Cal enters Pac-12 tournament with even-keeled mindset

LAS VEGAS — Cal boasts all the makings of a Pac-12 tournament contender: depth, stingy defense, a hot streak, a senior point guard.

"Every game is win or lose, live or die," said forward Jaylen Brown, whose third-seeded Cal team plays Thursday night against the first-round winner of sixth-seeded Oregon State and 11th-seeded Arizona State.

In 2010-11, his third and final season at Missouri State, Martin shepherded the Bears to the Missouri Valley Conference tournament final.

The eighth-seeded Bears hung close with top-seeded Arizona in the quarterfinals until their fatigue began to show.

Never is such depth more valuable than at the Pac-12 tournament, where a title will require Cal to win three games in three days.

[...] their recent road swing against the Arizona schools offered areas in need of improvement.

Last Thursday, at then-No. 18 Arizona, Cal fumbled away an eight-point lead in the final two minutes.

A second-half eruption from Tyrone Wallace staved off a disappointing loss.

Entering that loss in Tucson, the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year was averaging a team-high 16.9 points per game in conference play on 48.1 percent shooting.

Though Arizona State is out of contention for any meaningful postseason tournament, Oregon State would likely solidify its first NCAA Tournament berth in 26 years with a win over the Sun Devils.