Paris Austin

This past season, he played in 13 games and scored 52 points, but in early February, head coach Mark Fox announced he would be out indefinitely for academic reasons.

In a season cut short, Cal showed the most important thing with a new head coach: improvement.

Cal proved to the world that this team is different, and looking forward, fans should be prepared to watch a team enter the foray of elite college basketball programs.

Despite the odds, the doubt and the lowered expectations, the Bears clawed and mauled their way to their first Pac-12 tournament victory since Cal’s 2016-17 campaign.

Cal enters the Pac-12 tournament as a 10th seed with several teams vying for not only a conference title, but a place in March Madness.

This game might be the most disappointing of the year for the Bears, who will now enter the conference finale as the 10th seed.

The blue and gold are sitting pretty at eighth in the conference and will be hoping to keep their spot with the Pac-12 tournament on the horizon.

Five Bears scored in the double digits as Cal narrowly defeated Utah 86-79 in a home finale overtime thriller that saw the blue and gold bounce back late.

The Bears put the upset record on repeat, beating No. 21 Colorado nearly a year after they shocked a then-No. 25 Washington team in Haas Pavilion.

Cal (11-15, 5-8) defeated Washington State (14-13, 5-9) 66-57 behind a dominating defensive effort and efficient free throw and three point shooting.