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At some level, it probably doesn't matter. What made the incident an incident, so to speak, was the reaction of Cal's Jorge Gutierrez. He wigged out. Had he not -- had he let whatever happened on the Arizona bench roll off, had he laughed it off and ran back into the play, and so on -- whatever happened or didn't happen, minor though it may (or may not!) have been, would be far less worthy of our attention.

Anyway, in case you missed it Thursday night, in the midst of Cal's eventual 78-74 home loss to Arizona, Gutierrez chased a loose ball down and landed precariously on Arizona's bench. As the besuited coaches seated on the sideline sort of scrambled out of the way, one coach, former Cal, now-Arizona assistant Joe Pastnernack seemed to strongly dislike Gutierrez's chosen collision course. He flailed his legs at the Cal guard and, according to Gutierrez (via teammate Harper Kamp after the game), said something that Gutierrez didn't like one bit. On the video, it certainly looks like Pasternack is displeased at Gutierrez's incursion into the bench. He looks rather angry as he flails his legs about. (I can't find a legal copy of the video highlights, but just look around. They're out there.)

Does that mean he said something, or intentionally tried to kick the Cal guard? No. Does it mean Gutierrez was making a bigger deal of it than it really was in the hopes of pumping himself and/or his teammates into a motivational frenzy? Maybe? Maybe not? Given Pasternack's face and Gutierrez's reaction, it's hard not to think something went awry. But it's really hard to say exactly what.

In the end, it didn't matter much. Arizona coach Sean Miller stepped in and handled Gutierrez without reacting in an obviously negative manner. Cal coach Mike Montgomery came to midcourt to confer his own advice about the situation. Neither team was penalized for the mini fracas, and it didn't really affect the game going forward. Cal had already been closing Arizona's second-half lead when Gutierrez went flying at the 4:46 mark; the Bears continued to their streak after things calmed down. In the end, it didn't hurt, but it didn't help: Cal went on to tie the game at 72-72 with 3:43 remaining, but ended up losing in the final moments all the same.

Great win for Arizona, but Cal may remember it as the one that got away. The Bears lost a home game to a team that was 5-4 and struggling mightily at times in Pac-12 play, and they did it just as Washington has emerged as a co-conference contender with another big win (this one over UCLA) Thursday night. Meanwhile, the Pac-12 as a whole needed a dominant league performance from Cal; without it, it's hard to argue this league has any signal that will rightfully deserve at-large bids come March. The conference favorite's home loss to Arizona won't help that impression.

The Pac-12 only gets more convoluted and confusing with each passing week, but the conference power rankings, like any good Broadway show, must go on. Here's my latest attempt to make sense of this muddled West Coast landscape as the Pac-12 prepares to commence league play this week. (Spoiler alert: The Pac-12 is bad.)

1. Stanford: Surprised? So am I. After all, Stanford's only result since last week's rankings was a 71-66 home loss to Butler, which came after the Cardinal allowed the offensively bereft Bulldogs to streak to a downright shocking 45-point second-half. Considering Stanford has no great wins, and much of its early ranking hinged on that close contest with Syracuse in November, you'd think Johnny Dawkins' team would take a tumble in the conference power rankings. When I sat down to write these rankings, I didn't think Stanford stood any chance of staying in the top spot. But as you dig in to the rest of this league, you realize that Cal remains the only other contender for this spot, and I find it difficult to move Stanford below the Bears when Mike Montgomery's squad was so thoroughly trounced by UNLV last week. So Stanford remains. Someone has to be No. 1, I guess.

2. California: The Bears may well be the best team in this league. Ken Pomeroy's advanced metrics indicate as much. But Cal isn't doing anything to inspire confidence that its efficiency in wins over inferior opponents can be replicated against top competition. Consider Friday's drubbing at UNLV. The Bears entered Friday's game having outscored their last four opponents 301-189. Then, in Vegas, Montgomery's squad looked absolutely dreadful -- stagnant offensively, weak defensively and arguably timid in many respects -- as the Rebels blitzed for 40 minutes en route to an 85-68 blowout. This was Cal's second game against a ranked opponent. Its first, against Missouri, ended 92-53. Add it all up, and you get a team that has 10 wins against inferior opponents, one forgivable one-point road loss to San Diego State, and two absolute blowouts at the hands of top competition. So, yeah, maybe Cal is the best team in this league. But if they only look good against bad teams, what does "good" even mean, anyway?

