..."Bears likely in with a win" tonight.



Big game tonight.

Dort partially available?

they’re calling Cal-SMU tonight the most important rivalry game in the history of Atlantic Coast Basketball

— rex volcano (@RexVolcano) February 25, 2026

Cal88 said:

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..."Bears likely in with a win" tonight.



Big game tonight.

Dort partially available?

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Lee is no longer even "questionable."

https://www.si.com/college/cal/basketball/is-cal-center-lee-dort-return-to-return-vs-smu-01kj611g88tj

Quote:

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Cal coach Mark Madsen continues to paint an encouraging picture for when starting center Lee Dort can return from a lower-body injury.

Dort has missed the past seven games, but Madsen is optimistic the 6-foot-10 center will be available when the Bears (19-8, 7-7 ACC) take on SMU (19-8, 8-6) on Wednesday at Haas Pavilion.

Madsen said Dort looked good during the Bears' practice Monday morning.
"Lee Dort went 100 percent live, we scrimmaged up and down. He looked great," Madsen said. "If I had to guess, he's going to play. But I don't have the post-practice report from our trainer yet.
"If he doesn't play against SMU, we're right there. Whether it's SMU or Pitt, we're extremely close."

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Great news, looks like we will have Lee for some solid minutes.

Glad he wasn't rushed for the Furd game Saturday.

An AI scouting report on SMU that I mined with the prompt, "What are the strengths and vulnerabilities of the 2025-2026 SMU Men's Basketball team?":

AI Answer:

"Based on results from the 2025-2026 season (as of February 2026), the SMU men's basketball team under second-year head coach Andy Enfield has established itself as a high-scoring, guard-driven team competing in the upper-middle tier of the ACC.

Strengths
Elite Offense and Scoring Depth:
SMU boasts one of the nation's top offenses, averaging 86.8 points per game (14th nationally) and frequently scoring over 100 points. The team features a highly balanced attack with six players averaging in double figures.

Dynamic Backcourt: Led by All-ACC second-team selection Boopie Miller (19 PPG, 6.9 assists) and B.J. Edwards, the Mustangs possess a formidable starting guard duo that ranks among the best in the conference.

Frontcourt Size and Rebounding: 7-foot-2 center Samet Yigitoglu and 6-10/6-11 forward/center Toombs have dominated in the paint,providing consistent scoring and rebounding.

Resilience in Close Games:* The team has proven it can compete with top-tier opponents, winning close, "gritty" games against competitive teams, including conference victories against FSU and Virginia Tech.

Weaknesses
Defensive Inconsistency:Despite their high-octane offense, the Mustangs struggle defensively, allowing 77.6 points per game, ranking 284th in the country. They often allow opponents to stay in games due to a high defensive rating.

Vulnerability at Home: The team has suffered multiple "heartbreaker" losses at home at the buzzer, which head coach Andy Enfield highlighted as a frustrating point during conference play.

Young/New Roster Depth: While the freshmen are described as high-IQ "basketball junkies," the team heavily relies on transfers and new players, which can sometimes lead to inconsistencies in execution against more seasoned ACC teams.

Inconsistent 3-Point Defense: In close games, the team has shown vulnerabilities, such as allowing 11 threes to Syracuse.

The team is in a strong position for a postseason berth, with a 19-8 overall record and an 8-6 mark in the ACC (as of late Feb 2026), sitting 8th in the conference."


*Let's just hope SMU's crappy Trey D outweighs their ability to abuse the Bears in the paint. For the Bears to win we need mittens full of 3 balls going down.

*SMU doing well in close games stood out to me because I have noted that the ACC seems to have decent coach buffoonery content based on close games I have watched where the coaches have no f@ucking clue what do do other than letting the horses run.

*and yes, I realize the AI I access for free via Google is already a year out of date.


I'm not sure 3.5 points incentivizes me to pledge my interest in a cantina in Zacatecas. I need Bears +6.

They're coming off a solid win over Louisville, the 3.5 spread looks generous.

bearister said:

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An AI scouting report on SMU that I mined..

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funk devil's AI, and the giga-watts they rode in on # global warming sucks, big time

Cal88 said:

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They're coming off a solid win over Louisville, the 3.5 spread looks generous.

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Generous to SMU. We may lose by 10+ Cal is now a 4.5 dog.

PAC-10-BEAR said:

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they’re calling Cal-SMU tonight the most important rivalry game in the history of Atlantic Coast Basketball

— rex volcano (@RexVolcano) February 25, 2026

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Anyone else confused by this?