It's a holiday weekend where we all celebrate.

But it's a weekend where we should also all remember.

Everyone has someone they know; a friend or family member of today or yesterday. There are those that came before us and served that we might enjoy the freedoms that we are blessed with today.

This goes beyond politics or ideologies. It matters not for causes or reasons. The simple truth is that brave men and women have made the decision to step forward for all of us and continue to do so to this day.

For their sacrifices, we honor their service and remember them.

Here's to my grandfather and his brothers who served in World War II. Here's to all who have served or serve today.

Here's to you and yours, CGB. Happy Memorial Day.

After dominating the trenches in spring camp, senior Defensive Tackle Kendrick Payne was gracious enough to consent to a sidelines interview. Just in case the audio isn't clear (it was loud on the sidelines), here's a written transcript:

CGB: What's it like working with the new position coach, Coach Howard?

KP: It's cool. Definitely a good guy. Lots of hand technique. I'm really liking the fact that he has a lot of NFL experience. Especially with this being my last year. He's helping me focus on some things that I need to be successful at the next level. It's definitely going to pay dividends.

CGB: You've gotten over your shoulder issues?

KP: Definitely. Really been focusing lately on taking care of my body.

CGB: You had a chance to come in under the old strength and conditioning coach, how is it difference with Blasquez and how he approaches things?

KP: Really no difference with strength and conditioning stuff. It's all the same. But you could tell last year, (Blasquez) he really loves what he does. He definitely keeps on guys. There are some days where you're not into it and need some extra motivation. And he never lets you take it off. You can definitely tell how we're moving and how we're looking. He's definitely been good.

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Friends. Trojan. Lend me your ears. Let us hearken back to a kinder, gentler time. Scratch that. It's boring. (and yada)

Instead, cast your eyes upon Feudal Japan. Over a period of decades, several different famous warlords attempted to conquer all of the warring provinces and unite Japan. In a very Cal-like fashion, most failed in an epic, gruesome, bluidy fashion.

A simple riddle came to being that summarized the different warlords by their unique personalities and characteristic approaches to conquest.

"There is a mocking bird in a cage. How would you make it sing?"

Oda Nobunaga (ruthless, brutal): "If it doesn't sing, then kill it. It is worthless to me."

Hideyoshi (master diplomat): "Convince the bird that it _wants_ to sing."

Ieyasu (strategist): "Wait."

Spoiler alert for you Chinese scientists (up top!), Ieyasu eventually became Shogun.

For our ever-so-clever Cal-related tie-in, how would various Cal figures(past and present) make the mockingbird sing?

Tedford: "Well, it's about giving a good effort, no doubt. We want to be multiple in our approach. The bird hasn't sung yet. But we'll center the cage. And then we'll win the second half."

To$h: "Um. I went to one of the universities of the world instead because they gave me a gilded cage on the water with singing hipster mermaids and sh!t. That mockingbird wasn't going to work out anyway. Just can't handle the pressure of singing at Cal."

Marshall: "Well, eff. I left the cage door open."

[Add your clever ideas below. (It's 3ish, and I'm tired.)]

How about our noble CGBers?

Rishi: "Imma totes going to make it my wingman. Hawt desi chicks will be all over me when I bring that bird into the club. And I now I can go suit shopping for the perfect outfit that will let the feathers complement my natural good looks!"

Boomtho: "Oh. Sh!t. Was this the day I was supposed to make the bird sing? I was caught up with work. Sorry. Maybe next time."

Raptor: [Withdrew from contest. Having calculated the cost of the cage($10), birdseed($5), and newspaper lining(free), he determined that this would unduly tax his ring fund. This in turn would reduce his chances of marrying the perfect (but not too perfect) young (but not too young) lady who is smart (but not too smart) and funny (but not too funny) who he hasn't met yet.]

AndBears: "Bird, here is a spreadsheet that clearly explains the situation. On this side, there's a list of positive reasons for singing. This shorter list shows a list of reasons not to sing. Now, look at this graph. You're either crazy. Or hot. I think you're hot. So sing!"

TBB: "Zzzzz..."

