Cal Basketball: How Much Does the Northridge Win Suggest Success in the Pac-12?

In the wake of discouraging pregame news on Saturday, the Cal basketball team delivered a performance that makes us wonder if Bears can be better than we thought this season.

Cal played a confident, efficient game while beating Cal State Northridge 87-56. The Bears shot the ball well, played together, defended, rebounded and led by 40 points late in the game.

And they did it without leading scorer Matt Bradley and veteran senior starting forward Grant Anticevich.

Bradley was sidelined by an ankle sprain he sustained a week ago Sunday in the Bears’ last-second win over USF. Coach Mark Fox said Bradley is day-to-day, suggesting he might be available Tuesday when Cal closes its non-conference schedule against Seattle.

Anticevich is not likely to be back for several weeks, at least. He underwent an emergency appendectomy in the early hours of Friday morning and his status going forward is unknown. Fox said he has no timetable for Anticevich’s return.

The Bears are now 4-4 (0-2 in the Pac-12) but it's dangerous to extract too much from one game. Cal was picked 10th in the Pac-12 and we don't know if it can translate Saturday into success in conference play.

Key players against Northridge included grad transfers Makale Foreman and Ryan Betley. They were recruited for their perimeter-shooting abilities and had been erratic through the Bears’ first seven games.

Foreman made game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer to beat USF and that momentum carried over to Northridge, with the former Stony Brook star scoring a season-best 23 points, including 4-for-8 on 3-pointers.

Fox said Foreman has been a great addition to the team for reasons beyond his shooting ability.

“Makake has been really a joy to have in our program. He’s got an unbelievable spirit that he brings every day,” Fox said.” We’ve got a lot of really important people on our team but I’ll tell you what, his spirit and his ability to lead and talk when he plays, it’s been a really great addition.

“We’re thankful that he chose to come and, obviously, he’s a terrific shooter. He’s still trying to get comfortable in a new system but he really has played well.”

Betley, who came to Cal from Penn, also had his best game with the Bears. He shot 5-for-6 on threes and scored 19 points.

“It felt good. It’s about time,” Betley said. “I haven’t shot the ball well the last couple games. Good to get back on track. I’ve just got to keep making shots.”

The game marked the debut of Fresno State transfer Jarred Hyder, a combo guard who was granted eligibility earlier in the week. Hyder played 17 minutes and contributed six points, three assists and a steal.

“Jarred got a lot of minutes today and he needed that. We’ll see how the rotation evolves, but it’s great to have him,” Fox said. “He’s a really smart player and today will be a good place to start his building process.”

Hyder’s arrival gives the Bears additional backcourt depth and flexibility to use any of several players — Joel Brown, Foreman or Hyder — at the point. Brown and Hyder were on the floor together at times against Northridge.

Fox cautioned against reading too much into the combinations we saw Saturday. With just one day to adjust after Anticevich became ill and scarcely more time after realizing that Bradley would not be ready to play, Fox said, “It was just patch it together and find a way to win.”

It’s important to note that Northridge is not nearly the caliber of anyone the Bears will play in the Pac-12. The Matadors are 4-47 all-time vs. current members of the Pac-12, 0-8 vs. Cal and without a win against the conference since 2012.

Northridge beat Pepperdine earlier this season, but looked sluggish and almost disinterested against the Bears after traveling by bus to the Bay Area.

Still, Fox got performances from a range of players Saturday that offer some encouragement. Brown played probably his best game in two seasons, and especially drew the praise of his coach for his work defensively against CSUN’s top scorer.

Sophomore center Lars Thiemann, starting in place of Anticevich, had one of his better games with eight points, six rebounds and two steals. He was aggressive and decisive, qualities we haven’t usually seen from the 7-footer from Germany.

Nine different players saw double-digit minutes against Northridge and most of them made contributions. The Bears will get Bradley and his 19 points per game back at some point soon, and Betley believes the team is now better equipped to provide him some offensive support.

“We’ve got guys that can really help him out this year. It’s definitely a different team,” Betley said. “When he’s getting deserved defensive attention, we’ve got guys that can make shots and take some pressure off him.”

With the threat of COVID-19 looming, Fox understands have a deep bench will more critical than ever.

“Depth could become a huge part of anyone’s season,” Fox said. “Today, without Matt and Grant, our depth was certainly an advantage for us. We need to continue to build that.”

Cover photo of Jarred Hyder by Neville E. Guard, USA Today

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo

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