3. Arizona: The Wildcats didn't do much last week, but they'll hold steady at No. 3 if only because they didn't lose. Rather, Zona got past a tricky Oakland team at home and put 100 points on Bryant two nights later, and that -- plus their promising if uneven performances throughout the nonconference schedule -- doesn't offer any obvious reason to move them below any of the teams that follow.

4. Oregon State: OSU is now tied for the best record in this conference, with its 10-2 mark matched only by Stanford. And that record isn't all fluff, either: A Nov. 19 win against Texas might in fact be the best nonconference win the league has (as sad as that is). But since Dec. 9's home loss to Idaho, Oregon's State's four wins have come against Illinois-Chicago, Howard, Portland State and, this week, Chicago State. Those are some of the worst opponents in Division I hoops. For that reason, it's hard to trust that gaudy record, not until the Beavers can test this apparent improvement against someone ranked higher than No. 230 (that would be Portland State) in the Pomeroy rankings.

5. Oregon: The Ducks notched three wins in three days last week, but all three (NC Central, Prairie View A&M, Stephen F. Austin) were cupcakes. Meanwhile, last week's missed opportunity -- when Oregon let Virginia escape from Matthew Knight Arena with a second-half comeback win -- is still a cause for concern. Given Dana Altman's track record as a coach, and the way he got the maximum from his first team in Eugene last season, it's fair to expect some improvement in Pac-12 play. But the Ducks still have a long way to go.

6. Washington: The Huskies looked much sharper in a home win over Cal-State Northridge last Thursday, but really, there's nothing new to report here. The Huskies still look like the most talented team in this league. They should still be considered a favorite to contend for the regular-season crown. Unfortunately, they're still maddeningly inconsistent, confused about their offensive roles, defensively porous and, to paraphrase Washington coach Lorenzo Romar's words, missing that distinct, hard-to-define chemistry all good teams must develop before they can become more than sum of their parts. The talent here is undeniable, but league play starts this week, so the clock is already ticking. This could go either way. We'll see.

7. Washington State: The lack of movement in these rankings is the theme of the week, and Ken Bone's team is no different. The Cougars are getting decent play out of senior guard Faisal Aden and aggressive interior work from junior forward Brock Motum, but they remain sloppy and turnover-prone and have spent their December racking up five wins against decidedly inferior competition. This team isn't bad, per se. But we can't exactly call it good, either.

8. UCLA: If you can't always tell by my tone, yours truly tends to get a little frustrated when teams spend huge stretches of their nonconference schedule toasting cupcake teams. Go out and play somebody, you know? But UCLA's December of inferior competition couldn't have come at a better time. After a November that featured blowout home losses to Middle Tennessee and Loyola Marymount, a disastrous trip to the Maui Invitational and the eventual dismissal of forward Reeves Nelson, UCLA needed some comfortable, confidence-inspiring victories, and it appears to be paying dividends. At the very least, this record -- 2-5 through a Dec. 3 loss to Texas -- is back above .500 in time for the start of Pac-12 play. We don't know if UCLA is actually better, or just beating up on bad teams, but either way, it doesn't really matter. This is why (or at least partially why) coaches schedule so many cupcakes. Sometimes, your team just needs a few wins.

9. USC: Unlike most of the Pac-12, USC actually had an important fixture on its calendar last week, a date with Kansas at the Galen Center in LA. And USC was essentially USC. The Trojans played a slow-paced game and held KU to 63 points, a product of the rapacious defense Kevin O'Neill's team has played so often this season. The only problem with this, of course, is that SC just can't score. The Trojans scored a mere 45 points against the Jayhawks. They rank No. 245 in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency. You should expect O'Neill's squad to stifle more than a few of their Pac-12 opponents in the coming months, and they'll no doubt steal a few wins against allegedly superior squads between now and March. But this putrid offense is like an invisible ceiling. Without at least some offensive output -- something, anything! -- this team can only go so far.

10. Colorado: The Buffaloes' 7-4 record is better than the Trojans' and Bruins' and the Huskies'. So why does Tad Boyle's team still rank so low in this league? Because unlike those teams, the Buffs don't do any one thing particularly well. For the sake of brevity, Colorado is average offensively and awful defensively. I wouldn't be surprised if this team shows real improvement in the weeks to come, but with per-possession numbers this pedestrian, I'm hesitant to make that prediction.