Golden Oso: "Sous vide for 40 minutes at 64C. Then, crank that grill on high, rub with cajun spices, bacon fat and sear. Wait. Sing? Not singe?!? Uh oh..."

sec119: Lights up a meth pipe under the cage. "You want more? Sing you little bastard!"

Scootie: "Won't sing? Whatevs. I'll just buy another bird. Better yet, new shoes!"

DC Trocan: "Unce unce unce unce unce."

turkey: "Sing harder. Or don't. I hear that this bird is really going to just commit to being a duck."

LeonPowe: "Sing? Uhhhh....Does coughing count? Kind of smoggy in communist-land today."

FireStarkey: "Bird. This is Thunder. And here's Lightning. Y'all don't want any problems, do you?"

royrules: "I used spare parts to make a robo-bird. Not only does it sing, but it plays adult movies. I call it the IBird(tm)."

Goldblooded: "Bird. Why u not sing? Work for Box. Free stuff. Make happy."

Twist: "I'll tlel joeks until it snigs! Did you hera the one abuot the bird and the wrod? It's totes hilar!!!"

atoms: "Can we really _make_ a bird sing that has, in effect, evolved specificaly for singing?"

"*specifically"

Cugel: "Silly."

the federer express: "Is it too late to enter the contest? I meant to call the bird and talk about singing."

fiat: "BIRD! Give me a song!!! ... ... ... No. Nonono. I said, give me a SONG!!! No? Okay. Fine. I'll use my Starwood points to fly you, Bono, Steven Tyler, and Deborah Gibson to Mawali for a picture with open-mouthed smiles!"

paleodan: "Can we work with rodents instead? I'm much more comfortable trying to get an aardvark to sing than a bird."

CalBear81: "I'm not falling for this one. Last time I got involved in something like this, I ended up eating an apple and now we're all screwed."

TheScientiest: "Okay. In theory, a happy bird will sing. Food and water should create the desired effect. My control group shall have a nutrient-absent placebo while my experimental group will feature nutrient-rich birdseed. Oh. And I laced the birdseed with weed. You see a place!!!"

zoonews: "Not sure if making bird sing is good idea cuz had aunt once with bird where singing caused headaches and made her start doing exorcist stuff with eyes and neck plus got kind of violent but birds are pretty and feathers make good pillows so some people say laughter is the best medicine yet singing is like musical laughter but that bird didn't make it after my mom got mad at aunt and shot it."

(Apologies for missing some folks. I blam the lack of sleep.)

But even more importantly, how would YOU make the mockingbird sing? What sums up your personality and approach to this riddle? Don't care to share? Fine. How would other CGBers make the mockingbird sing? Oh yes. It's on.

Electrifying tailback Brendan Bigelow took some time out from juking defenders to answer some questions:

CGB: First of all, how's the knee?

BB: The knee's fine. I don't have any problems.

CGB: What's the big difference between last year and this year with how you're feeling?

BB: I would say probably recovery time. I'm able to bounce back a lot better.

CGB: Was it valuable getting onto the field last year? I know you didn't get as many snaps as you want. And some people were wondering if you would redshirt with the knee or not. By getting to play, how do think that helped with your development?

BB: It helped a lot because with me being out a year and a half, it was good to get back into it. Helped me get confident to get back to a high level of performance.

Video Link

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Video Link

Cal Football and Big Game legend Mike Mohamed was on hand to take in the recent spring game. He was kind enough to spare a few moments for an interview. In case the crowd noise makes the video hard to understand, here is a written transcript:

CGB: How's life after Cal?

MM: It's good. I'm running with the Denver Broncos right now. And it's a whole experience in itself. Just finished my first year. And it's fun. Having a good time.

CGB: How did Cal prepare you for the pro game? Is there a big transition? Where you really prepared technique-wise? Physically and mentally?

MM: Yes and no. Playing at a good D-I school like Cal is going to prepare you. At the same time, you are stepping up a level. There's always technique to learn. I feel like even at the NFL, you're always trying to get better.

CGB: You had a chance to play under different coaches, different coordinators. What do you think about how Coach Pendergast has done?

MM: Coach Pendergast's system is awesome. I only had one year in it. But, I loved it. He was in the NFL for a while. So using a pro-style defense in Cal. I think it shows on game day.

