Cal basketball

What is a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience and a privilege can be quickly overshadowed by feelings of guilt and melancholy.

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.

On Jan. 14, the blue and gold were stampeded off the court by the Buffaloes to the tune of 60-89. But simply looking at the box score of that game won’t tell you the full story.

On paper, the Bears should roll the Huskies. But there’s a reason basketball games shouldn’t be decided by how they appear on paper.

All signs point to this being the blue and gold’s most difficult matchup of 2020. Cal has not fared well in conference play this season, dropping contests to Arizona State and UCLA.

Despite two team leaders being out of the lineup, Fox’s players knew what had to be done and did it well: 11 Bears scored on the day, including three in double figures.

The addition of two nonconference matchups to Cal’s schedule offers the perfect opportunity for the Bears to integrate Hyder into the lineup.

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.