A season full of promise for the Cal men’s basketball team ended with one of its worst performances of the year Sunday.

Outmatched in both size and depth, the Bears never got rolling on offense and were handed a decisive 68-53 loss by No. 1 seeded Duke in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Arguably one of the better shooting teams in the tournament, Cal (24-11, 13-5 in the Pac-10) struggled to even hit layups against a stingy Blue Devils’ defense. The missed gimmes, along with a 3-for-12 outing from beyond the arc, resulted in a season-low in points for the Bears.

Duke (31-5, 13-3 ACC) closed out on Cal’s shooters consistently and forced them to put the ball on the floor. While the Bears usually thrive in isolation situations, the shots just wouldn’t fall in Jacksonville, Fla. Cal finished shooting 39 percent from the field and recorded just five assists — its fewest all year.

The Bears started the game strong, hitting five of their first eight shots, but Nolan Smith’s ensuing jumper gave the Blue Devils an early lead that they ended up never relinquishing.

Smith finished with 20 points and was able to keep Jerome Randle in check for most of the game. Randle, the Pac-10 Player of the Year, shot 5-for-13 and scored 12 points. Cal’s two other primary scorers in Theo Robertson and Patrick Christopher also had quiet days. While Robertson managed to break double-digits with 10 points, Christopher made just one shot.

The Bears’ other starting senior in Jamal Boykin had a team-high 13.

With its win, Duke advances to the Sweet 16 and will face off with Purdue this Friday in Houston, Texas.