More interview after the jump. Thanks MikeyMo for being so awesome!

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In one of the more hotly anticipated match-ups of the spring, Cal will take on Cal in a clash of Golden Bear titanic forces.

One shall rise. One shall fall. Whose Big C will reign supreme?

As an exciting wrinkle to the customary spring scrimmage, the Cal coaching staff held a draft to put together their Blue and Gold teams. 'Been dying for an answer to the Maynard vs. Bridgford question? Boom. Let's settle this on the field.

Rosters have yet to be divulged. But the Cal Athletics team has worked hard to put together a Spring Football Experience that is fun for the whole family. Free food! Kid Zone! Shirt giveaways! Did I mention free food?

Besides watching an actual game, there will be plenty of fan-oriented contests throughout the practice. Catch a touchdown pass, field a punt, and call an actual play for the Tedford Offense.

Read more about it here:

As the piece de resistance, the CGB team has been invited to participate in sidelines media coverage for this event. There will photos (HT turkey) and player interviews.

This is an open call to all CGB readers to help us brainstorm questions for this year's squad. Who do you want to be interviewed? What do you want to know? Please post your questions below in the comments and we'll ask as many as we can. Thanks for your help. Go Bears!

1) Josh Hill was singled out by Clancy as the defense's "best player."

Deep Thoughts: Hill really came on last year. He's always been a smart player, but he really showed an improved ability to close and finish tackles. Considering that the middle of the Cal defense will be very, very young, it's good to have at least one old veteran who knows where everyone is supposed to be. The one question mark with Hill is whether he has the range to play centerfield. Clancy likes to use a lot of Cover One with one safety up in run support and one back patrolling the deep middle. It's unknown whether Hill's smarts and instincts will let him cover enough ground to be effective. If so, that could really change the nature of the defense. Pendergast would have the luxury of letting his younger safeties set up closer to the line of scrimmage and play "fast" with fewer responsibilities if Hill can anchor the back end.

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After a week off for spring break, our sturdy Golden Bears returned to the practice field with a vengeance. The pads must have been popping because there has been an absolute epidemic of injured hands. Reminiscent of the year where we managed to hit the uprights on kicks multiple times, it's hard to recall another spring where so many players ended up wearing casts on their mitts.

Avinash already did a great job reviewing developments on the Oline and Dline, so today's focus will be on the skill positions. For more thoughts on last Saturday's standouts, check out CalFootballBlog's write-up.

1) Isi Sofele and Daniel Lasco have missed time with a injured hamstrings, CJ Anderson is out for the spring with torn thumb ligaments, and Tedford has mentioned that they haven't had any fullbacks available. In their absence, Brendan Bigelow, Desarte Yarnway, and Darren Ervin have been taking snaps. While Yarnway has seen time as both a short-yardage back and fullback, Bigelow has impressed with his all-around skills.

Deep Thoughts:

It's really gratifying to hear that Yarnway might have finally gotten over the injury bug. Although he's been lost in the shuffle as he's recovered from a number of unfortunate ailments, he was a highly regarded 4* recruit out of high school. It'll be interesting to see if he can develop as a short yardage specialist, or offer a more multi-dimensional threat out of the fullback position.

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It was hard to take an objective look at the Cal men's basketball season during the immediate aftermath of a play-in flame-out. Now that it's been a few weeks, surely time has healed all wounds...or not. Fortunately, Cal fans are a sturdy breed of Bear and are well-versed in the cycle of recovery and selective amnesia.

Let's rip the bandages off and get right to it:

The Projections:

Prior to the season, the experts were near-unanimous in their punditry that Cal would contend for a top-3 finish in the league with UW, UCLA, and AZ in the mix. (Despite the fact that this is a Golden Bear write-up, it is still perfectly acceptable to take a brief moment to smirk at the misfortunes of our self-important southern annex.)

The Blueprints to a Title:

With four returning starters, including five of our top six players from the previous year, we looked to have a good blend of experience and talent. Jorge Gutierrez and Harper Kamp were two of the the top returning scorers in the conference. Brandon Smith had been steady at the point and showed signs of an improving outside shot. Allen Crabbe was the reigning Freshman POY, and Richard Solomon looked to fill in for Markhuri Sanders-Frison with a more imposing defensive presence thanks to his length and athleticism.

