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One season into coach Mark Fox’s tenure as basketball coach at Cal, the Golden Bears are beginning to earn some respect.

Cal, picked no higher than 11th place in the Pac-12 media poll the past three seasons, is projected as the league’s ninth-place team by Lindy’s.

Baby steps.

“(Matt) Bradley is good enough; if the guys around him have made decent progress, Bears could climb closer to mid-pack,” the magazine wrote.

The Bears were picked last in the 2019-20 Pac-12 media poll, but exceeded that grim projection by finishing in a three-way tie for eighth place at 7-11. Cal’s 14-18 overall record in Fox’s debut season was a big jump from the previous two seasons when the program produced just eight wins each year..

Cal was picked 11th in the 2018-19 media poll and wound up 12th at 3-15.

The Bears also were projected 11th in 2017-18 but finished last at 2-16.

This Cal team should be deeper and more balanced. Bradley, who averaged 17.5 points and earned second-team All-Pac-12 honors a year ago, remains the program’s best player. But he should have more help around him this season.

“The Bears don’t have enough firepower to compete with the Pac-12’s best teams,” Lindy’s wrote, “but roster continuity and the addition of productive transfers should lead to dramatic improvement.

Fox added five new players, three of them transfers who bring Division I experience. Grad transfers Ryan Betley of Penn and Makale Foreman of Stony Brook provide versatility and perimeter shooting in the backcourt.

Returning from a year ago, in addition to Bradley, are seven players, including senior forward Grant Anticevich and junior forward/center Andre Kelly.

The other five returnees are sophomores, giving the Bears eight freshmen and sophomores.

Here’s how Lindy’s envisions the Pac-12 race unfolding:

1. Oregon

2. UCLA

3. Stanford

4. Arizona State

5. Arizona

6. USC

7. Utah

8. Colorado

9. Cal

10. Washington

11. Oregon State

12. Washington State

Lindy’s ranks the Pac-12 as the nation’s fifth-best conference, behind the Big Ten, ACC, SEC and Big 12, just ahead of the Big East and WCC.

Nationally, Oregon checks in at No. 11 in Lindy’s top-40 listings, followed by No. 14 UCLA, No. 23 Stanford, No. 25 Arizona State, and No. 27 Arizona.

The magazine is projecting six Pac-12 teams in the NCAA tournament: Oregon, Arizona, Arizona State, Stanford, UCLA and USC.

But the Bears, if things fall right, could be in the hunt for the postseason, Lindy’s suggested.

“The program finally appears to be headed in the right direction,” the magazine said. “If Fox can deliver a winning record and an NIT berth, it would be a successful season in Berkeley.”

The college basketball season is set to begin on Nov. 25. Cal has not yet released its 2020-21 schedule.

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

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