The three-games-in-five-days spectacle that is Cal men's basketball finished its second leg Tuesday night with a win over San Francisco. Now comes the third and final one in the form of Texas-Pan American.

For the Bears, the opening pair of games had a number of common denominators-mid-level conference competition, Bay Area opponents and, perhaps most importantly, wins. Cal took the Saturday home opener 68-56 over Pacific, then cemented a second win on Tuesday, an 87-74 triumph over the visiting Dons.

Now, to get win No. 3, the Bears will have to go through a Great Western Conference team from a place far less familiar than either Stockton or San Francisco-Edinburg, Texas-when the Broncs roll into Haas Pavilion tonight at 7:30 p.m.

After Tuesday's win, Bears point guard Jerome Randle was already pointing to things his team needs to work on against UTPA.

"I'm definitely excited about the win, but I don't know, we just need to just come out with a little more of an effort," Randle said. "We've seen different defenses from every team. We just have to handle different situations better. Just keep our poise, pass the ball … You know, be basketball players."

Another common factor between Cal's first two games is it has yet to face a team with a legitimate post player taller than 6-foot-7. Tonight's game will not change that. Texas-Pan American sports a lineup with two guards and three forwards, the largest of whom is 6-foot-7, 225-pound forward Luis Valera, the team's leading rebounder last season with eight boards per game.

This year, it seems the Broncs' most potent weapon is 6-foot-7 slasher Emmanuel Jones, who poured in 27 in their opener against Sul Ross State, then followed that up with a 27-point performance in Tuesday's 73-48 loss at the hands of UNLV.

A 25-point loss to the Rebels may suggest that UTPA is not the stiffest competition the Bears will see this year. However, as Cal continues to familiarize itself with coach Mike Montgomery's new system, every game is a chance to get further adjusted. And players-like Randle-are already starting to like the new school of thought, albeit cautiously.

"It's great," Randle said of the new system. "(But) it's still new to everybody. A lot of guys are still playing a position they're not used to."

Forward Theo Robertson echoed the progression that the system represents, acknowledging that it does in fact work.

"We've played two different teams and (everything) is a learning process for this team," Robertson said. We were talking about the system before … I think the system is proven. Both at coach's previous schools and here.

"We just have to believe in it and get better and more comfortable at running it. I think it's going to come with more games."

Three games in five days would qualify. Not that the Bears are complaining.

"Definitely (nice to have a flow)," Randle said of congested slate of games. "See what (Texas-Pan American) throws at us. That really helps us as a team, to play different teams, two days after each other. We just have to go out there and execute."

Tags: THEO ROBERTSON, JEROME RANDLE, MIKE MONTGOMERY, CAL MEN'S BASKETBALL