ASU Basketball: 2019 Pac-12 Week 2 Power Rankings
By Trevor Booth
12. California Golden Bears
A year ago, California was the cellar dweller of the Pac-12. One game into the 2018-19 season, it doesn’t appear much is going to change.
In the Golden Bears’ season opener, they were upended by an Ivy League opponent – Yale. That wouldn’t be a big deal if this were an academic-based competition, but the Bulldogs aren’t quite known for their basketball prowess.
To make matters worse, the game wasn’t even close. Yale cruised to a 76-59 victory in the annual Pac-12 China game.
Cal fans need to hope this result was a fluke and the players were distracted by the global stage. Because if not, then it’ll be another long season for coach Wyking Jones.
In the first half, the Golden Bears were atrocious from the field, making just five of their 25 field goal attempts. The team finished shooting 35.3 percent from the field.
Granted, this Cal team didn’t exactly enter the season with high expectations. Last year, the Golden Bears finished in the Pac-12 basement, finishing 8-24 (2-16 Pac-12).
To add onto last year’s struggles, Cal is among the youngest teams in the nation. Eleven of its players are either freshmen or sophomores, and the Golden Bears don’t have one senior on the roster.
But the devastating loss did display one positive: Paris Austin.
A transfer from Boise State, Austin shot 6-for-10 from the field, leading the Golden Bears with 18 points. The rest of the team shot 29 percent from the field.
As humiliating as the opening loss may have been, there is still room for Cal to grow.
The non-conference portion of the schedule isn’t particularly difficult for the Golden Bears. Cal doesn’t face a ranked opponent until conference play, and its toughest game before then is a road game against St. Mary’s.