-20 in the 2 NIT games. He was a fantastic all-around player this year, and a real pleasant surprise after a lost first year in Ann Arbor, but that has to improve if he returns. Ideally he gets a little stronger and finishes a bit better in traffic at the tin, as that’s a couple a buckets a night added into the stat line & is an area where he can really improve and take the next step. Hopefully that happens in Berkeley, and the same with Dort - returning would be great, but he needs to continue to improve his back to the basket game and rim protection.
Hopefully TT returns and continues to develop his outside shot….what his role turns out to be will be interesting to watch.
Just the perfect way to end THIS particular season…against a good team, the roster once again impacted by key injuries, showed signs of offensive firepower for about 20 minutes of game action before the combination of complete defensive ineptitude, especially in the paint, and a frustrating string of empty possessions and bonehead decisions, would end up costing them the game.
Now you face an uncertain future personnel-wise, from the Head Coach all the way down to their top-50 rated RS FR recruit. It’s fair to wonder just who will be back.
Winning 22 games with this limited of a roster was really fantastic. Building on this momentum is now essential. Cal needs major NIL contributions in the worst way if they are going to take the next step. Provided the key parts return, unless the staff changes up the scheme dramatically (especially on defense), the program is going to need a sizable talent bump to get over the hump and Dance next year.
But all in all, by far the best year in a decade. Now they have to build on it!
I actually think they took a decent step forward on defense achamtically. For example, I much prefer the big man pinch at the top of the screens as compared to lag off and anticipate the roll like the past two years. Shows the team is more engaged on switching on defense and puts more immediate pressure on the ball handler.
I think our bigs were overcommiting at the top earlier in the year but got smarter about getting back to the post. I could see improvement in Ilic and Kocanas so I think that's a coaching W for MM. Still felt like we didn't have P4 depth inside.
They were definitely better this year defensively than in MM’s first 2 years, and not surprisingly it resulted in their best season of his tenure. However, it became very predictable and seemingly a breeze to game plan for, IMO. Dort or no Dort, they were entirely too easy to score on in the paint. And conversely, they didn’t score nearly enough in the paint. That needs to change - they need to be more efficient on 2 PT FGs, both offensively and defensively, to get to the next level.
If MM is gonna continue to run these same defensive sets, he needs better athletes, with more length and stronger fundamentals.
Thanks BP for another great season of articles!
Up 19 points with 15 minutes left and we keep chucking up bad, iso shots 7 seconds into the 35 second clock. Burn 20 seconds and then chuck up a bad shot. You'll limit the number of possessions your opponent gets and decrease the possibility of them scoring enough to take the lead. I've never understood not running clock when up double digits late.
100% agree. Twice in the second half we inbounded on the end line on the offensive end to a shooter in the corner who immediately launched a contested three. When we did a second time - I think we were up around 10 around 10 minutes to go - I said to myself we would lose.
A tough loss of a game that was rightfully ours. It reminded me that I am a life-long Bear fan. Ouch!
Time to change this mind set.
Starts with the MBB NIL.
I coulda sworn this game was coached by Justin Wilcox. Beat their butts up and down the court for 35 minutes ... only to lose by one point at the end. Just felt like deja vu from the last 8 years of football.
BrooklynBear feels the same way.
The Warriors have also been doing the same thing a lot this season.
Coach made a fatal error switching to the zone defense near the end of the game..From the looks of it, the team was totally unfamiliar with it. He should have plugged in something they had at least gone over once or twice in practice.
Yes. You saw what was so evident. Switching to that awful zone was really a surprise and it utterly failed miserably. Oh well. Season's over. Hope for more of our great season's improvement next year.
Frustrating way to go out but kudos to the team and coaches for exceeding expectations. We were a little too reliant on the 3-ball with this roster...which explains our hot/cold nature. Losing Rytis reallly hurt us, as he was one of the only guys who could get points in the paint when the shooting gets cold. Slightly better back-/front-court balance (both offense and defense) would likely have resulted in a trip to the NCAA tournament.
Not having one of our four shooters (Camden) certainly did not help against St. Joe's. And sad to see that guy go; I really enjoyed watching him shoot.