11. Arizona State: If Herb Sendek didn't have more pressing things to worry about -- namely, how to get his apparently awful team moving in a positive direction -- he could some spend time lavishing everyone responsible for bringing Utah to the Pac-12 (conference commissioner Larry Scott, Utes brass, even Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany) with gifts. For yet another week, only Utah's near-historical ineptitude is keeping this Sun Devils squad out of the power rankings cellar. In any other season, we'd look at this team -- now 4-8 with three straight home losses to Northern Arizona, Southern Miss and Fresno State -- as the "worst power-conference team in the country" contender it would have been. Either way, Arizona State is in a bad way, and if the current trend continues into league competition, the nascent questions about the "future of the program" (read: Sendek's job security) will only grow more vociferous.

12. Utah: And then there's Utah. (Last week, I tried on a few alternate, Utah-related headlines for this column. But I think "And then there's Utah" might be our winner.) The good news first: The Utes topped Idaho State and Portland two weeks ago. Wins are wins. The bad news? Both teams are ranked outside the top 225 or so teams in the nation in adjusted efficiency. Even worse, Larry Krystkowiak's team followed those meager signs of progress with an 80-51 road loss to Weber State, a thrashing at the hands of a team that, for reference's sake, lost by 20 to Cal. In the meantime, the 3-9 Utes are ranked No. 316 in the country in adjusted efficiency; the list of teams in their statistical vicinity (The Citadel, Radford, Mount St. Mary's, Texas Pan-American, et al.) is comprised those for whom a trip to the NCAA tournament play-in game is a basketball season's ultimate hope. This is some historically bad basketball coming from Salt Lake City. With Pac-12 play commencing this week, where do the Utes go from here? I don't know. But it could be fascinating to behold.

Cal is one of the top teams in the Pac-12, featuring an experienced lineup and a 10-2 record heading into its showdown this week with a ranked UNLV team. For the Bears, it's a huge game with postseason implications because they'll need a win to improve their NCAA tournament résumé.

As life goes in the Pac-12, teams that fall short of winning the conference tournament and capturing an automatic bid into the NCAAs could find it a struggle to make cases for at-large bids based upon some poor nonconference results.

Just ask Cal coach Mike Montgomery.

"It's just put a lot of pressure on I think everybody in the league because when everybody was winning and everybody was ranked, you're saying, 'Man, we could finish in fifth and get in and that's great,'" he said Tuesday. "It's not that way right now. We've already made our bed, and now teams are going to have to finish up very strong to have a chance I think. Obviously the conference tournament winner goes, but after that, I think all bets are off."

The Pac-12 isn't necessarily a one-bid conference, as the regular-season champion has traditionally found its way into the tournament along with the conference tournament champ. Cal should know that as much as any team because the Bears were given at at-large bid in 2010 after making it to the Pac-10 tournament title game and losing. They went on to defeat Louisville in the NCAAs.

But what if the regular-season champ wins the Pac-12 tournament? Things could get interesting with preseason favorite UCLA suffering embarrassing losses, Washington also falling to .500 and Arizona starting slow with four losses of its own. Stanford has looked good with its lone loss to Syracuse, and the Cardinal face another test at home against Butler this week. Oregon State has gotten off to a good start, but still needs to prove it can hang tough through the conference schedule.

"Every time you start to identify a team, it seems like they stumble, so then you're not really sure," Montgomery said. "I think everybody is capable. I don't think there is anybody that is head-and-shoulders better than anybody else. I think there are six teams probably that have a legitimate chance to compete for the top 1-2-3 spots over 18 games. I think everybody probably feels vulnerable that they could lose to anybody else. Obviously with some of the games that the league has lost, it's going to put a lot of pressure to finish up toward the top because that's what you're going to have to do I think to have a chance to play in the tournament."

Cal coach Mike Montgomery provided some unintended bulletin-board material for San Diego State before the two teams met on Sunday.

From the North County Times.

Earlier in the week, Montgomery offered motivation for the Aztecs to play harder when he said, "It's still a big deal for them to play us, the Pac-12, too."

Montgomery's team was greeted by a raucous student section at the sold out Viejas Arena. One student held a sign that stated "We're kind of a big deal."

