The University of Oregon made an early mark on the widely celebrated holiday, April Fool’s Day. The University announced early Friday morning that it plans to create the first LED football field and that it would be ready for the Ducks’ home opener against UC Davis.

The post also said that construction had already begun, and that the existing turf as well as sixteen inches of concrete were removed in order to install the LED lighting hardware and clear acrylic turf.

The video shows off the different types of capabilities the field would have. And it likely got a lot of fans excited — until they checked their calendar at least.

“We saw the amount of attention the custom endzones have received and wanted to expand on that,” Jenny Davidson, Deputy Assistant to the Associate Chief Branding Officer told GoDucks.com.“This was completely fancentric as they wanted a new endzone design in Autzen, well now they are getting a whole new field design at the push of a button. One button on the pulse of our brand, creating a heartbeat and synergy not seen in sports since the invention of clapping.”

Notes from practice:

Don Pellum’s demotion and Brady Hoke’s arrival to Eugene this offseason certainly added a heavier load to the defensive players’ studies this past winter. Torrodney Prevot placed his hands a considerable distance apart to help visualize just how much he and other members of the defense had to learn when talking to the media Friday.

Since 2009, the Ducks ran a 3-4 defense. But, under Hoke, Oregon will pose a 4-3 base.

“It’s like your becoming a freshman again,” Prevot said. “All of us are starting  where we were when we first got here, and having to relearn the entire the defense.”

But, Prevot appeared encouraged by what the new defensive look is shaping into. He also seemed especially excited about his new defensive coordinator, saying that he brings a “different swag” to practices.

“Last year we played a lot of coverage more,” Prevot said. “This year we’re going to bringing a lot more guys from different places. You’ll see a lot more sacks, a lot more [tackles for loss], a lot more physicality. It’s going to be fun.”

Hoke’s arrival didn’t just mean that guys like Prevot would have to study more, though. The junior made the move from outside linebacker to the defensive line and weighed in at 242 pounds Thursday, the heaviest he’s ever been. He added that his goal weight for the fall is 250.

Justin Hollins, Hunter Kampmoyer and Eddie Heard are individuals making the switch from outside linebacker to defensive line as well.

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— Oregon men’s basketball’s season came crashing down on Saturday. Behind Buddy Hield’s game-high 37 points, the Sooners dominated the Ducks in a 80-68 win. The loss ends Oregon’s 2015-2016 campaign a game short of the Final Four — a mark the Ducks program has not reached  since 1939.

“Once the hurt of this game, once we get through that, we’ll reflect back on this year with great pride,” Altman said. “I’ll look back on it with a lot of love.”

— Oregon women’s basketball will continue its run in the WNIT Monday against University of Texas El Paso in the Quarterfinals. Oregon is coming off a 73-63 win over Utah in Eugene. Lexi Bando led the Ducks in scoring with 34 points, while holding the visiting Utes to 3-of-23 from 3-point range.

— Dillon Brooks experienced more publicity than he likely anticipated after Oregon’s win over Duke in the Sweet 16. The sophomore drained a 3-pointer with just seconds remaining in a game that was already sealed, prompting Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski to lecture Brooks on the act. It created a lot of buzz, and Emerald reporter Hayden Kim argues that it had much to about nothing. 

— Oregon softball debuted Jane Sanders Stadium in perfect fashion this past weekend. The Ducks swept Stanford Saturday and tallied their 18th consecutive win. Cheridan Hawkins was dominant against Stanford, throwing 5.0 innings and giving up two hits and two walks with eight strikeouts. With the win, Hawkins improved to 10-2 on the year.

— The next month may have a big impact on the outlook for the 2016-17 Oregon men’s basketball team. Tyler Dorsey and Dillon Brooks didn’t give any straight answers when talking to the media about what their futures may look like. 

— Oregon men’s golf’s Sulman Raza won the Northwest Classic over spring break. Raza, who finished a combined 10-under for the tournament, held at the Willamette Valley Country Club, finished par or better throughout the first and second round. His win came after a third place finish in the Southern Highlands Collegiate in Las Vegas earlier this month. It was the first win of Raza’s collegiate career.

— Oregon baseball lost its series against Washington this past weekend. The team is now 11-9 and 2-4 in the Pac-12.

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Following Oregon’s 80-68 loss to Oklahoma in the Elite Eight Saturday, graduate transfer Dylan Ennis told reporters he hoped the success this team experienced would create momentum heading into next year’s campaign.

