Cal Bears basketball podcast with Morris Phillips: Kelly the big difference in Cal’s win last Thursday; Bears face undefeated Gators in Florida tonight

The one to watch the Florida Gators forward Colin Castleton who led the Gators in scoring against Milwaukee Panthers on Thu Nov 18, 2021. The Cal Bears will need to step up the defense against Castleton and forward Tyree Appleby for tonight’s game vs. the Florida Gators in Meyers Fl (AP file photo)

On the Cal Bears basketball podcast with Morris:

#1 Morris there was no doubt that the Cal Bears (3-2) Andre Kelly was nothing short of impressive with his 29 points in taking to the Southern Utah Thunderbirds (1-4) 75-68 last Thu Nov 18 at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley.

#2 Morris, how important was it for Cal’s defense to shut down Southern Utah’s John Knight III over the final 3:41 of regulation play who lead both teams in scoring with 31 points.

#3 One of the other keys to the win was how the Cal defense held Knight scoreless in overtime for the first 9:32 keeping a guy like that out of range certainly lends to improving your chances of winning.

#4 Talk about matching Cal 6’7″ freshman Sam Alajiki to defend Knight it must have worked while Alajiki was on Knight Cal got a 8-0 run to cut the lead down to two during the second half.

#5 Next up for Cal is the mighty Florida Gators (4-0) this will be a contrast from the Thunderbirds that the Bears just finished playing. The Gators have some scorers like Colin Castleton and Tyree Appleby. The Bears will have to come at the Gators will some top ranked offense tonight.

Join Morris for the Cal Bears basketball podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Bears basketball podcast with Morris Phillips: Did Shepherd get robbed in the closing seconds at UNLV?; Cal gets ready for San Diego tonight

The UNLV Rebels Bryce Hamilton (13) drives the lane on the Cal Bears guard Jalen Celestine (32) during Sat Nov 13, 2021 contest at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas (photo by Las Vegas Review Journal)

On the Cal Bears basketball podcast with Morris:

#1 Morris like you mentioned in your recap on Saturday night that the UNLV Running Rebels (2-0) hinged on a key aspect that won them their game over the Cal Bears (0-2) 55-52 and that was the three point shot.

#2 You talked about Cal’s guard Jordan Shepherd who in the opener scored 27 points against UC San Diego but the Rebels got the memo on Shepherd and held him down to just nine points that might have been the difference in the game.

#3 UNLV head coach Kevin Kruger was pleased with the how the players shutdown Cal on three different action plays saying the defense executed it perfectly.

#4 Shepherd had his second three point attempt blocked and missed a lay up in the final seconds as head coach Mark Fox questioned if there was contact or not?

#5 The Bears host the San Diego Toreros (3-0) at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley tonight and hope that having the home floor will give them some kind of advantage. The Toreoros have won three straight to start the season and are getting some scoring from guard Jase Townsend, Terrell Brown, and Marcellus Ellington. Morris, set this one up for us tonight for a 6pm tip.

Morris does the Cal Bears basketball podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Bears basketball podcast with Morris Phillips: Cal’s first game with fans in 2 yrs tonight in exhibition vs. Cal State LA in Berkeley

Cal Bears guard Joel Brown (1) stands in front of a copy of the 2021-22 season schedule as the Bears tip off against Cal State LA tonight Mon Nov 1, 2021 at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley (Cal Athletics photo)

On the Cal Bears podcast with Morris:

#1 Morris, talk about Cal head coach Mark Fox this is third year at the helm last season was a dreadful memory for Fox with a 9-20 record.

#2 The Bears are back playing an exhibition that you will covering tonight against Cal State LA it’s a new beginning that coach Fox hopes to put together a winning season.

#3 When Fox took over Cal in 2019 it had one of the worst records in college basketball and Athletic Director Jim Knowlton said to Fox it’s going to take time to build up from rock bottom.

#4 One of Cal’s key stars Matt Bradley transferred to San Diego State without Bradley who led in scoring how impacted will the Bears be without his talents?

#5 So it’s the first game an exhibition game against Cal State LA tonight at Haas Pavilion a first game since 2019 with fans allowed inside the gym talk about some of the expectations tonight?