Never mind the line from "Anchorman" because San Diego State is a big deal. After beating Cal and previously beating Arizona, the Aztecs have now defeated two ranked Pac-12 teams.

Despite reaching the Sweet 16 in March, it had been uncertain what the Aztecs would look like this season after four starters departed. But the lone returner, Chase Tapley, has stepped forward to lead the team and average 17.2 points. He scored 25 against Cal and hit the free throws to seal the win.

Jamaal Franklin, after serving a suspension for an offseason arrest, has come off the bench to average 15.3 points. LSU transfer Garrett Green, a late offseason pickup, has started every game and leads the team averaging 7.4 rebounds. Washington State transfer Xavier Thames is averaging 12.4 points.

So Montgomery was stating facts when he said of the Aztecs program, "They're really good. They've kind of found a niche in that they get kickbacks. They almost recruit to get guys that are bounce-backs." Thames, one of the transfers Montgomery had noted, told reporters after the game the remarks provided a little bit of motivation and that coach Steve Fisher had talked to the team about them.

But what San Diego State should really be judged on is its 8-2 record and building on its success from a year ago when it very well could have been rebuilding instead.

"We absolutely are (proud)," Fisher said in his postgame radio interview. "I am also realistic enough to know that if you look back at the games, and the closeness of those games, they could have gone (the other way), but they didn't. To our credit, our kids' credit, 8-2 is well deserved and very much hard-fought."

In a media day monologue that included details of his cancer scare along with humor both dark and self-deprecating, Cal coach Mike Montgomery made one glaring comment while describing the state of his team that was omitted from the Pac-12's detailed official transcript.

"Richard Solomon is no longer a freshman, although sometimes we have to check," Montgomery said half-jokingly. "But he's made great progress and has great upside."

It was an honest, little jab at the maturity level of a 6-foot-10 forward talented enough to have played major minutes as a freshman and earned a tryout to USA Basketball's Under-19 world championship team this summer. Solomon showed improvements this season while taking over a starting job, averaging 6.0 points and 7.3 rebounds, leading the team in boards.

But after being suspended indefinitely for conduct that Montgomery deemed detrimental to university and athletic department values, Solomon has left the No. 23 Bears a big question mark heading into Sunday's intriguing game at San Diego State.

Cal (6-1) uses a strong three-guard rotation with Jorge Gutierrez, Allen Crabbe and Brandon Smith with high-scoring Justin Cobbs coming off the bench. But alongside forward Harper Kamp, the Bears are thin in the frontcourt without Solomon.

The attention now centers around freshman David Kravish, who has impressed in the early going, averaging 4.7 points and 5.1 rebounds despite an obvious need to eventually add muscle to his 6-foot-9, 210-pound frame. Bak Bak and former walk-on Robert Thurman haven't received major minutes.

Cal seems to be the Pac-12 favorite after UCLA and Arizona dropped out of the rankings. A 39-point loss to Missouri in the CBE Classic was a definite sign that the Bears remain a work in progress. Solomon's suspension doesn't help, but a brief benching could provide a wake-up call for the talented sophomore and give Kravish a chance to shine.

For now, there's some growing up to be done.

"We expect our student-athletes to adhere to a high standard of behavior," Montgomery said in a statement. "In this particular instance, that was not the case."

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A few months before the start of the season, a poll in the Kansas City Star indicated that 78 percent of Missouri fans wanted first-year coach Frank Haith to be fired.

It might be time to take another vote.

Because if what happened at this week’s CBE Classic is any indication, the Tigers could be poised for one of their most successful seasons in recent memory. A lofty perch in the national rankings, a Big 12 championship and a deep run in the NCAA tournament ... all of it seemed possible as the final horn sounded in Missouri’s 92-53 title-game victory over 18th-ranked Cal at the Sprint Center.

“I’m surprised by that score,” Haith said.

And he certainly wasn’t alone.

Even with a veteran team that won 23 games last season, no one expected Haith’s imprint to be this visible this fast. Most programs that endure coaching changes take a step back before they take a step forward. In Columbia, though, the Tigers have pressed a button and taken off like the Millennium Falcon -- at light speed.

After this week it may be time to catapult the No. 21 Tigers into the top 10. They were that good.

