California Golden Bears
Record: 23-10 (12-6 Pac-12)
Head Coach: Cuonzo Martin (2nd season)
Season Recap: The No. 23 Golden Bears have proven throughout the season that they can contend with anybody. California has beaten then-No.12 Arizona, then-No. 21 Utah and lost by just one point to then-No. 5 Virginia. Despite a three-game losing streak to Oregon, Oregon State and Stanford, the Golden Bears’ losses have been few and far between.
In the Pac-12 tournament, California defeated the Beavers by eight, only to lose in the following round to the No. 12 Utes. Despite their early departure from the Pac-12 tournament, the Golden Bears have earned the fourth seed in the South region and a first-round matchup against Hawaii.
Senior guard Tyrone Wallace leads the team in points per game and assists per game, and California’s offense is averaging 75.1 points per game and 13.0 assists. Other than Wallace, main contributors include junior Jordan Matthews and the freshman pair of Jaylen Brown and Ivan Rabb.
How they make a run: Brown and Rabb excel on the national stage and complement Wallace on the offensive end, so that the Golden Bears’ offense catches up to its defense, which is ranked No. 15 in basketball statistician Ken Pomeroy's adjusted efficiency rankings.
How they falter: California does not spread the ball around on offense, and its highly-touted freshman recruits are unable to contribute to their fullest in a disappointing loss to the Rainbow Warriors.
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Jacob Weiss is a Trinity senior. His column, "not jumping to any conclusions," runs on alternate Fridays.