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Who's ready for some football? Originally, this slot was scheduled for Cal Sweet 16 coverage. Sadly enough, ever since they canceled the NCAA basketball tournament before Cal could play USF (that's how I remember it) we've had to shift gears to our gridiron #CalGang.

As is typically the case in spring, the news is sparse, but heavily infused with that sweet California sunshine.

1) KA tore ligaments in his ankle during a pick-up basketball game. He had surgery two weeks ago, but was present at practice on crutches to take mental reps. He has been happy to work with new position coach Wes Chandler citing that the coach's experience playing receiver makes a huge difference. Allen is expected to recover fully in time for summer workouts.

Knee-jerk: We cannot confirm nor deny that the Rope Coach has been stationed at the RSF to lasso any players trying to play pick-up ball.

Deep Thoughts: We already know what KA21 can do. Although it would have been nice for him to get more reps with Coach Chandler's new drills, this unfortunate injury could help the development of Maurice Harris. Already touted as having the best hands on the team, Harris is projected as the #2 receiver and just needs more time on the field to get comfortable.

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Having started slow in the past several games, Cal decided to not to switch things up and stayed true to form.

With Jorge unable to stay in front of their waterbug point guard, South Florida got themselves three easy baskets and one of those deep pull-up step-backs that only goes in against us. On the other hand, the guys missed a variety of contested shots.

Perhaps lulled into somnambulance by South Florida's methodical half-court sets, the Bears went 0 for 4 from the field and quickly slowly found themselves down 8-0.

Just as the announcers were asking, "who is going to get things going for the Golden Bears?" Harper Kamp took it on the low block, spun, and had the strength to convert the turnaround plus the foul.

The flicker of life was short-lived as the Bulls countered with a 7-0 run featuring a banked in three plus four points from their true frosh point. Down 15-3 at the thirteen minute mark, Monty was forced to call an early timeout.

He put the ball in Harper's hands and the reliable senior responded with four quick points. Unfortunately, the Bears weren't able to get stops on the defensive end as the Bulls exceeded their lackluster offensive billing by raining in jumpers from all over the court. Even a sweet lefty hook from the Thurminator wasn't enough as South Florida maintained a 24-13 advantage with eight minutes to play.

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TwistNHook: It was the Debearcle in Dayton? Too bad President Obama left Dayton after yesterday's games. If he had stayed to watch tonight's Cal game, he could have declared a state of emergency and called in the national guard to save us.

When I resort to using Twist's jokes as my lead, you know that I have no words for what I have just witnessed.

This is your post-game thread, such as it is. Vent, grieve. But, please keep it clean and respectful of our players and coaches.

Amidst the tranquil desolation that is Dayton, Ohio, burning couches provide a somber backlighting to the battle to come.

In one corner, you have the resurgent South Florida Bulls, thrilled to be back in the Big Dance for the first time in 20 years. In the other, you have your sturdy Golden Bears, eager to prove that the end of the season slide was just a blip on the radar.

It will be strength on strength as Cal tries to run their efficient half-court offense against the aggressive buzz-saw that is the Bulls' defense. On the other end, the Bears need to exploit South Florida's tendency to turn it over while encouraging them to shoot their normal low percentage. Our game preview can be found here, and the Q/A with the South Florida sports blog is here.

The Bulls like to overplay passing lanes, close out on shooters, and deny drives to the basket. Our guards will have to bring their mid-range games and be ready to make some jumpshots.

Will it be beef for dinner, or peanuts on the plane ride home?

It's March. The time when heroes are made and each game is win or go home. If you're not eager to see the last ride of Harper Kamp and Jorge Gutierrez, you should be. Go Bears! Beat the Bulls!

