Oscar Da Silva

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

A small blue and gold spark came about too little, too late, as the Bears fell 76-70 to their rival Stanford and emerged winless from the season series.

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 plays two consecutive games against Stanford on Thursday and Sunday. Wins in both would drastically change the trajectory of the Bears’ season, but even one win would give them a much-needed boost.

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.

While going to the NCAA tournament is a long shot, the stage is set for the Pac-12 tournament taking place this week in Las Vegas, and even one or two wins can change the narrative around the blue and gold’s season.

Kareem South, Paris Austin and Matt Bradley scored in double-digits as Cal improved to 3-3 in conference and remains undefeated at home in Pac-12 play.

Cal’s struggling offense will host Stanford in the rivals’ final matchup of the year. Fortunately for the Bears, they're 8-2 in Haas Pavilion this season.

The Bears must be hoping the new year brings a new fire to the team after the way they closed out their nonconference schedule. Despite starting an impressive 5-0 this season, Cal finished 2-7 in its last nine games.

In their first taste of rivalry weekend this season, the Bears and Cardinal will be competing against one another not only for points, but also for eyeballs.