Cal opened the night with a comfortable 84-70 win over Radford, and while the result itself won’t tell anyone exactly how good Mark Madsen’s team is, it did offer a few clear signs about what this group can do as the schedule gets much tougher.
The Bears never really lost control, even if Radford hung around longer than Cal would have liked. The visitors from the Big South Conference made a push with about 14 minutes left and trimmed the margin to two, but the response came quickly. Nojus Indrusaitis and Cooper sparked a fast burst, the lead jumped back into the 8-12 point range, and Cal kept it there before pulling away late.
The biggest takeaway so far has been the shooting. Indrusaitis followed his 20-point outing against Adams State on Monday with 30 points on 10-for-15 shooting, including six three-pointers.
After the Bears went just 2-for-22 from deep in the exhibition against Loyola Marymount, this start suggests that game may not be a fair preview of what’s ahead. Cal hit 17 of 35 from beyond the arc against Radford, good for 49 percent.
That kind of efficiency won’t last every night, but the roster has more perimeter threats than this program has had in a while. Indrusaitis, Michael Cooper, Samie Yeanay, Jake Wilkins, TT Carr, Jordan Ross, Jovani Ruff and even Mantas Kocanas all looked comfortable shooting from distance.
The pace has changed too. Under Madsen, Cal has usually played at a slightly above-average tempo, but the offense has often been deliberate.
The first year leaned on Jaylon Tyson and Fardaws Aimaq in pick-and-pop actions and isolation chances for Tyson. The next season centered on Jermiah Wilkinson and Andrej Stojakovic.
Last year it was Justin Pippen and Dai Dai Ames.
This group looks different. With TT Carr as the lone true point guard, the Bears have multiple players who can handle the ball, pass and shoot, and they’re pushing the ball whenever they can.
Indrusaitis, Carr, Cooper, Ross and Ruff all fit that mold. In the first two games, the rebounder has been looking immediately for the outlet, and Cal has been attacking from the wings and trying to get downhill quickly, whether in transition, secondary break, or off an initial dribble handoff or pick-and-roll.
Defensively, the Bears are leaning on an aggressive man-to-man base. That approach has created some problems, especially with Lee Dort still out.
The scheme asks the center to hedge hard and then recover, and right now that role belongs to Mantas Kocanas. He’s been working hard, but the setup has also led to plenty of easy baskets for opponents.
There have been some interesting wrinkles, though. Cal has used lineups with four guards and Sammie Yeanay at center, and Yeanay looks fully healthy after missing last season while recovering from a full ACL tear. In that setup, he can make a steal at the point of attack, push the break and finish with a windmill dunk or kick out for a corner 3.
When Dort returns, he should help steady that end of the floor as well.
The athleticism on this team also stands out. The Bears have had good players under Madsen, and even Mark Fox and Wyking Jones had their share, but the source of real high-end explosiveness may be new here. Yeanay and Jake Wilkins look like the kind of athletes Cal hasn’t had in a while, and that could mean some memorable finishes as the season goes on.
For now, the Bears have a win in hand and a much clearer picture of what they are becoming. The next stretch will say a lot more, with number 10 Houston waiting Sunday in the Caesar’s Lake Tahoe Classic and number 21 USC coming to Haas on Wednesday.
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 🡒]
Arizona Gets An Early Defensive Test Fans Should Not Ignore
Arizonas home game against Cal Poly comes with the usual expectation that the Wildcats should control the night, but this is not the kind of early-season matchup to dismiss. The Mustangs bring back a veteran group and have enough continuity to make them more than a routine tune-up, especially with several experienced pieces back in the rotation and a track record of hanging around against stronger opponents.
What makes this one worth watching from a Cal perspective is the way Cal Poly can stretch a defense. The Mustangs have been one of the better perimeter shooting teams in the country, and that kind of spacing can quickly expose lapses if Arizona is still finding its footing. Cal Poly has never beaten the Wildcats, but this is the sort of game that can tell you a lot about how sharp Arizona is on the defensive end before the schedule gets tougher. [Read more 🡒]