“This is the best I’ve felt in my four years here, because this is the most selfless team I’ve played on,” said senior guard Kim English, who led Mizzou with 19 points. “We’re all buying into the process.”

That’s a credit to Haith, who wasn’t exactly greeted with flowers and candy by Missouri fans when he was hired in March to replace Mike Anderson. Haith led Miami to just one NCAA tournament berth in seven seasons. And in August, his name was linked to former Miami booster Nevin Shapiro, who allegedly provided impermissible benefits to a number of Hurricanes athletes, including at least one basketball player.

But none of those things -- or the loss of standout forward Laurence Bowers to an ACL injury -- has had an effect on Haith, whose Tigers appear to be in midseason form after just five games, which included an 87-58 beatdown of Notre Dame on Monday night.

“Things just clicked,” said Haith, whose team improved to 5-0. “We’ve got a veteran team with older guys, but it can go either way with older guys. They can be stubborn because they’ve been used to doing things a certain way for a long period of time. Or they can have the poise and understanding to buy in.

“Our guys have really bought in and shown great leadership.”

Indeed.

On offense, especially in the half-court, Missouri is operating with a plan and structure that seemed missing at times in past seasons. The Tigers are getting outstanding shots because they’re taking pride in making the extra pass, even if it means passing up a wide-open, 10-foot jumper for an assist to a teammate streaking toward the paint for an easy layup. Missouri shot 58.8 percent from the field Tuesday.

The Tigers are also using a menacing defense to generate points, which was a trademark under Anderson. Only now, instead of employing a full-court press for large chunks of the game, MU has stepped up its half-court defense. Any time an opponent coughs up the ball -- the Tigers scored 23 points off turnovers against Cal -- or misses a shot, the Tigers capitalize thanks to a four-guard lineup that beats everyone down the court for an easy bucket.

Not many teams in the country will boast as much speed and athleticism as Missouri, and there might not be any school that will have as many high-level ball-handlers on the court at the same time. The situation completely overwhelmed Notre Dame in the CBE semifinal. And against Cal ... well, at times it didn’t even seem fair.

And remember, this wasn’t just some run-of-the-mill Golden Bears squad. Mike Montgomery’s team entered Tuesday’s game with a national ranking and a reputation as the best team in the Pac-12.

“I’d be naive to think that’s going to happen every night,” Haith said of the lopsided score. “We just played really, really well.”

As good as things went this week in Kansas City, the Tigers are far from satisfied. They know one of their main weaknesses is a lack of size, with Ricardo Ratliffe and Steve Moore, who scored a career-high 10 points Tuesday, being the only true post players. Long, athletic teams could give Missouri more trouble than Notre Dame and Cal, who were physically overmatched.

Still, none of that seemed to matter as the Tigers paraded off the Sprint Center court carrying the CBE Classic championship trophy. Haith pumped his fist, fans dangled their hands over the railing for high-fives and players whooped and hollered as they trotted toward the tunnel to the locker room.

After a tumultuous offseason, things are looking good for Frank Haith and Mizzou.

Perhaps better than anyone -- even the Tigers themselves -- could’ve expected.

BERKELEY, Calif. -- Cal guard Brandon Smith said his teammates felt slighted when the media failed to pick the Bears as the Pac-12 preseason favorites, using whatever scrap of disrespect they could find as motivation.

The Bears finished second in the voting to UCLA, which subsequently got embarrassed at home by mid-major teams in its first two games and suspended its top scorer indefinitely. Meanwhile, Cal has beaten its first three opponents by an average of 21 points.

After a 72-55 win Tuesday against Ohio Valley Conference preseason favorite Austin Peay that saw the Bears lead by 29 points at one point, they spoke of continuing on in the CBE Classic and spreading the word that No. 22 Cal is indeed for real.

“We get to play some top teams, and we’re looking forward to the opportunity to show the nation what we’ve got,” said Smith, whose team heads to Kansas City to play Georgia and then either Missouri or Notre Dame. “The ranking, to us, doesn’t matter much. It’s a just a number by our name. We’re out to show what Cal basketball is all about.”

It was only two seasons ago when confetti floated down from the rafters at Haas Pavilion with Cal having clinched its first conference title in 50 years. After a transition year last season that went better than expected with a short-handed team, Jorge Gutierrez, Allen Crabbe and Harper Kamp have hopes of winning it again.

