Tourney Aspirations Rising...

8,451 Views | 51 Replies | Last: 3 mo ago by calumnus
HearstMining
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
4:28p, 12/21/25
I wish somebody would interview Madsen and ask the following questions:
  • Did your recruiting strategy change across the three Cal seasons as far as what type of players you sought, or was it the same and this year you got more of the players you really wanted?
  • Your offensive style is definitely different, and more effective this year with more motion and passing. Did you decide to play this style and then recruit for it, or did you look at the make-up of the team and decide this was the most effective offensive to use?
  • Cal's defense is much more effective this season. What coaching changes did you make to cause this?
Reply Quote
4
stu
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
4:43p, 12/21/25
Who else is watching our votes in the Top-25 polls?
Reply Quote
1
ManBearLion123
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
In reply to ManBearLion123 • 5:29p, 12/21/25
ManBearLion123 said:
Cal now up to 51 in NET and 68 on KenPom.

A convincing win against Columbia (84 NET and 124 KenPom) would help those metrics going into ACC play.

EDIT: After NET rankings updated Sunday morning, we have actually snuck into the top 50, at #49


Update: after that convincing win against Columbia, Cal is now #59 in KenPom. Certainly in a good spot if we perform well in ACC play.
Reply Quote
1
HKBear97!
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
In reply to ManBearLion123 • 6:02p, 12/21/25
ManBearLion123 said:
ManBearLion123 said:
Cal now up to 51 in NET and 68 on KenPom.

A convincing win against Columbia (84 NET and 124 KenPom) would help those metrics going into ACC play.

EDIT: After NET rankings updated Sunday morning, we have actually snuck into the top 50, at #49


Update: after that convincing win against Columbia, Cal is now #59 in KenPom. Certainly in a good spot if we perform well in ACC play.

Just so I understand, it looks like on KenPom we have the 340th ranked strength of schedule, is that correct? Great start and the win against UCLA is awesome, but that is one statistic that gives me pause. In any event, definitely headed to more than 14 wins this year which is a nice sign of progress for the program.
Reply Quote
2
sycasey
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
In reply to HKBear97! • 7:23p, 12/21/25
HKBear97! said:
ManBearLion123 said:
ManBearLion123 said:
Cal now up to 51 in NET and 68 on KenPom.

A convincing win against Columbia (84 NET and 124 KenPom) would help those metrics going into ACC play.

EDIT: After NET rankings updated Sunday morning, we have actually snuck into the top 50, at #49


Update: after that convincing win against Columbia, Cal is now #59 in KenPom. Certainly in a good spot if we perform well in ACC play.

Just so I understand, it looks like on KenPom we have the 340th ranked strength of schedule, is that correct? Great start and the win against UCLA is awesome, but that is one statistic that gives me pause. In any event, definitely headed to more than 14 wins this year which is a nice sign of progress for the program.

Yes, rankings like KenPom take all of that into account. It's basically saying that even our schedule has not been strong, our performance against that schedule (including how much we win by, etc.) adds up to the 51st best team, in that system's view.

It's a good place to start, especially for a program like this that's been in the doldrums for so long. Obviously our overall SoS will rise in ACC conference play.
Reply Quote
4
MiZery
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
9:35p, 12/21/25
Beating a beatable UVA will help
Reply Quote
2
HoopDreams
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
In reply to MiZery • 10:21p, 12/21/25
MiZery said:
Beating a beatable UVA will help

I'm sure Dai Dai will be motivated
Reply Quote
3
Cal88
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
9:41a, 12/22/25
We're #44 in the NET ranking going into ACC play.

Reply Quote
3
1 edit
polarbear
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
2:49p, 12/22/25
For the first time in years I am excited about this team, but so far they have had mostly cream puffs at home, the test will be the upcoming conference games with half of them all the way across the country.
Reply Quote
5
Eastern Oregon Bear
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
7:21p, 12/25/25

[url=https://piratings.wordpress.com/][/url]I thought I'd pass along an optimistic bracketology prediction from a guy that has a rating algorithm at Pi-Ratings:

He has Cal rated at #64 and has them listed 2nd among the First Four Out. Interestingly, he has Kansas State at #52 but doesn't mention them anywhere among in his bracketology. UCLA is at #32 and is a 9-seed along with St. Mary's.

