SAN JOSE — After executing the game plan to near perfection for more than 59 minutes, the Cal men’s basketball team almost let an upset victory in the NCAA Tournament slip away. A suffocating zone defense and plenty of scoring help for Allen Crabbe propelled the 12th-seeded Bears to a 64-61 victory over No. 5 UNLV at HP Pavilion in San Jose on Thursday. But the “home” team provided plenty of drama for the faithful down the stretch. Read More

BERKELEY — Allen Crabbe has joined an exclusive Cal club that seems to be growing every March. The junior guard won Pac-12 Conference Player of the Year on Monday after leading the league in scoring. He is the seventh Cal player and third in the last four years to win the conference’s most prestigious award, joining Jason Kidd (1994), Shareef Abdur-Rahim (1996), Ed Gray (1997), Sean Lampley (2001), Jerome Randle (2010) and Jorge Gutierrez (2012). Read More

BERKELEY — Cal men’s basketball coach Mike Montgomery was reprimanded by the Pac-12 Conference on Monday for shoving one of his own players in the chest during a game. The conference did not announce what specific punishment Montgomery received for his actions Sunday night, although he will not be suspended. Read More

BERKELEY — Within eight days, the Cal men’s basketball team knocked off two top-10 opponents and now the Bears are suddenly contenders for an NCAA Tournament berth in March. With victories over No. 9 Arizona and No. 23 Oregon, the Bears (14-9, 6-5 Pac-12 Conference) now have two signature wins and they will get a chance to further bolster their résumé when another Pac-12 heavywight, UCLA (18-6, 8-3), storms into Haas Pavilion tonight. Read More