But in this era of college basketball, in which it seems the majority of freshmen and sophomores with NBA potential leave for the pros as soon as the opportunity presents itself, momentum is difficult to build.

Oregon will lose seniors Elgin Cook and Dwayne Benjamin. But a core of the group that won a Pac-12 regular season and tournament championship – Tyler Dorsey (freshman), Chris Boucher (junior) and Dillon Brooks (sophomore) – have six years of eligibility left combined. Which means that their decisions over the next month will be extremely consequential for next year’s outlook.

None have given any direct indication about what their respective futures will look like, but a new NBA Draft rule implemented in January may give them reason to at least test the professional waters.

The rule allows for underclassmen to go through the entire pre-draft process and still be eligible to return to school. A player like Dorsey, so long as he didn’t sign with an agent, could participate in the 2016 NBA Draft combine, appear in one private team workout and receive a thorough assessment about his professional prospects.

He’d then have up to 10 days after the combine to decide on withdrawing his name from the draft — whereas in 2015, players had to withdraw their names just a week after the Final Four, which ends in early April.

It’s been called a rule that will help student-athletes, and coaches such as North Carolina’s Roy Williams have stated their support. Kentucky head coach John Calipari even shined a spotlight on the new bill, after announcing that all of his players eligible for the draft, including walk-ons, would declare.

With that being said, every player who is eligible for the draft, including our walk-ons, will submit their names for the NBA Draft …

— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) March 23, 2016

The new rule states they can submit their name a total of three times. If they choose to withdraw, they have until 10 days after the combine

— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) March 23, 2016

It’s a true win-win for the student-athlete.

— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) March 23, 2016

The option for a player with pro potential to declare isn’t just possible, but completely rational now. So, despite the fact that Brooks may not even be rated as one of the 100 best draft prospects, according to ESPN draft analyst Chad Ford, the Ducks’ top scorer could still decide to partake in the process.

The same obviously holds true for Dorsey, who is considered Oregon’s best pro prospect, and Boucher, whose versatility has garnered plenty of intrigue. If neither is invited to the pre-draft combine, they can then withdraw their names. And if they are invited, they can partake in the process and gather as much material as possible about their potential, before making an informed decision.

It appears that all of the Ducks’ underclassmen would benefit largely from another year at the college level. Oregon head coach Dana Altman certainly wants them back. But this new rule makes declaring for the draft all the more appealing.

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**Editor’s Note: Each week during football season, we feature an essay from the opponent’s student newspaper on why Oregon will lose. With the Ducks’ matched up against Duke in the Sweet 16, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to hear an opponent’s take during the basketball season. This edition is from Ryan Hoerger, a sports editor at the Duke Chronicle.**

The last time the Blue Devils came to Anaheim for the Sweet 16 (in 2011, also as the defending national champions), things did not go so well—Duke returned to Durham, North Carolina after a 93-77 defeat at the hands of Derrick Williams and Arizona.

As the first-ever NCAA tournament champion Ducks and most recent tournament champion Blue Devils get set to do battle Thursday night, here are three keys to a Duke victory.

— Ever since senior captain Amile Jefferson went down with a fractured right foot in mid-December, one of Duke’s primary challenges has been staying competitive on the glass. In their March 5 loss to North Carolina, the Blue Devils surrendered 64 rebounds, giving the Tar Heels second, third and fourth-chance opportunities that often ended in points. Oregon’s athleticism could pose another stiff challenge in the rebounding department, despite the Ducks only outrebound Duke by about 0.1 rebounds per game. For the Blue Devils to move on to the Elite Eight, they are going to have to keep the margin respectable on the glass, which all but requires another monster game from Marshall Plumlee in the post. If the Warsaw, Ind., native can hold his own against the rangy Chris Boucher and avoid the foul trouble that has plagued him in recent games—broken nose and all—Duke should stay in the game.

Yesterday’s win vs. Yale was a tale of two halves for the Blue Devils (from @mercash22): https://t.co/pYdRViytA2 pic.twitter.com/x3HMYn0R9W

— Duke Basketball (@dukebasketball) March 20, 2016

— The most appealing matchup, though, will center around versatile swingmen Dillon Brooks and Brandon Ingram. Both can stretch the floor and drive effectively to the lane, but Brooks seems more physically built between the two, as Duke’s ACC Freshman of the Year is still filling into his lanky 6-foot-9 frame. Ingram essentially became Duke’s “power forward” with Jefferson sidelined, even though he spends most of his time out on the perimeter and knocks down more than two 3-pointers per game. Against Brooks, though, he has to do a good job of keeping the sophomore out of the lane, or else Brooks could put Ingram and/or Plumlee into serious foul trouble, and a hot night from Oregon’s star could turn into a Derrick Williams-like performance to bounce Duke from the Sweet 16. Last year’s Duke team rallied around the phrase “Eight is Enough” to win a national championship with just eight eligible scholarship players, but this year’s squad is even thinner—expect Ingram and Plumlee to each log more than 35 minutes, but bouts of foul trouble could throw a serious wrench into the Blue Devils’ repeat aspirations.

