Awfully Disappointing, Bears
So, I was going to continue my discussion and evaluation of Ben Braun’s program today, but due both to being busy (there’s finally snow in the Sierras! Yay!) and being disgusted by the team’s effort on Senior Day, it’s a little late in coming. It’s probably not a good idea to blog when you’re angry anyway; I might say something I later regret.
And why would I be angry? Well, I caught the second half of Saturday’s game vs. the Sun Devils, and what I saw was possibly the most awful display of college basketball I’ve ever seen. I was at a women’s game a few years ago where, after more than 5 minutes, the score was still tied at zero, with rally-comm still clapping and chanting ‘Go!’ while waiting for the Bears to finally score, and that was pretty painful. But this weekend’s game? Terrible. The Bears took a 41-39 lead with more than 8 minutes to go, and then both teams bumbled and stumbled along for the rest of the game, with ASU finally hitting a 3 to take a 42-41 lead with less than 15 seconds to go. And it’s not like either team’s defense was any great shakes. This was unispired ball at its worst.
Worse, this clunker of a game ends an already disappointing season on a sour note. Now, only a return to the conference championship game could save the Bears from another losing season and give hope for a postseason bid of any sort. They end the regular season by losing 4 straight, and with the last being to the lowly Sun Devils, I can’t imagine that the NIT would have any interest in the Bears.
Sad to see Ubaka and Pribble go out this way, but perhaps it’s fitting. With so much promise and expectations built into Ubaka’s recruting class (with Powe, Kately, and McGuire), maybe this disappointing final chapter is appropriate. It still sucks, though, and Ubaka deserved better. So did all Bear fans everywhere.
