Cal Basketball: Bears Face Unbeaten Mississippi at San Antonio

The Rebels have won their close games, the Bears are winless in the same circumstances.

Cal’s basketball team is back in action Saturday against unbeaten Mississippi as part of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Series at San Antonio.

Tipoff is 4:30 p.m. PT on the SEC Network.

The Bears and Rebels both have played nine games.

Cal has won three times; The Rebels have won all of their games.

If it seems like there is a huge gulf between the two, the difference actually has been this: Mississippi has won its close games, Cal has lost the close ones.

The Rebels are 5-0 in games decided by three points or fewer.

Cal is 0-5 in games decided by three points or in overtime.

After the Bears lost 97-90 in double overtime at Butler last Saturday, coach Mark Madsen identified the issue in his post-game remarks.

“I told them in the locker room I was proud of them for how hard they fought, how they battled the entire time,” he said. “I also reiterated, `Hey, we have to get better. We have to start making the plays late in the ballgame that will allow us to win a game on the road like this against a great opponent like Butler.’ “

Or like Mississippi.

It’s unclear just how good the Rebels are. Picked 10th in the Southeastern Conference, they have climbed to No. 25 in the coaches poll and are the only undefeated team not ranked in the AP Top-25.

But the NCAA’s computer isn’t fully convinced. The Rebels check in at No. 63 in the NET, the nation’s lowest-ranked unbeaten team.

The issue is the Rebels are 5-0 in Quad 4 games, against the lesser opponents on their schedule. They also own a win over North Carolina State, sitting at No. 53 in the NET.

Cal is No. 233 in the NET with a 2-3 record in Quad 4 games.

The Rebels are led by first-year coach Chris Beard, who was national coach of the year in 2019 after leading Texas Tech to the national championship game. 

But he was fired by Texas last Dec. 12 after being charged with a third-degree felony for family violence in an incident involving his fiancé. Those charges were dropped three months later when the woman chose not to cooperate with prosecutors.

Like Cal, the Rebels start four Division I transfers: senior guard Allen Flanigan (Auburn), who averages 18.0 points and 6.9 rebounds, junior guard Jaylen Murray (St. Peter’s), who provides 14.7 points and 4.3 assists, senior forward Jaemyn Brakefield (Duke), averaging 7.2 points and 6.3 rebounds, and 7-foot-5 center Jamarion Sharp (Western Kentucky), who doesn’t score much but has 21 blocked shots.

Senior guard Matthew Murrell, a returnee, rounds out the starting five and scores 15.6 points per game,

Cal is led by guard Jaylon Tyson (19.9 points, 8.1 rebounds), forward Fardaws Aimaq (17.3 points, 10.7 rebounds) and guard Jalen Cone (17.0 points, 33 3-point baskets).

Senior wing Keonte Kennedy, the fourth transfer, has played the past two games after getting healthy and is averaging 15.0 points and 7.0 rebounds.

Cal has played the past six games without injured senior guard Devin Askew, the Bears’ top returning scorer from a year ago. Askew is doubtful to face the Rebels.

Cover photo of Cal forward Fardaws Aimaq by CK Hicks, KLC fotos

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