— Ingram and first-team All-ACC performer Grayson Allen have carried the Duke offense all year long, but Dana Altman and the Ducks will do their best to take away Mike Krzyzewski’s primary weapons.

22 of Grayson Allen’s 29 points came in the first half, incl. buckets on 4 straight trips: https://t.co/8z0SW6jpdz pic.twitter.com/4Nw76vOhu5

— Duke Basketball (@dukebasketball) March 20, 2016

The rest of the Blue Devils have taken turns stepping up this season, but against an Oregon team that can heat up in a hurry from the perimeter, it may be best to fight fire with fire. Freshman Luke Kennard could well be the X-factor in Thursday’sgame—the lefty bypassed LeBron James in the Ohio high-school basketball career scoring record books but has been a streaky shooter all season. Kennard hit three 3-pointers on his way to 13 points in Duke’s second-round win against Yale and has shown up in some of the Blue Devils’ biggest games this season. Allen and Ingram get into the paint seemingly at will, and they’re very willing to kick the ball back out to open perimeter shooters, so if Kennard can knock down a couple of early treys, the Blue Devils may burn down the nets on their way to an Elite Eight matchup with either Oklahoma or Texas A&M.

Oregon’s second round tilt with St. Joseph’s ended at around 10 p.m. Sunday, and it’s likely head coach Dana Altman didn’t even get the chance to leave Spokane Arena until after midnight. After a come-from-behind win secured Altman his second Sweet Sixteen bid as the coach at Oregon, he was also likely in need of some much deserved rest.

However, one quick glance at the scouting report of the Ducks’ next opponent indicated that relaxing would have to wait.

“I’m not going to be getting a lot of sleep tonight,” Altman said, according to The Oregonian.

It’s because Oregon’s next date in this NCAA Tournament is with defending national champion Duke, a storied program that has reached 16 Final Fours and won five national championships. While this year’s group does not have the ability that past teams have possessed, they certainly don’t lack talent.

Grayson Allen averages 21.6 points per game and the presence of 7-foot-1 Marshall Plumlee can create plenty of issues in the paint. He exemplified this by posting 10 rebounds and five blocks against Yale in the second round.

In addition, Brandon Ingram and his 7-f00t-3 wingspan may be the No. 1 pick in this year’s NBA Draft. He averages about 17 points and eight rebounds per game. And when these three players are on, wins against one-seeds Virginia and North Carolina occur.

However, Duke’s lack of depth and a true point guard is why it’s become clear that Mike Krzyzewsk doesn’t have a team comparable to last year’s winner. They have just seven players who average over 10 minutes per game and have been prone to letting second half leads fall by the wayside.

The Blue Devils’ 46-19 lead against Yale was cut to three in the final minute of regulation and they blew a 16-point lead to Notre Dame in the ACC Tournament a week before.

Regardless, they’ll still pose the greatest threat to ending the Ducks’ tournament run thus far. And they’ve also seen where Oregon may be vulnerable. The Ducks, who hadn’t scored less than 76 points since mid February, had just 51 with five minutes remaining in regulation Sunday. St. Joseph’s held the Ducks to just 39.6 percent shooting and also, despite being undersized, out-rebounded them. Size will be an advantage for Duke in this one.

In addition, Duke’s depth may not be much of a problem, considering the Ducks only played seven players Sunday.

Tipoff is scheduled for 7:07 p.m. PT Thursday. Oregon opened as a two-point favorite, according to Westgate Las Vegas Superbook.

Oregon wins if: It maintains a presence in the paint while also displaying its advantage when it comes to versatility and athleticism. Then, if that can carry over into a sustainable night on the offensive end, Oregon can reach the Elite Eight.

Duke wins if: It shoots 3-pointers at a high percentage and defends the way St. Joseph’s did. The team has the shooters capable to make a mark from outside the perimeter and has shown the ability to defend well in spurts. If it can pair the two together, they’ll be a hard team to beat.