Join Morris for all Cal Bears podcasts Mondays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips: Pac 12 Tournament tips off Mar 10th; Cal a long shot

Oregon Ducks guard LJ Figueroa (top) goes for the throw down as Cal defenders Ryan Betley (left) and Andre Kelly (right) could only watch during the last regular season game on Sat Feb 27, 2021 at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley. Cal will face Stanford in the Pac 12 Tournament in Las Vegas at the T-Mobile Center on Wed Mar 10, 2021 (AP News photo)

On the Cal Bears podcast with Morris:

#1 Morris, one consolation about the Cal Bears season (8-19) the Pac 12 Tournament will be their last hurrah for the 2020-21 season.

#2 Let’s talk about some of the players who shined and had some good games during the season for Cal we’ll start with the very popular Matt Bradley who finished the season with 18.4 points per game average

#3 The Bears Andre Kelly finished in second in average season scoring with 10.4 not the biggest overall season number but Kelly did help out with some games this season.

#4 For head coach Mark Fox looking past the Pac 12 Tournament he should have a busy off season recruiting.

#5  The Bears are in Vegas on Mar 10th and will face Stanford do you see any outside chance the Bears could make this an interesting game although their long shots for advancing in the Tournament.

Morris Phillips covered the Cal Bears men’s basketball team for the 2020-21 season and will return next Monday for the San Francisco Giants podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Bears podcast with Morris: Cal can’t close out season with win against Ducks; Prepare for Pac 12 Tournament next

Cal Bears struggled to get some offense going but struggled in both halves of their contest against Oregon Ducks on Sat Feb 27, 2021 at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley (Cal Athletics photo)

Morris on Cal Bears basketball podcast:

#1 Morris, final game of the regular season on Saturday night at Haas Pavilion a frustrating loss to end the season for the Cal Bears (8-19) against a very good Oregon Ducks (16-5) team 74-63. Like you said in your headline the Ducks did harass Cal all night long.

#2 Cal did play hard and were focused but the Ducks dominated both halves and from the beginning you get the sense Cal would have a long night trying to keep up with Oregon.

#3 Although Cal had four players in double figures those figures were low scoring from Ryan Betly (13), Matt Bradley (12), Andre Kelly (12), and Jarred Hyder (10).

#4 The Bears (8-19, 3-17) last place finish in the Pac-12 comes with an alarming distinction: among Power 5 conference schools (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC) only Boston College will finish the season with a lower power rating. Boston College at ranked 261 while Cal ranked 246.

#5 Its off to the Pac 12 Tournament for Cal’s next game on March 10th at T-Mobile Center in Las Vegas and Cal gets one more chance to shine how does head coach Mark Fox prepare for this tournament?

Join Morris for Cal Bears coverage at the Pac 12 Tournament starting March 10th at T-Mobile Center in Las Vegas at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips Mon Mar 1, 2021 by Sports Radio Service | Free Listening on SoundCloud

Cal Bears Football podcast with Morris Phillips: Cal and Pac 12 trying to stay a step ahead of Covid infections

Cal Bears quarterback Chase Garbers (7) and the Bears will have to wait another week before they get another shot at playing as Sat Nov 7th’s game was canceled due to a unnamed player coming up positive for Covid-19 (file photo from California Golden Blogs)

Morris on the Cal Football podcast:

#1 Morris their has to be very little doubt when the NCAA season starts each school looks forward to it’s opening game and the Cal Bears were no exception but it certainly had to be a major disappointment for the players, coaches, alumni and faculty that their game at Berkeley against Washington had been canceled.

#2  An unnamed player tested positive for Covid-19 leading up to Saturday’s game, there also one other Pac 12 game that was canceled Arizona at Utah due to an outbreak. How safe are the protocols in the Pac 12 for the players?

#3 There were three Pac 12 players who fought for stricter and safer Covid-19 protocols before the season was to even be considered, Cal players Jake Curhan, Valentino Daltoso and Josh Drayden were drivers in the Pac 12’s “We Are United” campaign.

#4 Also players have been in the fight for a share of the Pac 12 revenue and more safe and health issues. The issue has developed into a bill of rights by former Stanford football player and Sen Cory Booker D-NJ and backed by nine Democratic senators.

#5 The Bears will try it again as they travel to Arizona State for Saturday’s game. The Sun Devils lost a close game to the USC Trojans 28-27. ASU quarterback Jayden Daniels threw for 134 yards and a touchdown. Set Saturday’s game up for us with the Bears at ASU.

Join Morris for the Cal Bears podcasts each Monday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Cal Bears podcast with Morris Phillips: Will the Pac 12 really be back?

