California Golden Bears
Pac-12 (20-11, 12-6)
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With a relatively experienced squad, California had a steady 2012-2013 campaign. With the exception of a loss to Harvard, the Golden Bears really do not have a bad loss on the resume. They also beat Oregon twice and got wins over Arizona and UCLA. Coach Mike Montgomery is one of the best coaches around and he will figure out a way to get the most out of his team and the best way to minimize his opponent’s strengths.
Big Wins: 2/10 at Arizona (77-69), 2/14 UCLA (76-63), 3/02 Colorado (62-46)
Bad Losses: 12/29 Harvard (62-67), 2/07 at Arizona State (62-66), 3/06 Stanford (70-83)
Coach: Mike Montgomery (5 seasons at California)
Why They Can Surprise:
This team revolves around Justin Cobbs and Allen Crabbe. Cobbs is a very underappreciated point guard, who dishes out 4.8 assists per contest. He is not much of a shooter, but is at least enough of a threat to hit a three-pointer and keep the opposition honest. Cobbs still averages 15.5 points per game and has the ability to drive the lane and either finish at the basket, stop and hit the mid-range jumper or find an open teammate. Last season Crabbe took more than half of his shots from beyond the arc. He is a great shooter, so that was not a totally bad thing, but Crabbe is also 6-6 and needed to use his size to get to the basket more often. He has done that this year. Crabbe will still shoot the long ball, but most of his 18.7 points per game comes from inside the arc.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Crabbe is a good shooter, but this is not a team that makes many long balls. That has made life relatively difficult for forwards Richard Solomon and David Kravish. The opposing defense can pack in and stop the big men. Without Solomon or Kravish consistently scoring, California has had a very tough time finding a third scorer to compliment Crabbe and Cobbs. Freshman Tyrone Wallace is an option, but he is mostly potential at this point in his career. If nobody can help Crabbe or Cobbs, the Golden Bears offense can become predictable and, thus, easy to defend.
Probable Starters:
Justin Cobbs, Junior, Guard, 15.5 ppg, 4.8 apg, 3.5 rpg
Tyrone Wallace, Freshman, Guard, 7.2 ppg, 2.6 apg, 4.5 rpg
Allen Crabbe, Junior, Guard, 18.7 ppg, 2.6 apg, 6.0 rpg
David Kravish, Sophomore, Forward, 8.1 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.7 bpg
Richard Solomon, Junior, Forward, 8.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Brandon Smith, Senior, Guard, 2.6 ppg, 2.0 apg
Robert Thurman, Senior, Center, 4.5 ppg, 3.6 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 67.5 (172nd in nation, 8th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 63.9 (108, 6)
Field-Goal Percentage: 44.8 (97, 6)
Field-Goal Defense: 39.3 (34, 1)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 3.9 (334, 12)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: n/a
Free-Throw Percentage: 72.2 (76, 4)
Rebound Margin: 3.0 (91, 5)
Assists Per Game: 14.3 (76, 3)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.6 (109, 6)
Last Five Postseason Appearances:
2012 NCAA First Round loss to South Florida
2011 NIT First Round win over Mississippi
2011 NIT Second Round loss to Colorado
2010 NCAA Round of 64 win over Louisville
2010 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Duke
2009 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Maryland
2008 NIT First Round win over New Mexico
2008 NIT Second Round loss to Ohio State
*all team stats through 3/10
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