“We look at that [second-place Pac-12 pick], and anything we can do to get a chip on our shoulder is good,” said Kamp, who sat out the season injured the last time Cal won the title. “We just have to play like we’re the underdog, and we need to prove ourselves night in, night out.”

The Bears are getting contributions from up and down their roster. Gutierrez scored 14 points and held Austin Peay’s TyShwan Edmondson to four points on 2-for-10 shooting. Smith said when he finds out the opposing team’s best player is a shooting guard and Gutierrez gets to guard him, “I just smile inside.”

Kamp and freshman forward David Kravish, who has impressed in the early going, scored 12 points apiece and took advantage of an Austin Peay frontcourt that was without top rebounder John Fraley, who is out indefinitely with a concussion. Smith scored 11 points and didn’t commit a turnover. The Bears have also gotten good production off the bench from Minnesota transfer Justin Cobbs, who can play both guard positions.

Even on a night when Crabbe struggled and scored five points on 2-for-12 shooting, Cal dominated. The Bears have led by at least 20 at halftime in each of their three games. Austin Peay was held to 13 first-half points. Now Cal has to show it can do it against better competition.

“It will be a bigger challenge for us,” coach Mike Montgomery said.

Cal guard Jorge Gutierrez is a senior now after racking up more floor burns and gutting through more aches and pains than just about anyone on the West Coast. If he were a running back, a commentator might say he loves delivering the hits. His aggressive, blue-collar style doesn't play well with opponents, and really, he doesn't care.

So in advance of tonight's season opener, Gutierrez sent a bit of a warning out to opposing players who think they might be able to come into Haas Pavilion and push him around.

From the Oakland Tribune:

"At first, I thought I didn't belong here," Gutierrez said while sitting in a hallway at Haas Pavilion. "But now it's my house. This is my court, and you play the way I want you to play."

Few in college basketball play the way Gutierrez does. He attacks the game, enjoys playing defense, backs down from no one and is concerned only with winning.

"Everybody wants guys like Jorge," said coach Mike Montgomery, who made Gutierrez his first recruit in the spring of 2008 after watching him for 10 minutes in a pickup game. "If I could get eight Jorges in different sizes, you know you'd win because he's a tremendous competitor."

In other words, do not mess with Gutierrez, who is quiet yet thoughtful with the media while a complete pest for anyone on the court not wearing Cal colors. Just ask Kansas.

In any case, he's one of Montgomery's all-time favorites, as the coach said last month at Pac-12 media day.

"It's a pleasure that any coach in our conference or any coach in the country to coach a young man like Jorge who comes to play every day, gives you what he has," Montgomery said. "Just one of the toughest kids I've ever coached.

"One of the questions asked earlier was, 'Who is your favorite player?' I've got a bunch of them, and generally for the same reasons, Jorge would be on that list."

The Big Three of Allen Crabbe, Jorge Gutierrez and Harper Kamp kicked off Cal's schedule with an exhibition win against UC San Diego on Wednesday, and surprisingly, it wasn't any of them who led the team in scoring.

That honor went to Minnesota transfer Justin Cobbs, the sophomore point guard who came off the bench to score 17 points and dish out four assists without committing a turnover in 25 minutes. As freshman Golden Gopher, Cobbs averaged 2.1 points. In this game, he played more minutes than starter Brandon Smith, meaning he at the very least will provide some good depth in the backcourt.

"Justin had a really good game, and he deserved to be on the floor," Cal coach Mike Montgomery told reporters. "It’s a just a matter of finding people that are producing."

Last week at Pac-12 media day, Montgomery described Cobbs as a strong and explosive player who needed to play more consistently without losing focus so he could limit his mistakes. His strength is his versatility to play either guard position, and Cobbs told reporters after the game he could see himself playing point guard and shooting guard.

"Sometimes, Allen is getting it going or Jorge is playing well and I might have to play the one," Cobbs said. "Other times, Brandon might be playing well and I have to move to the two or either or. I'm just out there trying to contribute in any way possible. I feel like I'm more comfortable at the one, but any way possible to contribute."

So on a Cal team that doesn't lack for experience, depth is developing in the year after a short-handed team managed to at least make a postseason tournament. Expectations are high for a team that is now ranked in both polls, and it's Cobbs who might give the Bears another dimension.

