12. California Golden Bears
It is no surprise to see Cal at the bottom of the Pac-12 power rankings. The Golden Bears lost their coach (Cuonzo Martin) and most of their talented roster from last season. Stars Jabari Bird and Ivan Rabb are off to the NBA, with the Celtics and Grizzlies respectively, and freshman starter Charlie Moore has transferred to Kansas.
Martin left the cupboard bare for his successor, Wyking Jones. Cal has the least talented roster among all the high major teams and is playing numerous unheralded freshmen in prominent roles. Freshman PG Darius McNeill is averaging 13.4ppg and freshman wing Justice Sueing is averaging 11.5ppg. Both players have taken advantage of Cal’s depleted roster to earn starting roles and playing extended minutes at this stage of their careers will pay major dividends down the road.
However, Cal’s two best players are veterans. Senior PF Marcus Lee transferred from Kentucky to play an expanded role in his final season of eligibility. He got his wish but is doing so on a team that is short on talent and experience. He is averaging 12.2ppg, 7.8rpg, 2.3bpg for the Golden Bears. Junior guard Don Coleman came on strong towards the end of last season and has been extremely productive in his expanded role. Coleman leads the team with 20.5ppg and 36.2mpg.
Cal is not only the least talented team in the conference but also has the worst collection of losses. The Golden Bears have lost buy games to Portland State, Central Arkansas, and UC Riverside and lost a road game to a Division II foe (Chaminade). Their win at San Diego State is impressive and shocking, but given their overall body of work, it is nothing more than a fluke.
Do not expect Cal to be a Pac-12 bottom feeder repeatedly. Young players like McNeil, Sueing, and Juhwan Harris-Dyson are getting valuable playing time this season which will only help their development and their 2018 recruiting class is strong. In a few years, Cal will better resemble the teams of the Cuonzo Martin era as opposed to this 17-18 disaster.