Matt Bradley

Cal’s roster continuity could be an advantage, but it could also be the reason for its downfall.

With an offensive force such as Matt Bradley added to its arsenal, San Diego State is poised to make a deep postseason run next season.

Bradley sits at No. 21 on Cal’s all-time scoring list and has provided a sense of optimism for fans who haven’t seen the Bears sport a winning record since the 2016-17 season.

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

On Wednesday, the Bears returned to Las Vegas as the 11th seed — this time to give the sixth-seeded Cardinal a 76-58 beating.

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.

As Figueroa yelled in Bradley’s face, there was nothing the guard could do but smirk and inbound the ball. It was a perfect metaphor for the ballgame.

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.