His football rankings are always among the best ones (his system was one of the computer polls in the BCS days). I haven't been as impressed with his college basketball rankings, not that I have a good feel for ranking college basketball teams. I follow a board where he participates and living in Nashville, his opinions are heavily influenced by SEC media. He's always been down on Cal and insisted up until the very last day that the ACC wasn't going to take in Cal and Stanford. So, I consider his positive opinion of Cal Basketball as a good sign.
Reply Quote
3
3 edits
BearlySane88
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
In reply to Cal88 • 8:21a, 12/26/25
Cal88 said:
OneKeg said:
Cal88 said:
calumnus said:
Calfan92 said:
Everyone chill on tourney talk. Outside of UCLA, we haven't played anyone good and luckily got our act together tonight vs. a team no one had ever heard of. K State is literally in last place in the Big 12 (OOC). UCLA will help the resume, but the boys will need to go .500 in the ACC and upset at least one ranked team at home. Catch you on the 30th when they sell out Haas.

We will need to do better than .500 in the ACC to make the NCAA Tournament. We need to beat all the teams we are ranked higher than and a few that are ranked higher than us.


We have 17 ACC games, a 10-7 with a decent ACC tourney appearance should get us in. 9-8 would be bubble territory and might require a very good ACC tourney showing, though if some of those wins came against top ACC teams, that would be mitigatory. 8-9 or worse and we're out.

This assumes we don't screw up in our last 3 OOC games, which include a competitive Columbia team (NET #81, 2nd in Ivy behind #35 Yale). Hope we get a good crowd for that game two Sundays from now.

Don't really disagree, but don't we have 18 (not 17) ACC regular season games? Are you not counting Notre Dame as an ACC game?

1. Louisville
2. Notre Dame
3. @Virginia
4. @Va. Tech
5. Duke
6. UNC
7. @Stanford
8. @FSU
9. @Miami
10. Ga. Tech
11. Clemson
12. @Syracuse
13. @BC
14. Stanford
15. SMU
16. Pitt
17. @Ga. Tech
18. @Wake Forest


You're right I didn't include the 2nd game against Furd, we play them twice and the rest of the ACC once.


We play Georgia Tech twice also. And we don't play NC State
Reply Quote
2
barsad
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
In reply to BearlySane88 • 3:41p, 12/28/25
I like all this March Madness optimism, but predictions before conference play really have no chance at being accurate. We're lucky to have a #59 KenPom rating now, but all it would take is one "bad" loss and we'd plummet way down, so get ready for the ride. We need to raise our level of play and intensity one or two notches to get that "quality" upset win, then we can get serious. But today, with a SOS that's one of the worst in D1 (mid-300s), we have no data on what's to come. If it was Madsen who engineered such a weak schedule in the first 13 games, I think it was a miscue. I would prefer to be battle tested with 4 losses going into a game like Louisville…. but let's clip the Cardinals' wings, go Bears!
Reply Quote
4
Cal88
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
In reply to barsad • 12:23p, 12/29/25
The OOC SOS doesn't really matter, because the overall SOS by the end of conference play will be much, much stronger.
Reply Quote
2
1 edit
socaltownie
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
1:30p, 12/29/25
We are goingto know a lot after the next 2 games
Take care of your Chicken
Reply Quote
5
calumnus
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
11:49p, 12/31/25
After Louisville we are #56 in the NET rankings. No need to panic, we are likely on either side of the bubble all season, but we need to beat Notre Dame.
Reply Quote
5
socaltownie
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
In reply to calumnus • 11:28a, 1/1/26
calumnus said:
After Louisville we are #56 in the NET rankings. No need to panic, we are likely on either side of the bubble all season, but we need to beat Notre Dame.

Feels like getting splits would be great progress this year. I mean winning one on the road in Virginia and then getting split against tobacco road would be uber.
Take care of your Chicken
Reply Quote
1
calumnus
User Profile
Private Message
Ignore User Stop Ignoring
How long do you want to ignore this user?
24 hours One week Permanently Cancel
In reply to socaltownie • 5:18p, 1/1/26
socaltownie said:
calumnus said:
After Louisville we are #56 in the NET rankings. No need to panic, we are likely on either side of the bubble all season, but we need to beat Notre Dame.

Feels like getting splits would be great progress this year. I mean winning one on the road in Virginia and then getting split against tobacco road would be uber.

That would be insanely good but is more than we need. Even getting 1 of those 4 (VT on the road say) would be huge. Our ACC schedule is a bit front loaded, we don't need to beat Duke, Louisville, UNC, or Virginia (ACC top tier) so we need to get through this tough part with our health and confidence intact and beat the other tier 2 teams (Miami, Clemson, SMU, Notre Dame, VT, Syracuse, Stanford…we don't play NCstate) and cannot lose to the BDWs like FSU, GT and BC.
Reply Quote
1
Refresh
Page 2 of 2 ▼
 
×
subscribe Verify your student status
See Subscription Benefits
Trial only available to users who have never subscribed or participated in a previous trial.