Tip-off: 6pm (PST)

TV: TruTV (Channel #246 for DirectTV)

Radio: 910KNEW

Two years ago, Coach Tedford finally made a move and replaced long-time special teams coach Pete ALAAAAAMMMMAAAARR with Coach Jeff Genyk. Unfortunately, the past two years have largely been an exercise in frustration. On the plus side, Giorgio Tavecchio developed into a reliable kicker. On the minus, Bryan Anger never realized his potential and appeared to have his booming leg marginalized by a maddening insistence on using rugby-style kicks. Coverage and return teams remained a resounding meh. Perhaps worst of all, we more than likely set a school record for having our extra points blocked.

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For two years in a row now, Coach Clancy Pendergast's defense has been one of the statistical conference leaders. However, there are still grumblings from fans about the hit and miss nature of his aggressive schemes. When everything is dialed in, our D looks impressively dominant. But we've also shown an alarming penchant for giving up the inopportune big play.

With two of the best defensive recruiting classes in recent Cal history finally coming of age, will this be the year where our defense flexes it's full potential? Or, do we replace too many grizzled veterans with young athletes and find ourselves taking a step back?

It's a good thing this is just spring ball. Otherwise, we might start looking ahead to the prospect of opening the season against Nevada's pistol offense with two new ILBs and two new safeties. Maybe this will be the year we tackle that darn, elusive, athletic guy who takes the snaps. There are rumors that the NCAA passed a new rule which _will_ allow Cal defenders to tackle the quarterback. Madness!

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Once again, hope springs eternal in Strawberry Canyon. But unlike the nomadic scramble of last year, our sturdy Golden Bears are finally set to return home to Memorial Stadium and the gleaming new SAHPC. Last year, the biggest news was the return of Coach Jeff Tedford as the primary architect and playcaller for the offense. Although he declared that his intent was to simplify the playbook and use more creativity, the on the field result was an interesting hybrid of pro-style and spread principles. To the coaching staff's credit, they abandoned the round-peg/square hole approach early and adapted the offense midway through the year to play to Maynard's strengths and cover for his weaknesses. When the We-Only-Roll-Left offense was firing on all cylinders, it was a nice blend of power running, downfield passing, play-action, and some zone reads. Will the coaches be able to build on this success moving forward?

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As tempting as it may be to rail against the ignominy of being in a play-in game, it would be far, far worse to be the losers of said game. And let's not even think about how it'd feel to be left out. Can you imagine the horror of being under-educated, wearing purple, and playing in the NIT?

Standing between our sturdy Golden Bears and a throwdown with the Temple Owls are the resurgent South Florida Bulls. Back in the Big Dance (sort of) for the first time in 20 years, you can be certain that they are fired up for this one.

In fact, just wait until you see the intense emotions on their faces as they...slowly walk the ball up the court and start paaaaaaassing it around and around and around the perimeter.

That's right. It's going to be one of _those_ games. South Florida is infamous for painfully slow. Per KenPom, their tempo is 342nd out of 345 Div I teams.

Even worse, the Bulls' calling card is their stifling defense. They're a top-20 defensive squad holding opposing teams to 56.9 points per game and 38.8 FG%.

Fortunately, as stingy as they are on defense, they're average to below average on offense, particularly with regards to 3-point shooting. And, they are particularly adept at turning the ball over, coughing it up on roughly 22% of their possessions.

It's a good thing we haven't struggled recently against tough defensive squads who have sporadic offense...

After the jump, personnel and matchups:

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It was a rough start to the Redemption Tour as the Bears found themselves down 12-2 before three minutes had elapsed. In a familiar scene to Cal fans, the Bears struggled to run their offense and took turns either missing contested jumpers or turning it over. In an unfamiliar scene to anyone who has followed Pac-12 basketball this year, the Buffaloes sank deep jumpers from all over the court.

Monty was forced to call an early timeout to stop the bleeding. But once settled down, the Bears focused their energy on tighter defense. As the Buffs went cold from outside, Cal was able to go on an 8-3 run to close the gap back to 5.

But the offense stalled as Monty turned to his bench. Once again, turnovers were a serious issue and helped fuel the Colorado transition game. The lead grew back to nine by the five minute mark.

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Back up the bus. The Redemption Tour has hit a snag.

After agonizing about how the Cal offense would fare against their kryptonite, it was surprisingly the Cal defense which gave way in the end.

