HALFTIME: There are probably 2.5 people reading this, and it’s starting to be a real struggle but I’m still going strong. I want to run down a couple quick housekeeping issues, one of which is really important:

1) This is JACK ROSS. In case you didn’t know, I didn’t want Andrew Kim to get any more credit. He left. He’s in Kansas City somewhere doing who knows what. Probably eating food and being gluttonous. I’m working. Get it straight, people. 

2) BLAKE GRIFFIN. He has 18 points in 17 minutes and a couple highlighty ally-oop dunks. This guy can’t miss (on shots or in the “he can’t miss” prospect way).

3)

56.0 seconds - OU 36, MSU 19: Playing out the string at this point. Griffin is truly special (almost as much as that Bear I keep harping about), but he’ll probably get pulled a few minutes into the second half so long as the Sooners have a 20+ point lead. Oh well. Enjoy it while you can. There isn’t much else out there at this point (besides his brother, Taylor, I guess).

3:32 - OU 32, MSU 17: This one’s taken a turn for the worse, unless you bet on OU (your definitely covering). Otherwise, we got a yawner. 

Cool note: Did you know that the possession arrow is operated remotely by a switch that turns in which ever direction the arrow does? We are sitting right by the official scorer and can see it. Figured they’d have that digital by now. Guess not.

And to make matters worst, the Lil Wayne songs have stopped, replaced by standard boring fare like the Sportcenter theme in medley form. One of the MSU cheer leaders just did 12 flips in a row, though, so I’ll stop complaining. And the Bear is getting busy now, too.

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8:06 - OU 21, MSU 11: That was quick. MSU actually had a chance to take a lead but a jumper rimmed in and out and now they’re down 10. This isn’t going to get much closer. The spread was 15.5 and I think anyone with money on the Sooners should be feeling good.

Also: Blake Griffin is Evander Holyfield-real. This guy is not Mike Beasley in the least. He’s stronger, bigger and way more athletic. He just doesn’t miss. I don’t want to dip into hyperbole too much, but he’s sorta like a new Natural Wonder of the World. Really. Super fluid. Imagine Shawn Kemp two inches taller with a great basketball IQ and a kitchen-sink arsenal of shots. Color me impressed.

Other cool thing about MSU No. 2: I like their mascot. It’s the most generic Bear head ever on top of a normal guys body. It’s actually not cool at all just describing it. Trust me, though, if you saw it, you’d think it was amusing.

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11:40 - OU 12, MSU 7: NEW HIGHLIGHT OF ROUND 1…The Morgan State Band and Dance team. Reasons why: 1) First song out of the gate is “Lollipop” by Lil’ Wayne. That scores big points with me, especially having heard “Hail to the Victors” 129 times last game. Ugh. Welcome relief. It’s like Drumline 2 in here. I’ll keep the reasons coming

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15:55 - Oklahoma 6, Morgan State 3: Doesn’t feel like MSU has enough beef or firepower to hang. Cal fans might find it interesting that former Bears head coach Todd Bozeman (the guy who gave a recruit’s dad $30,000) is the Bears coach (yes, the MSU mascot is the Bears, too). He’s really engaging and motivating, so many he’ll keep him in it. Other thoughts:

Basketball is just much more fun with tiny people. Almost every game has had one guy (Cal’s Jerome Randle, CSUN’s Mark Hill and now, MSU’s Jermaine “Itchy” Bolden) who clocks in around 5-foot-8. Scoring in a bottle… with guys that fit inside a bottle….

Frustrating watching the best player in the NCAA tournament and probably the country get really borderline calls. Twice in the first four minutes, Griffin went up largely uncontested and was awarded fouls for him. Why do refs feel obligated to give superstars calls? Not impressed.

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PRE-GAME: Took a break to regroup after Cal lost … I’ll update this any time-out for whoever is reading. Two words: Blake Griffin (is really good). Keep it locked.

2:46 - Maryland 76, Cal 66: They definitely don’t go down without a fight.

3:32 - Maryland 74, Cal 62: “I almost want him to make it, so we don’t have to box out.” -Me, when Maryland was up 7 and shooting free throws. I was right. One 3-point play, 5-second violation and Maryland layup later, the Bears are down 12.

One word comes to mind for the next 3:32: CURTAINS. I remember Jerome using it after he talked about all the open looks he got against Arizona. Looking like they are starting to fall on the Bears season. 

Down 13 with 210 seconds? Possible. I guess with Randle, anything is possible. But everyone looks pretty defeated. It’s going to take a real miracle from here on out.

7:54: Maryland 63, Cal 53 - Flat. Flatlining. Condition: Looking rather fatal, at the moment. They absolutely CANNOT get ANY penetration against the Maryland 2-3 zone. Just like Arizona State two weeks ago.

The Bears need a spark from somewhere. Where? I don’t know. The energy on the Terps sideline is pretty infectous. They are all playing with a bounce, feeding off crazy ol’ Gary Williams. Cal? Montgomery has been sedated all game. Makes you wonder if he expected this flat-ish effort. 