Arizona coach Sean Miller planted his flag in Northern California long before coming to San Francisco in May and declaring to boosters that he would prioritize talent in the 2012 and 2013 recruiting classes coming out of the Bay Area that was among the nation's best, adding, "It's going to be an absolute war in recruiting."

The Wildcats had already stocked their recruiting class with Josiah Turner and Nick Johnson, two top recruits who played for the highly-regarded Oakland Soldiers AAU team.

In recent weeks, Richmond, Calif. native Dominic Artis gave his commitment to UCLA and top-10 national recruit Brandon Ashley from Oakland declared the seven finalists for his services, including Arizona, Oregon and UCLA. Previously, City College of San Francisco junior college transfer De'End Parker gave his verbal commitment to Cal before reneging and choosing UCLA.

Oddly enough, the school that struggled to land Bay Area talent at a time when it is loaded with top recruits is Cal, which has one scholarship player from the Bay Area on its current roster. But why isn't Berkeley more of a destination for the locals?

That's the question the Bay Citizen wondered about and got this quote from Bears coach Mike Montgomery, who is entering his fourth season with the program.

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. -- During last week's EYBL Peach Jam, ESPN.com surveyed 15 head coaches on a range of topics. Here are their responses on a topic involving their fellow coaches.

Who is the smartest coach in college basketball right now?

Rick Barnes, Texas: “I don’t know if I can name one guy.’’

Mark Fox, Georgia: Mike Krzyzewski. “He’s on a different level than everyone else. Conceptually, philosophically he’s just ahead of everyone else.’’

Darrin Horn, South Carolina: Tom Izzo. “His consistency and to do what he’s done at a place that isn’t Kansas or UCLA, with 50 years of amazing tradition, that’s just incredible.’’

Ben Howland, UCLA: Brad Stevens and Jamie Dixon. “He looks pretty darned smart to do what he’s done. And Jamie’s winning percentage at Pittsburgh is incredible.’’

Bob Huggins, West Virginia: John Calipari. “I cannot understand how he can have all these things going on and still be as good as he is. Who can do that? To be involved in all he’s involved in, that’s incredible. I don’t think anyone realizes what a great job he’s done the past two years basically starting over with a new team. And he’ll do it again this year and still be good.’’

Tom Izzo, Michigan State: Mark Fox. “I watch what he’s been able to do with his program and I’m really impressed. His demeanor, the way he runs his program and handles his players. I think he’s a really great young coach.’’

Kerry Keating, Santa Clara: Jim Calhoun. “Whoever won the last championship has to be the smartest guy because he figured it out. We are all only as good and as smart as our last game. Plus, Coach Calhoun was smart enough to recruit Kemba.’’

Phil Martelli, Saint Joseph’s: Jim Boeheim. “I don’t think people appreciate how well he knows the game. You could ask him the top freshmen right now and he could tell you. He really studies the game.’’

Fran McCaffery, Iowa: John Calipari. “He’s so innovative, off and on the court.’’

Josh Pastner, Memphis: Mike Krzyzewski. “He takes everyone’s best shot every night and he never wavers. The teams that they’re supposed to beat by a large margin, they beat by a large margin. To be up like that all the time just speaks volumes to the level of motivation he gives that team.’’

Rick Pitino, Louisville: Mike Krzyzewski. “He’s the most experienced and no matter what the situation, he never panics.’’

Mark Turgeon, Maryland: Kevin Stallings. “He’s a very intelligent guy and an excellent coach.’’

Bruce Weber, Illinois: Tom Izzo and Roy Williams. “They both run competitive programs. They recruit kids that graduate. They win championships and they have good reputations.’’

Roy Williams, North Carolina: Mike Montgomery and Mike Krzyzewski. “I think Mike Montgomery is pretty darned sharp and I have no problem saying that I think Mike Krzyzewski is, too.’’

Jay Wright, Villanova: Mike Krzyzewski. “He’s got it all. He’s a great X’s and O’s coach. He has the personality. He’s a great motivator and he develops his players.’’

The barely visible mid-court stripe at Matthew Knight Arena might become a little more easy to see beginning next season.

According to The Oregonian, school officials have had discussions with the NCAA and Pac-10 regarding making the line more visible where the line meets the sidelines.

Kirk Reynolds, vice president for public affairs for the Pac-10, said the league has been involved in the discussions.