Once again, too many first half turnovers squandered an opportunity to seize control of the game. It's a sad end to Jorge and Harper's regular season.

And now we wait until Sunday. For now, this is your mournful post-game thread.

Vent. Grieve. But please keep it clean and respectful of our players, team, and school.

It's the question that has been asked since the Dawn of Time: Is Buffalo a dish best served cold?

For tonight's tartare, the pesky dark horses from Colorado. In many ways, they play a variant of Monty-ball with their disciplined approach to fundamental defense. Or as we like to respectfully say, they are annoyingly good at disrupting our offense. Harper Kamp has been solid, but he and David Kravish will have their hands full with rebounding fiend Andre Roberson. Jorge is going to have to stay patient and under control. Crabbe and Cobbs need to hit some outside shots.

Will tonight be the night where we get off the schide? Have our players and coaches finally figured out how to crack the Colorado defense? Which cuisine will reign supreme?

Follow all the action here.

Go Bears!

Tip-off: 8:30 pm

TV: FSN

Radio: KNEW 910

And the redemption tour goes on. After building a late 8 point lead over the dangerous breadcrumb eaters with just four minutes to play, the Colorado Buffaloes proceeded to squander it all away. But right when it looked like Ol' Mo' was wearing garish Nike colors, Colorado's best players seized the spotlight. Carlton Brown hit a tough, twisting lay-up and Andre Roberson came up with a huge tip over two Duck defenders for the winning basket.

It's too late to argue whether the Ducks or the Buffs were the favorable match-up for our Golden Bears; it's time to grill up some bison.

The Bears and Buffs split the season series, each winning on their home court. Each game was characterized by ugly, ugly Cal offense. Was it all because of a stout Colorado defense? Or were our struggles self-imposed?

After the jump, more on the personnel and match-ups:

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It was an auspicious start to the rubber match when David Kravish won the tip and tapped it to Cobbs for a breakaway layup.

But then the Bears proceeded to pick up quick fouls on both Jorge and Kravish and you started to wonder if it was going to be another one of those games. Add in two missed free throws by Jorge with some early turnover issues and you started to worry about those demons. Throw in 3 pointer by Stanford's Zimmerman that hit rim, bounced five feet up, and then fell through...and Cal fans everywhere took a long, deep breath. Once again, it seemed like there was a lid on the basket as makeable shots came up empty.

Even so, there were early signs of life for the Bear's. The offense looked more confident with assertive ball movement and crisp cuts. On defense, Cal limited the bigger Furds to one and out and did a good job clearing the defensive glass.

But it was still 11:08 before Jorge finally converted his first field goal of the game. Although it was a huge three, there was the distinct sense that he was still pressing. This unease seemed to spread to the team as shots continued to go array. The ensuing flurry of sloppy possessions and turnovers helped Stanford build a six point lead at 21-15 with 7 minutes to play.

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THE BEARS HAVE WON!

THE BEARS HAVE WON!

It was a forgettable first half filled with turnovers and missed shots. But Jorge finally blazed back to his old self in the 2nd. Cobbs turned on the jets and pushed it in transition. Crabbe started bombing it again and hitting off the curl. Kravish made clutch free throws. And Harper was like iron all game long.

With this win, a ticket to the Big Dance becomes more likely. Might as well win the whole thing to be sure, eh? The semis are late tomorrow night at 8:30 pm.

For now, revel with Palms of Victory! This is your post game thread.

(To discuss the Oregon-Colorado game and check out who we're matching up with, head to our Pac-12 all-day tournament thread.)

It's on.

Forget that a game against ASU would probably have been a nice tune-up to get us ready for the semis; this was the game that we wanted.

One of more knowledgeable basketball fans put it best:(HT Reef)

So let's do this. We're rested, motivated, and Monty has his game plan dialed-in. Time to exorcise the demons of the past two games. Time to put our foot on the Furd's neck and send them scurrying for the off-season. Time for Jorge and Harper to start that ride towards the sunset with a run that we'll talk about for years to come. Viva Los Osos. Go Bears!

Tip-off: 6pm

TV: FSN

Radio: 910 KNEW

To follow the Cal Women's Basketball Team against Colorado, go here.