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9:55: Maryland 59, California 51 - This team simply CANNOT play with a lead. It takes less than two minutes to go down eight after leading. Gosh. They want to comeback, they don’t know any other way, it seems.

And so, expect Jorge/Kamp to come in again and push and hope for the best. Foul trouble doesn’t mean anything if you are down double digits. Especially since Wilkes can’t help defend the perimeter. And just so you know, Patrick Christopher still hasn’t hit a 3 (0 of 6). Not a good sign. Law of averages, anyone?

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11:49: California 51, Maryland 50 - Who wants to see a FREE THROW SHOOTING CONTEST! Well, if you do, keep watching because that is what we are about to get. 6 team for the Bears, 5 for the Terps. A lot of FTs coming. Ugh. Anyways, Cal’s defense is very good considering everyone minus Randle has 3 fouls (add Boykin to that list now, too). Especially PC, who is hounded Vasquez with three fouls.

One note: the Bears could be more aggressive against the zone press. They are turning down some big fast break points. One thing to watch if they stay really, really, deliberate the rest of the way. 

Last thing: Breathe. I know I am having a hard time. PS: If they have a hard time with Maryland’s press, imagine them playing Memphis! Whatever. Cross that bridge if we get to it.

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First lead 47-46 at 14:46 left in the game. Then they give it away a second later on a Bowie layup. Then a Neal layup.

15:14 - Maryland 46, Cal 44: Hmmm. These refs are pretty bad (not Pac-10 level, but still). 9 team fouls in less than 5 minutes. Being called way too tight. Theo, Jorge and Harper all already have 3 fouls (not good at all). If I was on the Bears, I would have gotten ejected for complaining.

Speaking of complaining, Jerome and Jamal were exchanging some heated words on the sideline after Theo’s and-one. Something to watch (how everyone plays together with Harper out and Jamal in).

Final thing: 5 fouls for Maryland mean one-and-one for the Bears very soon. That bad reffing is good fot Cal.

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One more note before we go… 1) Energy is horrible from this crowd. Everyone likes Kansas.

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HALFTIME: Deep breaths, everyone. Breathe slowly. Okay. Where do we begin? Let’s go inside the box score:

1) JEROME RANDLE: Electric. More or less unstoppable. 11 points and two assists. Plus, he hasn’t been going much from deep. Only took 3 threes. Over-under for threes in the 2nd half? I’d say 6. And he’ll make half. Good signs there.

2) FOUL TROUBLE: Huh? 12 fouls? Well, 4 of the most important Bears have 2 fouls (Jorge, Harper, Theo, Patrick). That could be problematic, but I wouldn’t really think it will be a factor. Those guys will play the entire half (I’m guessing) if they aren’t in foul pergatory.

NOTE: Because of the fouls, Wilkes/Nikola/Seeley have played 14 minutes, far more than Montgomery probably intended. That fact bodes very well for Cal in the second half (since they probably won’t see that much time again).

3) EVERYONE ELSE (specifically ROBERTSON, CHRISTOPHER, BOYKIN): 5-21 in the first half. Nerves maybe? That probably can’t carry over. And if it does, the Bears will almost certainly lose. Ditto their 3-13 (23 percent) mark from downtown. Again, nothing new from Cal: shoot well and win, don’t and lose.

FINAL STUFF BEFORE WE BEHIND: Okay, I’m thirsty. Anyways, some thoughts from press row:

Jeff Faraudo of the Contra-Costa Times thinks the Bears are “getting outplayed.” I disagree. They are missing shots and haven’t found any rhythm… and are only down 3. Rusty Simmons of the SF Chronicle seems to think that “Gary Williams is a good coach. And whoever makes adjustments will win.” I mostly agree. To me, “adjustments” means playing with their best five for a long stretch (Kamp/Gutierrez/PC/Robertson/Randle) and making a run. Which still hasn’t happened.

Alright… getting a diet coke. Be back in a jiffy. Requests are welcome.

37.6 seconds: Maryland 32, Cal 30 - A mediocre half and they have a chance to lead at halftime. Not bad.

3:56: Maryland 24, Cal 23 - The Terps haven’t scored in 4 minutes. The Bears have 2 points. Yes, it’s getting ugly here. But no matter. Christopher has had a few unlucky threes rim out. And foul trouble is coming up — Kamp, Gutierrez with 2 each. Ditto Vasquez (who is still playing). A third on him would make Gary Williams convulse. 

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7:31: Maryland 24, Cal 21 - Where is a run? You get the feeling that a fast break or two and the Bears could run away with this game. Nikola’s playing time is very questionable. Maybe another hunch from Montgomery. Either way, Vasquez has two big fouls that have him riding bench.

Expect Jorge here. He needs to be the guy that engineers runs for Cal. 

Last thing: Bears fans are getting owned by Maryland. It’s a war of attrition, but the Berkeley bunch only stands and says ANYTHING for a made basket. They could pick up Cal a lot.

