Cal Bears Get School-Best Seeding, Record 7 Pac-12 Teams in Tournament

The Cal Bears are back in the NCAA Tournament, earning a fourth seed as the school’s best ever ranking, one of a record seven Pac-12 teams in the tournament.

For the first time in three years, the California Golden Bears are going dancing, earning an invitation to the NCAA Tournament. After finishing the regular season third in the Pac-12 standings with a 12-6 conference record (22-9 overall), and beating Oregon State in the Conference Tournament quarterfinals. the Bears are a fourth-seed in the South Region, their highest seeding in school history. Previously, the Bears’ highest seed was fifth, in both 1994 and 1997. They’ll take on the 13th-seeded Hawaii Warriors.

Overall, this will be the Bears’ 19th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, and the team owns a 20-18 record. They have played their way into the Sweet 16 seven times, but have been held out since 1997. They’ve been among the final eight teams five teams, but not since 1960, and have never been a part of the official “Elite Eight”, which the NCAA trademarked the phrase in 1997. Cal has been in the Final Four three times, none since 1960, and has played in the NCAA Championship game twice, in 1959 and 1960. They won the Championship in 1959.

For Golden Bears’ head coach Cuonzo Martin, this is the second time he has led a team to the NCAA Tournament. In 2014, he was the man in charge of the Tennessee Volunteers. The 11th-seeded Vols beat another 11-seed, the Iowa Hawkeyes, in a First Four game, then upset the sixth-seeded Massachusetts Minutemen by 19 points to move on to the round of 32. Tennessee knocked off the #14 Mercer Bears, who stunned the world by beating Duke in their first game, in a 20-point rout. In the Sweet 16, Tennessee fell to the second seed, the Michigan Wolverines, in a two-point nailbiter.

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Cal is one of a conference record seven Pac-12 teams in the big dance this season.

The Oregon Ducks, Pac-12 regular season and tournament champions, earned a number-one seed, their best seeding in tournament history. They’ll be in the tournament for the fourth straight year. In the first round, Oregon will play the winner of a play-in game between two 16 seeds. The Holy Cross Crusaders and Southern Jaguars will battle for the right to take on Oregon.

The Arizona Wildcats are in the tournament for the fourth straight-year, and for the 29th time in 31 years. As a sixth-seed in the South, Arizona will play the winners of the Vanderbilt Commodores and Wichita State Shockers play-in game for the 11th seed.

For the first time since 1990, the Oregon State Beavers will be going dancing, this time as a number seven seed. The last time the Beavers were in the NCAA Tournament, Gary Payton was leading the way. This time around, his son, Gary Payton II, is the one at the forefront. Oregon State will battle the 10th seeded VCU Rams in the first round.

In the East region, the USC Trojans are an eight-seed, and will take on the Providence Friars in the always-dangerous eight-nine matchup. In the midwest region, the Utah Utes are the third seed, and will face the 14th-seeded Fresno State Bulldogs.

Next: Oregon Steamrolls Utah in Pac-12 Tourney Championship

The Colorado Buffaloes are in the tournament for the fourth time in five years. The Buffaloes are an eighth seed in the Southern region, and they’ll take on the Connecticut Huskies in the first round.

The tournament begins on Tuesday, as the First Four games start the Madness.

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