2009-10 Cal College Basketball Predictions

Written November 11, 2009 by Rock Henderson

Mike Montgomery enters his second year as the Cal head coach optimistic about the prospect of where this team could possibly end up in March. Featuring one an array of players that can score from beyond the arc, Montgomery hopes to build off a 22-11 season that saw the Golden Bears bounced from the NCAA tournament in the first round. Cal returns four of five starters that know how to get up and down the court with an up tempo offense that can score in bunches. Anything less than matching last year’s win total will be considered a disappointment for the Bears faithful. Taking a look at the NCAA basketball odds to win the national championship, Cal is listed as a 75-to-1 shot.

C Jordan Wilkes is the lone starter that departed from the team due to graduation. The three other plays that left the Bears were either for medical hardships and choosing to transfer. Junior C Markhuri Sanders-Frison has the best chance to earn a starting spot due to the departure of Wilkes. Although undersized at just 6’7, Sanders-Frison enjoys mixing it up in the paint and is capable of stepping out beyond the free throw stripe to hit a J. F Bak Bak and G Brandon Smith fill out the recruiting class. They will have to wait their turn as Cal has a bunch of upper classmen that will see the majority of the run this year.

PG Jerome Randle is one of the smallest players in the nation in stature, but his game is big time. Standing at just 5’10 and 160 pounds, Randle uses his speed and quickness to make up for his lack of size and strength. Randle connected on 46% of his three point tries a year ago and hit 86 threes overall. He will take his game into the lane also though and not settle for the outside shot. Backcourt mate Patrick Christopher is no slouch himself at the 2 guard position. He averaged 14.5 ppg a season ago and shot 83% from the charity stripe, earning himself all-conference accolades. Christopher has a lot of variety in his game and is considered one of the candidates to earn POY honors in the Pac-10. F Theo Robertson presents another option from the outside that opponents have to be aware of. He is undersized for his position, but is powerfully built and hit on 46% of his three point attempts last year. PF Jamal Boykin picks up all the garbage points and is one of top rebounders on the team. Every team needs a player like Boykin who is fine with not being part of the offensive plan but is able to get his points on offensive rebounds and hustle. Pick up a $500 match bonus that you can use to bet NCAA basketball when you open a new account with BetUS and deposit $500 or more.

This team has all the talent in the world offensively, but has to find a way to guard people this year. Montgomery would prefer to play a much slower style and get after it defensively. He did a nice job last season recognizing what type of players he had to work with and will most likely stick with the run n’ gun nature they played with last year. Randle and Christopher form one of the best backcourts in the country. The dynamic tandem will lead the Golden Bears back to the tourney where I expect them to possibly be a Sweet 16 team.

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