Cal’s Ivan Rabb Named Pac-12 Player of the Week

January 5, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; California Golden Bears forward Ivan Rabb (1) shoots a basket against the UCLA Bruins during the first half at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
January 5, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; California Golden Bears forward Ivan Rabb (1) shoots a basket against the UCLA Bruins during the first half at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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Back for his sophomore season, Ivan Rabb is leading the Cal Bears with huge performances and is the Pac-12 Player of the Week.

In his second season with the Bears, Ivan Rabb is living up to his hype. He’s a candidate for multiple national awards, and for the first time in his young career, is the Pac-12’s Player of the Week.

Rabb was honored for his two performances in the past week, during which he averaged 17 points and 14 rebounds as Cal split a pair of road games against two of the top teams in the conference.

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On Thursday, Rabb was the leader as Cal tried to upset the UCLA Bruins, the fourth-ranked team in the nation. They fell short despite a strong comeback attempt in the second half, but Rabb had a huge night. He scored 17 points on 5-12 shooting, including hitting his third three-pointer of the season, and set a new career high by pulling down 20 rebounds.

On Sunday night, Cal was able to upset their conference foe, knocking off the number 25 USC Trojans, who entered the game with a 15-1 record (9-0 at home). Rabb again was at the forefront of the effort. He tallied 17 points on 6-10 shooting, hitting another three in the process. He added eight rebounds, three steals, and two blocks.

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Rabb made his biggest contributions in the last few seconds of the game. With Cal trailing by one, Rabb was fouled trying to take a shot with five seconds left. He hit both clutch free throws, putting Cal up by a point in the waning seconds. On the other end, Jordan McLaughlin drove the length of the floor and put himself in position to make the game-winning shot. Rabb went straight up under the rim and swatted the lay-in attempt away, sealing the win for Cal. It was Cal’s first win against a ranked opponent on the road since 2013.

On the season, Rabb is averaging 15.4 points (leading the Bears and good for 11th in the Pac-12) while shooting 55.3 percent from the floor (10th in the Pac-12). He leads the conference with 10.8 rebounds per game, making him one of three players in the conference to average a double-double.

During conference play, Rabb’s averages have jumped to 17.5 points and 14.8 rebounds per game.

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Rabb is the second Golden Bear to earn Pac-12 Player of the Week honors this season. He joins freshman guard Charlie Moore, who was the top player in the conference during the second week of the season. On November 16th, Moore set a Cal record for freshman by scoring 38 points on 10-20 shooting (15-17 from the line) to will the Bears to a victory over UC-Irvine.