Pac-10 men's basketball previews -- No. 1, Cal

November 8, 9:16 PMStanford Cardinal Basketball ExaminerJake Curtis

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Jerome Randle/Photo Nick Fradkin/Daily Cal

We are picking Cal to finish first in the Pac-10, not necessarily because we think the Bears are championship material, but because we can’t find another team that looks better.

This is the ninth of our preseason men’s Pac-10 basketball previews, with teams being revealed in inverse order of their predicted finish. (See Washington State story here, see USC here, see Oregon here, see Arizona State here, see Arizona here, See UCLA here, see Oregon State here, see Washington here.)  Stanford is picked to finish 10^th, but the Cardinal preview will be posted later.

At this point, we come to Cal, which seems to be ranked higher in the polls (12^th in one, 13^th in the other) than it should.    Something in the 20s seems more like considering the Bears shortcomings.

First off, Cal has no frontcourt to speak of, especially if Harper Kamp continues to be sidelined with his knee problem.  Can a team that relies so heavily on three-pointers be consistent enough to win this conference?

Second, the Bears played free and easy last season when nothing was expected, but now they will have the burden of expectations.  The Bears finished poorly last season, losing five of their last seven games, after people realized they were pretty good.

Also, it’s hard to imagine how this team can improve.   The Bears seemed to maximize their talent last season, and teams typically don’t win championships if they are not better than they were the year before.

However, there is a qualification for each shortcoming.   There are no quality big post players in the Pac-10 this season, so Cal’s frontcourt issues are not a major problem.  Also, the Bears have players who play free and easy no matter what the situation, so the added expectations may not seem like a burden.   And Cal does not need to improve because every team except Oregon State will be worse than it was last year.

Cal had enough talent to finish tied for third last season, and with virtually all those players back, that could be good enough to finish ahead of everyone this season.

The Bears do have the best backcourt in the conference with the trio of Patrick Christopher, Jerome Randle and Theo Robertson bombing away.   It’s unlikely that all three will have off shooting nights in the same game.    Jamal Boykin will work his butt off inside, and Markhuri Sanders-Frison is a physical presence inside.

How well the Bears do against the likes of Syracuse, North Carolina and Kansas in their nonconference schedule will show whether Cal is worthy of its ranking, but it seems like they have enough to go 14-4 or 13-5 in the Pac-10, which might be good enough to win it this season.

 For more Bay Area college sports, see jakestakeonsports.com.

 See also:

STANFORD EASILY WINS EXHIBITION

RANKING SCHEDULE STRENGTH OF PAC-10 MEN'S TEAMS

APPEL NAMES PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN

RANKING THE SCHEDULE STRENGTH OF PAC-10 WOMEN'S TEAMS

STANFORD'S MEN'S SCHEDULE A LITTLE TOUGHER

STANFORD WOMEN ATTEMPT 39 THREE-POINTERS IN EXHIBITION

TWO CAL FRESHMEN COULD MAKE BEARS CONTENDERS

STANFORD NO. 2 IN AP POLL

STANFORD WOMEN UNANIMOUS PICK TO WIN PAC-10