No. 11 Gonzaga | No. 13 Arizona | Full List
No. 12: CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS
Last Season: 18-15, 7-11 Pac-12
There may not be a more captivating sociological study this season than the Bears.
In Cuonzo Martin, you have a coach who was practically run out of Tennessee for his inability to recruit now mentoring two NBA prospects in Jaylen Brown and Ivan Rabb.
In Cal, you have a team that went from marginally decent (18-15) to sexy pick to win the Pac-12 and take a deep run into the NCAA tournament -- this despite a perplexing roster that looks awfully similar in terms of size and position.
Can it work?
With Brown and Rabb on the court, absolutely. This game isn't rocket science. Good players win games and the Bears have two of the best. But how it will work, how Martin will tinker with the roster and how Cal will handle its newfound fame will be fascinating to watch. -- Dana O'Neil
Best Case: Martin has established a reputation as a top recruiter after snagging two top-10 recruits. Freshmen Jaylen Brown and Ivan Rabb start from Day 1 and, by themselves, make Cal a contender. Throw in that Tyrone Wallace was among the best players at the Nike Skills Academy. Cal returns Jordan Mathews and Jabari Bird, too. Brown and Wallace can both average big numbers, and Cal is going to play hard and tough basketball under Martin. If the Bears grow up quickly, there is no reason to believe that Cal cannot win the Pac-12 this season and reach the second weekend of the NCAA tournament.
Worst Case: Though Cal will take a giant step forward, it's too early and Cal is too young to get it done this year. Since Pete Newell retired in 1960, Cal has gone through nine head coaches. In those 56 years, the school has won one conference regular-season title (2009-10 under Mike Montgomery) and no tournament titles. Cal hasn't reached the Sweet 16 since 1997, and the worst case is being able to say that again.
"They have the best starting five in the Pac-12. They have two lottery picks in Jaylen Brown and Ivan Rabb and another guy in Tyrone Wallace who could be a first-rounder. They have an incredible amount of firepower offensively, but the key will be how they all mesh together. I'm also worried about them because Ty Wallace is a high-volume shot-taker and that's not what they need as a point guard for that team."
No. 11 Gonzaga | No. 13 Arizona | Full List
