Ryan Betley

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.

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

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.

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.

A few poorly timed turnovers for the Bears gave the Cardinal an opportunity to build a lead that, despite Cal’s best efforts offensively, carried into halftime.

Cal was just a few plays away from earning a victory on the national stage over a ranked UCLA team — a team that routed the Bears earlier this season.

Cal head coach Mark Fox emphasized the importance of using his big men to penetrate Washington’s zone — and it quickly became clear why.

Cal’s horrendous shooting made the turnover battle irrelevant, as the team shot a season-worst 34.5% from the field.

Both the Bears and the Cougars are winless in the 2021 calendar year and will be hungry to have a bounce-back performance in their Thursday night clash.