Arizona’s season already comes with the kind of expectations most programs would love to have. The Wildcats reached the Final Four last spring, opened this year ranked in the nation’s top five and are back in the national championship discussion. But Thursday’s home game against Cal Poly brings a different kind of early-season test to Tucson.
This one is less about Arizona’s ceiling and more about how the Wildcats handle a team that knows exactly who it is.
Cal Poly arrives with almost its entire roster intact from last season, a rare feat in the transfer-portal era. The Mustangs bring back 13 players, including four starters and two All-Big West selections, giving head coach Mike DeGeorge one of the most experienced groups in the country.
According to Cal Poly’s athletic department, only Navy returns more players from its previous roster. The Mustangs also bring back 83.2% of their scoring production, which puts them among the most continuity-heavy teams in Division I basketball.
That matters because so many teams now spend November still figuring each other out. Cal Poly isn’t in that category. DeGeorge has lost only one player to the transfer portal during his first two offseasons, and that kind of stability means the Mustangs already understand the system on both ends of the floor.
They also have a clear offensive identity. Last season, Cal Poly ranked 10th nationally with 10.8 made three-pointers per game, a number that gives the Mustangs a path to staying in games even against more talented opponents.
That perimeter approach is the wrinkle Arizona has to solve. A team that can consistently get shots from deep can make things uncomfortable, especially if it gets hot early and keeps a favorite from settling in.
Cal Poly won’t be able to live on jumpers alone, though. Arizona’s size, athleticism and defensive pressure should force the Mustangs to take care of the ball and earn clean looks.
The Wildcats also get the benefit of home court, where their defense and transition game can quickly tilt a matchup. Cal Poly has never beaten Arizona in four previous meetings, including an 82-61 loss in Tucson in November 2018.
The teams also played early in the 2013-14 season, when fifth-ranked Arizona beat Cal Poly 73-62. That game serves as a reminder that the Mustangs have at least once stayed within striking distance of a highly ranked Wildcats team.
Cal Poly has already taken its first step this season. The Mustangs opened Monday with a 78-62 win over Division II Cal State San Marcos, taking an 11-point lead into halftime and maintaining control after the break.
That was a useful start for a team that is trying to build on last season’s progress. Cal Poly posted its highest conference victory total in 13 years a year ago, and the goal now is to keep moving forward rather than start over.
The jump in competition on Thursday is massive. Arizona has the kind of talent that can punish mistakes and turn a close game into a runaway in a hurry. Still, Cal Poly’s experience and familiarity give it a chance to be more competitive than its profile might suggest.
For Arizona, this is another step in a season built around much bigger goals. For Cal Poly, it’s a chance to show that continuity still matters when the opponent is one of the most talented teams in the country.
In Other News...
Ron Rivera Just Turned Up The Pressure On Tosh Lupoi
Ron Rivera used a radio appearance to put a public spotlight on Tosh Lupois first season as Cals head coach, and it was not the kind of soft-focus tune-up most first-year coaches get from their own front office. The Bears are moving into the final stretch of the season, and Rivera framed the moment as one where the program has to keep building a stronger foundation while dealing with the realities that come with a young staff and a coach learning on the job.
Rivera also made clear that the next step is less about talk and more about how the team responds when things get difficult. He pointed to the need for better discipline and a cleaner overall approach, while also acknowledging that Lupoi is navigating the steep learning curve of a first-time head coach. For Cal, the message was as much about the future as the present, with Rivera setting expectations for how the program has to look if it is going to move in the right direction. [Read more 🡒]
Cal's Brutal ACC Exit Could End The Bears' NCAA Hopes
Cal mens soccer went into the ACC tournament needing a result that could strengthen its NCAA tournament case, and instead came away with a gut-punch in the first round against North Carolina. The Bears played the Tar Heels to a 1-1 draw through regulation and overtime before the match turned into a penalty-kick shootout, where Cal fell 4-3 after Malcolm Zalayet provided the teams goal in the run of play.
For a group sitting at 6-5-5 overall and 2-4-2 in conference play, the margin for error was already thin, and a tournament exit like this only adds to the uncertainty around Selection Sunday. Cal now has to wait and hope its body of work is enough to keep the season going, even as a loss in a high-leverage spot leaves the Bears with one more result they would have preferred to control themselves. [Read more 🡒]
Cal May Be Becoming A Very Different Team At The Right Time
Mark Madsens Bears have started to look like a different group than the one Cal fans got used to seeing in recent seasons, and the shift is showing up in more than just the box score. The pace has picked up, the ball is moving quicker, and the offense has been getting cleaner looks from the perimeter, with Nojus Indrusaitis emerging as a major part of that change. It has given Cal a more modern feel, one that plays with more urgency and spacing than the program has often shown.
The bigger question now is whether that style can hold up once the schedule tightens. Cal has had to adjust on the defensive end because of player availability, and the Bears are about to find out how much progress they have really made against a pair of ranked opponents. Houston and USC are the kind of tests that can expose whether this is a hot stretch or the start of something more sustainable, especially for a team still sorting out its identity on both ends. [Read more 🡒]