California Golden Bears
Pac-12 (23-9, 13-5)
California comes into the NCAA Tournament as a team with a lot of potential to make some noise if they are clicking on all cylinders at both ends of the floor. The Golden Bears have a very experienced senior class that has built upon the run of excellence by the 2010 senior class that won 101 games. The draw will be very important for California but when they are on their game they are very tough to deal with.
Big Wins: 1/31 Washington (82-58), 2/8 at Arizona State (50-49), 2/22 at Stanford (63-53)
Bad Losses: 12/7 at Kansas (39-62), 12/13 at Long Beach State (56-58), 2/15 USC (54-65)
Coach: Lindsay Gottlieb
Why They Can Surprise:
The Golden Bears are an excellent offensive team when they keep the ball moving and find an open teammate to get a quality shot. Brittany Boyd brings can create offensively and her senior leadership is going to be very important if California is to go far in the NCAA Tournament. Gabby Green has done a nice job in her freshman season and, if she does not let the pressure of the postseason get to her, the Golden Bears will be in great shape in the backcourt. The frontcourt of Reshanda Gray and the young freshman Mikayla Cowling will be critical elements to California’s success if they can control the boards and get some blocked shots early in games. The ability to control the paint will force opponents to become one-dimensional from the perimeter, which is ideal in an NCAA Tournament scenario.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The inability to dominate a game from behind the three point line could come back to haunt the Golden Bears if they face a backcourt that can slow down Brittany Boyd. California has also had issues at the foul line and if they leave too many points on the board because of missed free throws that could potentially cost them in a tight game. Also, the inconsistency that the Golden Bears have shown against inferior opponents is another potential red flag that could cause disappointment in the postseason. California beat USC without any trouble in Los Angeles, but list at home by double digits. They have also had some closer than expected games against inferior opponents but found a way to win. Thus, a fast start in each postseason game is going to be critical for the Golden Bears in order to avoid an early upset.
Probable Starters:
Brittany Boyd, Senior, Guard, 13.3 ppg, 6.8 apg, 7.7 rpg, 3.0 spg
Gabby Green, Freshman, Guard, 6.6 ppg, 3.3 apg, 5.7 rpg
Mercedes Jefflo, Sophomore, Guard, 9.5 ppg, 2.7 apg
Reshanda Gray, Senior, Forward, 17.5 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 1.0 bpg
Mikayla Cowling, Freshman, Forward, 10.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Brittany Shine, Senior, Guard, 1.8 ppg
Justine Hartman, Senior, Forward, 1.7 ppg, 1.4 rpg
Perina Davidson, Sophomore, Forward, 3.5 ppg, 1.5 rpg
Courtney Range, Sophomore, Forward, 8.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 69.9 (66th in nation, 3rd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 62.8 (144, 5)
Field-Goal Percentage: 44.7 (17, 2)
Field-Goal Defense: 36.8 (44, 3)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 4.6 (224, 9)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 31.0 (182, 8)
Free-Throw Percentage: 62.4 (322, 12)
Rebound Margin: 0.9 (150, 7)
Assists Per Game: 17.0 (16, 2)
Turnovers Per Game: 15.6 (134, 10)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2014 NCAA First Round win over Fordham
2014 NCAA Second Round loss to Baylor
2013 NCAA Round of 64 win over Fresno State
2013 NCAA Round of 32 win over South Florida
2013 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over LSU
2013 NCAA Regional Final win over Georgia
2013 NCAA National Semifinal loss to Louisville
2012 NCAA Round of 64 win over Iowa
2012 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Notre Dame
2011 NIT Round of 64 win over Cal Poly
2011 NIT Round of 32 loss to Colorado
2010 NIT Round of 64 win UC-Davis
2010 NIT Round of 32 win over Utah
2010 NIT Regional Semifinal win over Oregon
2010 NIT Regional Final win over BYU
2010 NIT National Semifinal win over Illinois State
2010 NIT National Final win over Miami
2009 NCAA Round of 64 win over Fresno State
2009 NCAA Round of 32 win over Virginia
2009 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Connecticut
2008 NCAA Round of 64 win over San Diego
2008 NCAA Round of 32 loss to George Washington
2007 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Notre Dame
*all team stats through 3/5
See All Women’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
