Pac-12 Basketball: Strengths and weaknesses of each team for 2020-21

Pac-12 Basketball: Strengths and weaknesses of each team for 2020-21 season

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 09: A basketball is shown in a ball rack before a semifinal game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament between the UCLA Bruins and the Arizona Wildcats at T-Mobile Arena on March 9, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Wildcats won 78-67 in overtime. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

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Pac-12 Basketball Matt Bradley (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) /

9. California Golden Bears

Projected Starters:

G: Joel Brown, 6’2 So. (2.4 ppg, 1.8 apg)

G: Matt Bradley, 6’4 Jr. (17.5 ppg, 4.9 rpg)

F: Andre Kelly, 6’8 Jr. (7.5 ppg, 5.6 rpg)

F: Grant Anticevich, 6’8 Sr. (8.3 ppg, 5.6 rpg)

C: Lars Thiemann, 7’0 So. (3.0 ppg, 2.2 rpg)

Mark Fox’s first year at Cal ended on a high note with the knocking off of Stanford in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament. The Bears return nine of their 13 scholarship players from last year, headed by the second-highest returning scorer in the conference, Matt Bradley.

Over the past two seasons, Cal is 2-20 in true road games- one of the worst marks in the country. However, with a fairly experienced nucleus, this Cal team could make some decent progress even with losing two of their top three scorers from last season.

Strengths: Matt Bradley is one of the best returning guards in the conference, scoring less than 15 points in only a handful of games. Point guard Joel Brown will look to take the next step and has to increase production offensively for California to be viable.

The addition of graduate transfers Makale Foreman (Stony Brook) and Ryan Betley (Penn) will be key in the backcourt as well. Betley is one of the smarter guards in the country, and Foreman made 206 career three-pointers at Stony Brook.

Both of those qualities will be appreciated greatly, as Cal ranked bottom half in three-pointers and turnover margin in the conference. Lars Thiemann has the size and talent to turn into one of the better big men in the country and should only get better as the season progresses. The Bears also return a pair of solid forwards in Anticevich and Kelly, who combined for 16 points and 11 rebounds per contest.

These two should have more room to breathe and work down low with the addition of real perimeter threats to score. Monty Bowser, a top 150 recruit, will account for needed depth at forward.

Weaknesses: It is not an over-exaggeration saying that California was truly one of the NCAA’s worst offenses. They averaged 63.2 points per game, which landed them in 330th in the nation. With all the good mentioned above, they had a poor offensive team and they lost two of their top three scorers.

They also finished last in assists per game, as a lot of the offense seemed to be isolation and taking someone to the rack. With the addition of some perimeter shooters that will change this year. The depth down low is also worrisome, with very few options behind Thiemann.

The Call: Matt Bradley will enjoy a higher octane offense, and their offensive efficiency will increase to middle of the pack. However, the depth in the frontcourt and the lack of a defensive stopper will put a damper on their progression. Lars Thiemann will begin to become a real threat down low. If Mark Fox delivers a winning record and an NIT birth, this season will be considered overachieving for the Golden Bears.

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