To read about the Pac-12 Coaches' Reception, go here.

If you want to follow the action of the non-Cal tournament games...well, honestly, you're at the wrong site. But we have an open thread for today's tourney action here.

The last game against Stanfurd still hurts. It still disturbs and bewilders me that we could go into a game with such high stakes, yet find ourselves wanting. It wasn't just losing the game that leaves such a bitter taste; it was losing against a beatable team due to an all-around poor performance. I struggle to find a comparable loss during the Mike Montgomery era at Cal. Coming off of extra rest? With two senior leaders, including the conference POY and DPOY? Inexplicable.

No amount of revenge or redemption is going to erase the past and bring back that banner. But, it is literally a must-win game to keep the Bear tournament hopes alive and extend the playing careers of Cal favorites Harper Kamp and Jorge Gutierrez.

With regards to physical match-ups, nothing has changed since Nick laid out his preview from last week.

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Kodiak: As if screen passes in the flat, and tight ends running free down the seams weren't enough of a Cal tradition, next year we have to replace the entire middle of our defense. Without the underrated DJ Holt and the dynamic Mychal Kendricks at inside linebacker, are we in trouble? We also replace a trio of senior safeties in Cattouse, Campbell, and Moncrease. But, much has been made of the incredible young talent recruited for the defensive side of the ball. Are they ready? Do you see the defense taking a step forward, or back?

Berkelium97: The young defense might not reach its potential until midway through the season, but I am really looking forward to year 3 under Pendergast.

One of the criticisms I have had against Pendergast over the past two years is that he tends to devise solid schemes, but his players are not always equipped to execute well enough for the defense to succeed. And when they don't do well, he has trouble putting them back into positions where they can succeed. A great example was the UCLA game. We usually had a safety responsible for containing Kevin Prince when he kept the ball on a run. How often did he fail to contain Prince due to a poor angle or a bad tackle? We kept running the same scheme, but it continued to fail. Pendergast didn't necessarily do much to fix it and as a result Prince had one of the best games of his career.

With another crop of exceptionally talented athletes, Pendergast ought to have some better execution over the next few years. It's not necessarily a coaching problem--DBs, LBs, and the D-line have all had great individual performances over the past two years, but we have not yet had a complete lineup of excellent players. With talented youngsters in the secondary (our biggest problem spot over the years), Pendergast ought to have the pieces necessary to put together a solid defense. It may take time for everyone to get a sufficient comfort level with the defense, but once we get some experience, the rest of the Pac-12 should watch out.

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You know you're in for a real treat when the announcers emphasize "avoid sleep-walking" as one of the keys to the game.

Although it was a promising start when Kravish blocked the Utes' first shot and Kamp promptly tossed in a lefty hook, the next few minutes were exactly the road-malaise that we all feared. With Cal shooting 1 of 7, Utah was able to seize an early 6-2 advantage.

Fortunately, the Bears could lean on Jorge and Harper as battle-tested veterans. The two seniors quickly scored the next six points and tied everything up at 8.

With the team settling in, Monty was able to go to his bench early and put in Smith and Thurman. The move paid immediate dividends as the Thurminator struck for two baskets underneath.

While the Bear offense started clicking and made assists on their first five baskets, the defense struggled initially to find the Ute shooters. Somehow, their 32% FG shooting guard found himself 5 early points.

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Salt Lake is Bear Territory!

Can we sell it? Rent?

Despite a lack of backcourt production, the Cal bigs came to play. Harper Kamp did everything - scoring, rebounds, assists, and tough defense. Kravish was a shot-blocking presence on defense and chipped in with double digits on offense. Robert Thurman drew two charges and continued his knack of clever finishing around the basket.

Revel! This is your post-game thread.

Once again, we're left in the dark to listen as our Golden Bears embark on the first of three road games to close out the year. Utah has, um, struggled...of late. And by struggled, we mean _struggled_. And by 'of late,' we mean all year.

Will our starters be able to seize control early? Can anyone from our bench step up to demand more minutes?

This is your live thread.

Go Bears!

Tip-Off: 6pm PST

TV: None (sigh)

Radio: 910 KNEW