Notes: 

— Oregon is 25-0 when leading at the half.

— Oregon is 20-0 when holding opponents under 70 points.

— Oregon is 6-3 when committing more turnovers than its opponents.

— This is the fifth time Oregon has reached the Sweet Sixteen.

This post will be updated.

Follow Justin Wise on Twitter @JustinFWise

Oregon baseball’s bats fell flat again, and despite David Peterson allowing just one run in six innings, Utah defeated the Ducks, 2-0, Sunday.

The result marked the second consecutive series loss for the Ducks and is shining an even brighter light on the Ducks’ weaknesses at the plate.

“That was five steps back,” Oregon head coach George Horton said, according to The Oregonian. “It was awful.”

Oregon managed just three hits in the outing. The Utes’ Josh Lapiana tossed a complete game and struck out five in the process.

The Ducks threatened in the bottom of the ninth, putting runners on first and second with no outs. However, Lapiana retired the next three batters to secure the series win. Utah improves to 6-12, while the Ducks dropped to 9-7. In addition, Oregon has lost five of its last six.

The most obvious reason why the Ducks are struggling is because of their offense. The team’s batting average is just .207.

Oregon will clearly need that to change in its next weekend series against Washington. Before facing the Huskies, it will face Seattle Tuesday.

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Dillon Brooks told reporters he was a little scared heading into Oregon’s first round matchup against 16th-seeded Holy Cross Friday. It wasn’t because of a certain mismatch the Crusaders posed, rather because of the craziness that was ensuing before it.

Michigan State, a team that for many weeks of the season was ranked No. 1 in the AP poll, lost by nine to 15th-seeded Middle Tennessee State. No. 4 seed Cal, a team that once beat Oregon by 20 points, lost by double digits to 13th-seeded Hawaii.

But, in a matter of minutes, it became clear that a narrative like that would not continue during Oregon’s game. The Ducks’ size and athleticism proved to be simply too much for Holy Cross, and the group ran away with a 91-52 win.

Now, the next obstacle for Brooks and Co. will be to get through not just the first day, but the first weekend unscathed.

Oregon will face eighth-seeded St. Joseph’s Sunday in the second round. The Red Hawks reached this point after Isaiah Miles hit a 3-pointer with nine seconds remaining that would ultimately give them a 78-76 victory Friday night. Miles finished with 19 points and DeAndrew Bembry, who is projected by Draft Express to be picked in the second round of this year’s NBA Draft, added 23.

The two appear to be the most dangerous threats to cut Oregon’s season short. The game will tipoff at 6:50 p.m. PT Sunday on TNT.

Oregon wins if: It follows the same formula it did against Holy Cross. While it is likely that Oregon gets a stiffer challenge from St. Joseph’s Sunday, if it dominates the Red Hawks on the glass and stymies them into tough shots on the perimeter, it shouldn’t matter.

Players to watch

Chris Boucher has scored at least 15 points in three of the Ducks’ last four games, and if he gets it going on the offensive end, Oregon becomes hard to stop. Just ask Holy Cross’s defenders, who had no answers for Boucher while he scored 20 points in 17 minutes Friday. Boucher’s ability to shoot the three also makes him that much more versatile, and based on St. Joseph’s size disadvantage, he appears to be a matchup nightmare.

Dillon Brooks still serves as the most well-rounded player on Oregon. He averages 16.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. And when his numbers look similar to those averages — he scored 11 points and had six rebounds and five assists against Holy Cross — the Ducks seem to be in a seamless rhythm.

St. Joseph’s wins if:  Both Bembry and Miles create havoc for the Ducks on offense and defense. The two average a combined 35 points and 15 rebounds per game. If they can generate number like those, they can at least set up the rest of the team to be successful.

Players to watch besides Bembry and Miles:

Aaron Brown is the only other St. Joseph’s player to average more than 10 points per game. He shot 50 percent from the field and scored 13 points in the Red Hawks’ win over Cincinnati.

They said it: 

St. Joseph’s coach Phil Martelli after beating Cincinnati and being welcomed to the Northwest :

” Thank you. Thank you. Appreciate that. Do they sell marijuana in this town?”

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Just days before Oregon men’s basketball begins the NCAA Tournament, it learned that its most impactful low-post presence will be staying with the Ducks for the 2016-17 season.

Chris Boucher’s petition to have another year of NCAA eligibility was approved Wednesday, making the 6-foot-10 Montreal native a part of head coach Dana Altman’s plans for the future as well as now.