Pac 12 game between Arizona State and Kent State at the ASU campus at Tempe Arizona from Aug 29, 2019. The Pac 12 is reconsidering returning by November or December talks are still continuing. (AP News photo)

Morris on Cal Bears football podcast:

#1 Morris how serious how committed is the Pac 12 in 2020.

#2 The Pac 12 is taking information that the Coronavirus is either under control or it’s safe to return to contact football do you still see this as a risk to return for the players?

#3 The Pac 12 commissioner Larry Scott said that the partnership with Quidel a rapid Covid-19 test lab would have test results back and that should be a resolution for returning if the team knows whose negative or not.

#4 Morris, Scott told ESPN he is highly confident that the Pac 12 will start no later than Jan 1st. The players will have time to prepare for the season this month September as Scott said that the season can start as early as November and December.

#5 One thing the Pac 12 is confident about is that test results from Quidel could come back on game day to see if anyone is asymptomatic and prevent them from taking the field

Morris Phillips is a Cal Bears beat reporter at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Bears Football podcast with Jerry Feitelberg: Former ASU QB Rudy Carpenter leads Pac 12 in possible boycott if demands aren’t met

Former ASU quarterback Rudy Carpenter is leading the negotiations for player benefits for over 50 Pac 12 players who threatened to boycott if their demands are not met (espn.com file photo)

On the Cal Bears football podcast with Morris:

#1 Former Arizona State quarterback Rudy Carpenter is the designated representative for all 12 Pac 12 schools stating players from the various schools are making demands for revenue sharing, Covid-19 protocols, and improved insurance for post graduation.

#2 It was reported that over 50 players are involved in the negotiations in the Pac 12 and that the Cal Bears are leading the protest. Carpenter says another meeting is scheduled and will later report how far apart are the players and the Pac 12.

#3 Carpenter reported that he has contacted other Pac 12 players and the amount of players are growing in the fight for more insurance protections and Covid-19 protocols Carpenter says the players are considering boycotting if there demands are not met.

#4 The NCAA is considering instituting rules saying players must be tested for Covid-19 72 hours before each game in sports that are considered a high risk contact sport such as football, men’s and women’s basketball.

#5 Cal has the third most four star players in the Pac 12 the Bears don’t have the most total commits but they have enough to ranked fifth good enough to be competitive this coming season.

Jerry Fietelberg  is filling in for Morris Phillips Join Morris each Monday for the Cal Bears podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Bears basketball with Morris Phillips: Bears on roll after taking on tough schools head to Oregon Thursday night

calbears.com photo: The Cal Bears forward Grant Anticevich (15) takes the ball down the floor against the Utah Utes forward Timmy Allen (1) on Saturday at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley

On the Cal basketball podcast with Morris:

#1 After Cal (13-16) beat the Utah Utes on Saturday they got inspiration and also took out the Colorado Buffaloes (18-5) last Thursday teams that are both tough customers

#2 Cal’s offense went all out five players with double figures Matt Bradley 21 points, Grant Anticevich 17, Paris Austin 15, Andre Kelly 15 and Joel Brown  11.

#3 It was a hard fought game that went into overtime and it showed that a good team can come back late in the game like the Bears did

#4 The Bears struggled a good portion of the season what has lit their fire and has this team turned around?

#5 Cal heads to Oregon (22-7) to face the Ducks on Thursday night Morris sets this one up for us

Morris does Cal basketball each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Cal Bears basketball podcast with Morris Phillips: Cal pours effort into 80-75 loss to ASU

photo from azcentral.com: Arizona State guard Remy Martin (1) yells after his team defeated California in an NCAA college basketball game in Berkeley, Calif., Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020

On the Cal Bears basketball podcast with Morris:

#1 The Cal Bears (10-15) Matt Bradley finished in scoring on top with 22 points but the Bears once again fell short by five points in the loss to the ASU Sun Devils (17-8).

#2 The Bears Grant Anticevich scored 18 points second in Cal scoring Anticevich one to always push the envelope on offense

#3 Looking at both halves both teams played evenly in the first half ASU outscored Cal 32-31 and in the second half the Sun Devils once more outscored Cal 44-41.

#4 For the Sun Devils Remy Martin scored 22 points and Martin was able to score 15 in the last 11 minutes of the contest.

#5 Cal heads to Washington State (14-12) for a game in Pullman on Wednesday Morris sets this game up for us.

Morris does the Cal Bears podcasts each Monday at sportsradioservice.com