Cal Misses a Big Chance, Falls to Lowly Pitt in Home Finale

Cal’s regular-season home finale was a chance to fatten its NCAA tournament resume against one of the ACC’s bottom feeders.

It didn’t work out way, as Pitt led start to finish to claim a 72-56 victory in front of 5,061 fans at Haas Pavilion that puts a serious dent in the Bears’ dreams of ending an 10-year NCAA drought.

ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi, who attended Saturday afternoon’s game, had projected beforehand that a victory by the Bears over a team that was 1-8 on the road and had dropped six of its previous seven games, would elevate Cal into his projected 68-team bracket.

The Bears (20-9, 8-8 ACC) reached 20 wins for the first time in a decade with their 73-69 win over SMU on Wednesday. But coach Mark Madsen said they didn’t show up for this one and the result was Cal’s first defeat all season in a Quad 3 or Quad 4 game against a lesser opponent.

“We have to be able to handle success. We have to be able to handle prosperity. And we did not do that,” he said. “We came off an unbelievable win against SMU and some good wins before that.

“In almost every category (Pitt) outplayed us. This was a huge game for us and we did not show up the way we needed to show up.”

So now the Bears will hit the road to close the regular season with games at Georgia Tech (11-18) on Wednesday and Wake Forest (14-14, 5-10) on Saturday, almost certainly needing to win both to boost their chances.

A win would have vaulted Cal into a tie for seventh place, but they slipped to a tie for ninth. The Bears entered the day at No. 58 in the NET computer rankings — already precariously on the bubble — and a home defeat to a team rated No. 123 will certainly drop them.

Cal was 16-3 at home and had won three in a row but never got going against the Panthers (11-18, 4-12).

“For us, the ball got a little too sticky from the beginning,” reserve center Milos Ilic said. “We came out with low energy. We couldn’t find a way to get up.”

That was only one aspect of the game that bothered Madsen. He noted the Panthers were the more physical team. “Anyone in the crowd could see that,” he suggested.

The Bears, who averaged nearly 83 points over their previous four games, attempted just seven free throws and were 5 for 22 from the 3-point arc. They had just four turnovers in the second half, but gave the ball away 12 times in the opening 20 minutes.

Madsen said he doesn’t have selfish players but suggested there was too much one-on-one play — hero ball, he called it. “That’s not smart basketball — that’s bad basketball,” Madsen said.

He said Friday’s practice featured some good stretches but also a moment where he had to stop play and have the players run springs “because I didn’t like what I was seeing.”

Dai Dai Ames led the Bears with 11 points and center Lee Dort had 10 points and six rebounds. Backup center Milos Ilic contributed six points, nine rebounds and four assists but also had five turnovers.

The starters Justin Pippen, John Camden and Chris Bell, who combine to average more than 43 points, totaled just 19 points on 8-for-27 shooting.

Pitt extended its eight-point halftime lead when Damaco Minor hit a 3-pointer just 20 seconds into the period. The Panthers continually pushed back when the Bears made a comeback bid until tempers flared when Pitt’s Barry Dunning Jr. backed hard into Pippen before scoring on what Cal Madsen thought was an offensive foul.

Madsen was assessed a technical foul for a demonstrative reponse, as was a Pitt assistant coach, but the exchange seemed to wake up the crowd and the Bears.

A layup by Ilic and a dunk by Camden off a feed from Ilic pulled the Bears within 45-40 with 14:57 left. Camden then hit a turnaround jumper and Pippen converted a layup, drawing Cal within 47-44 with 11:46 left.

But Pitt answered Cal’s 8-0 run with a 7-0 burst of its own minutes later for a 54-44 lead with 6:52 to play. Another 7-0 run stretched the Panthers advantage to 65-51 with 2:25 left, slamming the door on the Bears’ comeback aspirations.

Pitt coach Jeff Capel, proud of his team nearing the end of a rough season, promoted Cal as a viable postseason participant.

“We beat a good basketball team. Cal’s an NCAA tournament team,” Capel said. “I know today’s loss is hard for the metrics but I think they have a really good basketball team.”

Plagued by 12 first-half turnovers, Cal trailed 34-26 at the break. The score could have been worse except the Panthers cashed those dozen takeaways for just five points.

The Bears, who never led over the first 20 minutes, struggled to find any rhythm on offense. Senior guard DJ Campbell came off the bench to score eight points, including a pair of 3-point baskets.

But Pippen, Ames, Camden and Bell totaled just 12 on 5-for-14 shooting.

The ACC’s most accurate free throw shooting team, the Bears never got to the foul line in the first half. “That’s a problem,” Madsen conceded. “We have to play more physical.”

“Did the refs miss some calls? Yes, they did. But that’s not why Pitt beat us. Pitt earned this win and we have to be able to handle situations like that.”

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