Tom Aizenberg

The blue and gold had an opportunity to steal a second consecutive win in the tournament but couldn’t finish on a consistent basis.

After going 3-17 in conference play this season, the Bears enter the Pac-12 tournament as the last seed. Their road to a Cinderella run will begin Wednesday when they take on sixth-seeded Stanford.

For Cal standards, the blue and gold enjoyed a great first half — a rare moment to be proud of in what has been a disappointing season.

All of these signs bode well for Cal in its final game of the season against OSU. But given the Bears’ struggles all season, they are still the heavy underdogs heading in.

From that point on, Cal was simply unable to get enough consistent stops against the Cougar offense. In short, the Bears never found a way to stop the three ball, as WSU went a scorching 12-23 from three.

Cal is not just some walkover team that gives away easy wins. Speaking of walkover teams, the Bears will play the Washington Huskies in their second game of the week.

Matt Bradley was the only positive for the Bears — he did everything for the blue and gold, as he had 13 first-half points on 4-6 shooting from the field.

So far this season and especially over the course of the team’s recent slump, Cal’s strategy has not worked. Perhaps it is time to try something new and see if it sticks.

This was a three-point barrage for Colorado, as the team posted season-highs in both makes (12) and efficiency (57%) from downtown.

Without a surprise comeback from Matt Bradley, it is highly unlikely that the Bears will be able to win this game.