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11:36: Maryland 17, Cal 15 - Randle hits a bomb (nothing new) and it looks like he’ll see some open shots. As long as the Bears keep Maryland from getting in an offensive rhythm (and setting up the zone press), they can do a lot of damage offensively. 

NOTE: Gary Williams is absolutely bonkers. He’s just an expletive machine, calling his team’s play “(Explictive-deleted) (Explictive-deleted) (Explictive-deleted).” More than once. Fun to listen to.

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13:27: Maryland 14, Cal 10 - After going down 7-0 to start, the Bears settled in. Randle is being uber aggressive going to the whole and the Terps don’t have a) a guard to bother him, or b) any center to stop his layups. He is going to get his guaranteed. 

Wilkes came out at 17:50 (as expected) and Jorge looks stout and Cal’s movement has been better with the feisty Gutierrez in there to help break the zone press. Don’t think Maryland stays in that for long. All things considered, a fine beginning for the Bears. They weathered the early storm.

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PRE GAME: Only a few minutes til’ we are under way in Kansas City. The first game has a lot to live up to after Memphis got a serious scare from a sneaky-good CSU Northridge team. Not much of a Cal presence so far. There are a couple hundred red-clad Terp fans right at half-court which could make it crowd M’land heavy. (Note: The Cal band is here; they are owning the Maryland band right now. No surprises there).

QUICK PREGAME STUFF….

1) OMONDI AMOKE: He had a Sunday concussion and was doubtful. He has been cleared to play (whether he does or not is Monty’s decision). More important than you might think, since he could play meaningful minutes matching up against the Maryland forwards in the Flex Offense.

2) BEGINNING…: How will the Bears start? They’ve been off at the starts of their last 3 games and can’t really afford to risk doing that again. They definitely need to (and probably will) try to keep Greivis Vasquez out of rhythm early.

3) JORDAN WILKES: He has been starting but doesn’t have a role in a 6-foot-7 or Under game like this one. Will Jorge Gutierrez get the nod? Stay tuned.

We are directly to the right of Gary Williams (towards half-court) at courtside, so me and Andrew Kim will throw out any observations we have. Here….we….go.

Here’s a quick gem from Tuesday’s football press conference.

We were asking coach Jeff Tedford about his hiring Andy Ludwig, and I think in some ways Tedford answered a few of his critics with the following respnse. To quote:

“I don’t think it would be wise to bring someone in here with such a wealth of knowledge and then to put a stranglehold on him,” Tedford said. “I think it’s important to give people the ability to share their ideas and see how it fits us.”

Cal fans had to be wondering why the Bears program seems to lose offensive coordinators nearly every year. Well, judging from the quote, maybe it’s not because Tedford forces them to throw out any bit of their own philosophy that doesn’t match Tedford’s.

I mean, the quote came from Tedford himself, and nobody really knows what goes on behind closed doors, so by no means the above quote is 100 percent proof that past coordinators didn’t leave due to having another certain QB guru looming over their work. It’s possible, but at least according to Tedford’s account, he doesn’t believe working that way. At least now.

In a few hours, the interview I did with former Cal linebacker Worrell Williams will be incarnated into article form. Sort of.

Sorry to say, but Alex Mack was not available for comment before the combine. But expect a story sometime after. In this line of work, you can’t take no for an answer, especially from agents.

And nobody knows Anthony Felder’s contacts, except that he’s somewhere in Pheonix.

Good luck to the Bears graduates at the combine.

Just got off the phone with graduated senior linebacker Worrell Williams, one of five Cal players that were invited to the 2009 NFL Combine.

Talked a little about his brother, what it was like playing at the East-West game, and a topic that seems to be the favorite amongst Williams and Follett, Bears linebacker coach Kenwick Thompson.

He also told me that Anthony Felder, whose whereabouts had been much of a mystery to the media, is in Arizona training in a small facility that hosts “only about nine people.”

The story will run early next week, but here’s an interesting snippet:

I asked Worrell to name his prediction for next year’s starting four, and he named Mikey-Mo(hamed), Devin Biship, Eddie Young and the young Mychal Kendricks.

(Click here to read more…)

As part of our recent coverage of NFL Combine participants, today’s paper includes the story of psychotic linebacker Zack Follett.

Just kidding. Zack is actually a very nice guy, and he told me today that he’s surprised a lot of people he met for the first time since the end of the 2008 season.

Best of luck to Follett, and hopefully I’ll be in touch with Alex Mack and Worrell Williams over the weekend, if not, early in the coming week. Anthony Felder’s whereabouts are currently unknown.

Tony, if you’re out there, give me a call. Or e-mail.

Spoke to Rulon Davis today, and I’m speaking to Zack Follett tomorrow (Thursday), so expect a story soon about that, too.

Just as a reminder, the NFL Combine starts next Wednesday, and five Cal players — Davis, Follett, Worrell Williams, Anthony Felder and Alex Mack — will participate.