“Chris is an outstanding young man, and we’re excited he’ll be able to continue progress toward his degree and compete for one more season,” Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens said in a statement.

Boucher, who is averaging 12.1 points and 3.1 blocks per game, came to the University of Oregon in 2015 as a transfer from Northwest College in Wyoming after playing his freshman year at New Mexico Junior College. However, he lost a year of eligibility in November due to  “when his NCAA eligibility clock started,” according to the Oregon athletic department.

“After completing his academic requirements at the two junior colleges, it was determined that Chris Boucher currently has one year of eligibility remaining. The coaching staff was aware of this possibility during Chris’ recruitment,” a prepared statement said at the time.

It was later learned in a USA Today story that the issue involving Boucher’s timeline as a student-athlete was because of his unusual path to Oregon, which “included a final year of high school as a junior in 2010-11, a year of inactivity in 2011-12, and a year of what would equate to postgraduate study that included 13 games of competition in 2012-13,” Daniel Uthman wrote.

The NCAA deemed the 13 games he played in 2012-13 as college basketball, essentially, meaning his two years spent at New Mexico Junior College and Northwest College were his sophomore and junior seasons.

The Oregon athletic department requested a waiver by March, though, on the grounds that those 13 games should not be considered collegiate competition. Jody Sykes, Oregon’s senior associate athletic director for compliance, told USA Today that the school would also argue that if it weren’t for Boucher’s family hardship he would have completed the 12th grade at his school in 2012, making  2012-13 a postgraduate year, which is a common route for Canada basketball prospects, and not a year of college basketball.

On Wednesday, the NCAA determined that the delay was due to circumstances beyond Boucher’s control, and granted him another year of collegiate eligibility. It’s clearly big news for both Boucher and Oregon.

“Chris is a tremendous young man, and we’re very excited to have him back with us for another year,” Altman said. “He has done everything we’ve asked of him, has been great to work with and I’m glad he will have the opportunity to continue to develop as a player as well as finish his degree.”

Boucher leads the Pac-12 with 106 blocked shots, and is the only player in conference history with at least 100 blocks and also at least 35 three-pointers.

He still has a rookie season to finish too. The Ducks open the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed in Spokane, Wash. Friday. They will play the winner of Wednesday night’s game between Holy Cross and Southern.

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A day after claiming the Pac-12 tournament title, Oregon men’s basketball earned a No. 1 seed for the West region in the upcoming 2016 NCAA Tournament.

It is the first time the Ducks have earned a No. 1 seed in their history. The previous high for the program was as a No. 2 seed in 2002. Oregon reached the Elite Eight that year.

Oregon’s path will start in Spokane, Washington Friday against the winner of Holy Cross and Southern’s game. If the Ducks were to win Friday, they would play either No. 8 seed Saint Joseph’s or No. 9 Cincinnati.

“It was exciting for all of us,” Dwayne Benjamin said after learning the team got a one seed.

The Ducks’ region includes No. 2 seed Oklahoma, No. 3 Texas A&M, No. 4 Duke and No. 5 Baylor.

West:
1 Oregon
2 OU
3 A&M
4 Duke
5 Baylor
6 Texas
7 OSU
8 St. Joe’s
9 Cincy
10 VCU
11 UNI
12 Yale
13 UNC-W
14 GB
15 CSBU
16 H.C./Southern

— SI College Hoops (@si_ncaabb) March 13, 2016

The Ducks enter the big dance as one of the hottest teams in the country. They are currently on an eight-game winning streak and own both the Pac-12 regular season and tournament title. Their resume also includes a No. 2 ranked RPI and seven wins over the teams listed in the AP Top 25.

But, none of it seemed to carry as much weight as the Ducks’ surge to end the season in Las Vegas, which was capped by a 31-point win over No. 12 Utah Saturday night. It prompted Chris Boucher to state the obvious in the locker room afterwards.

“When we work together, we can do great things,” said Boucher, who in addition to Elgin Cook, Tyler Dorsey and Dillon Brooks, earned Pac-12 All-Tournament team.

The performance also appeared to further support the notion that Oregon had one of the better track records in the nation, and calls for the Ducks to be a No. 1 seed came flying in via social media Saturday night. The NCAA Tournament Committee then showed it agreed with those arguments by granting the Ducks a No. 1 seed Sunday.

With the top seed of a region comes a much larger target than the Ducks may be used to. 

