Cal beats Louisville to advance in NCAA Tournament

By Jeff Goodman

The Cal men’s basketball team isn’t done yet.

The eighth-seeded Bears advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, defeating ninth-seeded Louisville, 77-62, on Friday night at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.

It was Cal’s first NCAA Tournament win since 2003, when the team trumped North Carolina State in the opening round. It will face No. 1 Duke on Sunday at 2:15 p.m. PT for a chance to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.

Senior point guard Jerome Randle finished with 21 points, including a three-point heave from the scorer’s table that swished through the net at the first-half buzzer to give the Bears a 41-30 lead.

Senior forward Theo Robertson also had 21 points, shooting 8-of-11 from the field. Shooting guard Patrick Christopher added 17.

Despite its lack of depth and size, Cal (24-10) forced Cardinals forward Samardo Samuels into tough shots by double-teaming him and created 15 turnovers. Samuels had 16 points for Louisville (20-13).

Cal surged out to an early 22-4 lead thanks to lights-out shooting from the perimeter and eventually prevailed despite two furious runs by the Cardinals.

With 7:28 remaining and the Bears ahead by four points, Robertson drained a three-pointer for a 65-58 advantage. A three-point play by Jorge Gutierrez — who started in place of suspended forward Omondi Amoke — brought Cal’s lead to eight with 5:59 left to play. Louisville never got closer.

Read more here: http://www.dailycal.org/article/108777/bears_down_louisville_advance_to_second_round_of_n
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