I think if we hold on to Pippen and Ames, we'll have a bright future....even better if we can somehow get Rytis and Dort back for another year. I already like the pieces we've recruited; they will help to fill some of the weakness on this year's team.
Thanks to the players and coaches for a fun season that restored hope in Cal basketball.
Thanks for the article as always, it probably wasn’t easy to write. That said, I’m trying to look at the season as a whole and letting myself believe that it was a good step up. Try to keep a few core players and then get some good depth. I’d rather have 6-7 solid players rather than 1-2 great ones. I also believe that MM will learn and improve his coaching. Hoping for an invite to a nice pre-conference tourney - somewhere sunny please!
The pre-conference Tourney would be big on a number of fronts, Dave, specifically the non-con schedule. Unless you’re playing (and losing) to Chaminade like the awful Wyking, ideally you grab at least a couple of decent Q2’s in a preseason destination tourney, and maybe win a few.
I know people were down on the soft non-con slate, but it did keep us in the NCAAT discussion. P4 clubs K-State and Utah crapping the bed were killers. Yes, you have to schedule tougher, because you need a NET ranking below 45 to be a realistically at-large team….however, you don’t want to go overboard, as 7-6 preseason does you no good.
But until you see what your roster looks like it’s tough to know the right answer. A yearly neutral site game v SMC, USF, SJSU, or Santa Clara wouldn’t be a bad idea, tho they are dicey.
They choked!!
Likely a highly unpopular question: is it time to part ways with Coach Madsen? By that are we staring at someone with many similar traits to Wilcox (high character, honest, accountable, unable to hold leads)? If so, should we just cut the cord and take a shot at someone that may bring us to high ACC relevancy?
No. Madsen is a great coach. Why would you fire a coach after that big of an improvement... especially with caliber of recruits we have coming in? Guy had to build three teams from nothing.
Not at all. Madsen is showing insane developmental abilities, and has essentially been competing in P4 conferences with a mid-major roster. This is his first year with real guards, and we were on the bubble.
We need to be giving him NIL resources to put an actual P4 level team together, not canning him and restarting.
Thanks all. I know I don't know much about MBB, so this is helpful/interesting. To all these NIL resource comments, should we understand that No. of Wins is primarily a function of NIL dollars? If so, then would we think Iowa St, Iowa, VCU, & St. Johns (ex-aging Pitino factor) have larger NIL budgets for MBB? The first two are major conference teams while the next two aren't. Does that matter?
Honestly, no sad or discontent feelings here. This was very much our team. We live and die by the three, and every injury is fewer threes to buffer our wins. No P4 level 4s or 5s to protect the paint or grab rebounds without fouling out in half a game.
I love that Dai Dai is at least vocally saying he wants to be back. I think Carr / Ruff / Petraitus / Dorsey / Yeanay / Ilic will be easier to retain. The question is going to be Pippen. There's going to be a lot of interest in him, and we need to focus our NIL on 4's and 5's this off-season.
Pippen and Aimes are the MOST IMPORTANT pieces; both of them. That gives you the veteran back court.
I think Ilic and Dorsey were both graduate transfers...and Petraitis might technically be graduating. I think Yeanay might have more elgibility, but right now he's a depth piece (until he proves otherwise).
This was Petraitus' "last year", but he only played in 7 games. I'm sure he can (and would) appeal. Yeanay is younger than the rest and was always a project that now gets another off season.
Women's were better this ENTIRE TIME!
TT was tremendous in the first. Truly flying around real physical.
Disappointing ending to the game and season, but we can now look back at a VERY successful season. Hope to retain some key players who will take steps forward and find some talented new faces.
Player retention is big. Those players need to continue to improve, however.
JP shot 37% from the floor in ACC play, and then went 7-20 in the 2 NIT games. He was a fantastic all-around player this year, and a real pleasant surprise after a lost first year in Ann Arbor, but that has to improve if he returns. Ideally he gets a little stronger and finishes a bit better in traffic at the tin, as that’s a couple a buckets a night added into the stat line & is an area where he can really improve and take the next step. Hopefully that happens in Berkeley, and the same with Dort - returning would be great, but he needs to continue to improve his back to the basket game and rim protection.
Hopefully TT returns and continues to develop his outside shot….what his role turns out to be will be interesting to watch.