“That just means everybody wants to get the upset so we just got play harder and be more dialed in,” Benjamin said. 

Elgin Cook, who won the Pac-12 Tournament MVP this weekend, added that it’s a “huge target.” 

“Numbers don’t mean anything, we still got to come in and play,” Cook said. 

Either Holy Cross (Patriot League champion) or Southern (SWAC champion) will be the Ducks’ first opponent. In addition, the Ducks’ group features Atlantic 10 champion Saint Joseph’s and at-large bid Cincinnati, both of which could pose certain threats to Oregon’s path.

Saint Joseph’s DeAndre Bembry is viewed as an NBA talent. The junior forward is averaging about 17 points and eight rebounds per game, and scored 30 in the Hawks’ win over VCU Sunday to claim the conference’s automatic bid. Cincinnati offers a balanced lineup that has four players averaging double figures. Junior Troy Caupin may be the most lethal threat for the Bearcats. The junior scored 37 and hauled in 10 rebounds in Cincinnati’s loss to Connecticut Friday. 

“I know how athletic and talented both those teams are,” head coach Dana Altman said. “Got to focus on one game a time so we’ll spend a lot of time just getting ready for Friday.”

This marks the fourth consecutive year the Ducks are in the NCAA Tournament. Oregon has been bounced by Wisconsin in the second round the last two years. This will be the first time Oregon will be favored in both the first and second round match-ups, though.

Oregon is just the third team in the past 10 years to start the year unranked, but become a No. 1 seed by March, according to Harvard Sports.

Oregon is the 3rd team in the past 10 years to go from unranked to 1 seed. The other 2 (MSU ’12, Cuse ’10) got knocked out in the Sweet 16

— HSAC (@Harvard_Sports) March 13, 2016

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The superlatives came flying in from every direction before the season began for Cal men’s basketball. Despite not reaching the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament since 1997, the Golden Bears were picked by four ESPN analysts to make the Final Four, projected to finish second in the Pac-12 and opened the season at No. 14 in the AP poll.

And after just one game, it was easy to see why. Sure, the competition was inferior, but with two potential NBA Draft lottery picks lining up with a contingent of veteran players, Pac-12 Networks analyst and former Cal coach Ben Braun could see how high the ceiling was.

“I said, ‘Boy if they play like this, this year they’re going to be very successful,’ ” Braun said.

But it seemed like all of these considerations had been too optimistic by the time Cal entered the month of February. Contrary to what Braun saw in their opener, the Bears stumbled their way to a 14-8 (4-5 Pac-12) record and looked to be on the verge of not making the NCAA Tournament. The problems were obvious: The team couldn’t win on the road, played erratic at many junctures of games and hadn’t gelled cohesively. 

Ask a team like Oregon if Cal’s figured it out since, though.

Evident in the Bears’ 83-63 shellacking of the conference champion Ducks, Cal connected the pieces to win 8 of its final 9 games of the season and is embodying the traits of a team that could do some serious damage in March.

The freshmen tandem of Jaylen Brown and Ivan Rabb has only gotten better as the year’s gone on. Brown leads the team in scoring, averaging over 15 points per game. In addition, his raw athleticism and speed continue to be why he’s such a nightmare for opposing teams. There’s a reason he’s projected by Draft Express to be picked third in the 2016 NBA Draft. As for Rabb, the rookie is averaging almost a double-double.

“They have a presence on the floor, and if your coaching against them, they demand you do some things to stop them,” Braun said. 

But Brown and Rabb are merely one part of this sprint to the end of the season for Cal. Tyrone Wallace, who was first-team Pac-12 in 2015, returned from a broken hand in February and the Bears have been clicking ever since. The senior’s numbers have dropped off from last year’s due to the pool of talent surrounding him, but he’s proven to be a huge factor for the Bears’ success, averaging over 15 points per game.

Additionally, as Braun notes, Jabari Bird and Jordan Matthews are two of the most effective players in the Pac-12 and perhaps the nation. Matthews is shooting 42 percent from three-point range and hit at least two in eight of the team’s last nine games.

The Bears finished the regular season ranked first in scoring defense and field-goal percentage defense, which may prove to be their biggest strength in the Pac-12 Tournament and beyond. Add all of it together, and it appears that Cal is finally living up to preseason descriptions such as, “Cal is the closest thing to an NBA team in college basketball.”

It certainly wasn’t what was expected, but Cal’s final drive has head coach Cuonzo Martin and his team posing several different challenges to whichever teams they face for the rest of the March.

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