Cal's Mark Madsen 'apologized' to team after ACC Tournament loss to Florida State

Cal coach Mark Madsen told the media what he told the Bears in the locker room after Wednesday night’s disappointing 95-89 loss to Florida State in Round 2 of the NCAA Tournament in Charlotte.

“I apologized to the team, because when it's all said and done, I did not get this done, in terms of the game tonight,” Madsen said postgame.

Madsen, as he usually does, took responsibility for the product on the floor. And to his point, Cal looked uncomfortable far too often — appearing unfamiliar with an opponent they previously faced in a tight 63-61 loss on Jan. 28 in Tallahassee — ultimately leading to the team’s demise.

After the Bears started with a 9-2 advantage over the opening four minutes, the Seminoles found a rhythm and stole control of Spectrum Center with a bruising 21-2 run with 8:19 left in the first half — entering the intermission with a 46-32 lead. 

Defensively, Cal had no answer for Florida State, which shot 35-for-61 (57 percent) from the field and 13-for-28 (46.4 percent) on 3-point shots en route to the program’s highest-scoring performance in ACC Tournament history.

“Well, we had a stretch in the first half where they ran something that we had worked on, we had prepared for, and we did not execute our game plan,” Madsen said. “And it had to do with the pin-in screens down on the baseline. I think they probably made three, maybe four, open 3-pointers because we did not execute it correctly. That's on me.

“That's on me. We repped it, we showed it, we walked it, but I didn't do, obviously, a good enough job because the result was not there. That was a big part of it. You look at how many 3s they hit … had we been able to stem the tide during that stretch, we would have been at a better position.

Florida State guard Robert McCray V led his team with 30 points on 10-of-17 shooting, while forward Chauncey Wiggins and guard Lajae Jones followed with a combined 29 points on 18 shots.

Cal, meanwhile, also had an excellent offensive game, shooting 31-for-61 (51 percent) from the field and 11-for-27 from deep (40.7 percent); those figures usually result in wins for any team.

Led by Dai Dai Ames’ efficient 27 points, the Bears’ core four — guards Ames and Justin Pippen and forwards Chris Bell and John Camden — finished with a combined 70 on 25-for-48 (52 percent) from the field.

The problem was that it took 20 minutes for Cal to warm up; the Bears scored just 32 points in the first half compared to 57 in the second.

“We needed to make adjustments,” Pippen said postgame when asked about the Seminoles’ zone defense and overall strengths. “They're long, they're athletic, so, whenever they collapse and they're in the gap, they got quick hands. Like I said, they're athletic … causing a lot of turnovers and missed shots.”

“I agree with what Justin said,” Ames added. “Them being in the gaps in their zone kind of froze us a little bit, but eventually, we got through.”

Cal trailed by as many as 22 points but gave Florida State a scare over the final two minutes.

Evidently, it wasn’t enough.

The Seminoles were simply better than the Bears on Wednesday — and Madsen owns that fact.

“When it's all said and done, we have to be better,” Madsen said. “I have to be better as the head coach. But the fight and how hard our guys play and the way that our guys never gave up is something that I'm incredibly proud of in terms of our group.”

What is next for the Bears is to be determined. The NCAA Tournament is out of reach after Cal, which carried much momentum after a pivotal 73-69 win over SMU at Haas Pavilion on Feb. 25, finished with a 2-3 record over its last five games.

It seems the Bears will have a shot at playing in the “other” tournament, the NIT, which invites 32 programs that didn’t get to go dancing traditionally. That is, if Cal would want to.

But if anything is certain, it’s that Madsen is all for his guys, regardless of the victories and defeats.

“Obviously, a tough loss for us today,” Madsen said. “We battled back; we were right there (with) a chance to make it a one- or two-possession game late. We had a little spell in the early part, where we faltered. But I'm so incredibly proud of this team — they picked this group of guys, in the media preseason poll, right at the bottom of the conference. And here they were as the ninth seed battling, fighting, and I'm incredibly proud of our entire team.”

“I feel like our team has done special things this year,” Madsen added. “This is a team that has strong quad one wins at home, on the road (and) at a neutral site. We've swept teams in our conference, and so, our resume is strong, and the will and the fight is all there.”