"We have had some conversations with Oregon about possible adjustments to the mid-court line to help with officiating, but nothing has been mandated,'' Reynolds said. "If any adjustments are coming they won't be made until next season.''

If the line were to become more defined, that would likely please some other coaches in the conference. After his team played on Matt Court last week, Cal coach Mike Montgomery said the line wasn't even there.

"Well, the center court line has to change," he said. "I mean, there is no center-court line. You got to have something somebody can see -- players and officials."

The comment echoed those from USC coach Kevin O'Neill, whose team played in the first game at Matthew Knight Arena in January.

"They got to put a center line on the floor," O'Neill said afterward. "They need to paint something down there because that's going to be hard for officials to deal with and even players."

Cal coach Mike Montgomery is fed up with the officiating in the Pac-10.

According to Jake's Take On Sports, here's what he said about it on Cal's radio show following Saturday's 75-71 loss to Washington State:

Amid his postgame radio interview Montgomery opined, "I'm about ready to jump off the bridge on this officiating."

He got one technical foul, and nearly got another. "I just as soon they throw me out," Montgomery said.

Montgomery's dealings with the officials reached a boiling point as Cal got swept by the Washington schools on the road.

He had issues with calls that didn't go his way in the Washington State game and after a 32-point loss to Washington two days earlier, the animated coach had this to say to reporters about the Huskies' physical play not always resulting in fouls.

"They don't care. They foul every time at every position and (the refs) aren't going to call it every time. So, ultimately you are going to get down after a while. They are very physical because they are able to play nine guys throughout the game. They just do not care if they foul. They are not going to let you get to the basket."

Ultimately, Montgomery must do whatever he can to protect his players. With top freshman Allen Crabbe missing the Washington State game due to a mild concussion suffered against Washington, the Bears started walk-on Jeff Powers and were down to seven available scholarship players.

Cal has fought through numerous defections and injuries to be currently tied for fifth in the Pac-10. But if the Bears are to return to the NCAA tournament, they'll have to win the conference tournament and things will have to start going Montgomery's way.

BERKELEY, Calif. -- The nasty pileup on the floor featured two players who didn't like each other, some apparent extracurricular elbowing and tempers flaring.

Cal's Jorge Gutierrez was literally dragged away by a teammate and restrained by his coach after a loose ball situation resulted in the feisty Bears guard getting tangled up with Kansas forward Thomas Robinson for a second time.

And out of the scrum, there was Josh Selby trying to calm his teammate down with a bear hug.

"To make sure he keeps his composure," explained Selby, Kansas' freshman sensation.

The Jayhawks ultimately prevailed 78-63 on Thursday at Haas Pavilion in their first true road game of the season to improve to 11-0. In a chippy game that saw KU's leading scorer Marcus Morris get ejected, three technical fouls and Robinson's intentional foul, they learned that there is plenty of room to grow.

"If you're competing, you beat 'em on the scoreboard, not by getting the last word in," Kansas coach Bill Self said. "We have to mature. We don't have a mature team, and we have known that from the beginning. They are competitive, though."

Kansas got big performances off the bench from Markieff Morris, who had a career-high 21 points and 10 rebounds, along with 18 points from Selby, who was masterful with his first-half shooting in only the second game of his career.

But the attention was soon focused on two teams that couldn't keep their hands off each other. Robinson got whistled for an intentional foul on Gutierrez in the first half, and it went from there.

Marcus Morris was ejected with 17:23 left for a flagrant foul of Harper Kamp, with Self agreeing afterward that Morris "got what he deserved." About a minute later, it was Gutierrez and Robinson going at it again and getting called for double technical fouls. Kamp and coach Mike Montgomery pulled Gutierrez out of the pile.

"You have to love Jorge," Montgomery said. "He's the greatest. But he's a stubborn son of a gun. And if you attack him, he's going to come back at you. It's just his nature. It's what makes him so good."

Said Robinson: "It's a physical game. I don't really remember what happened. I went after the ball. He went after the ball."

The incidents only served to fire up Cal, and the Bears were able to whittle a 17-point deficit down to three. But the technical on Gutierrez was also a fourth personal foul, and Kansas was able pull away behind Markieff Morris' dominance inside and Tyrel Reed's career highs of 18 points and seven rebounds.

Self said there's "a great chance" Selby would make his first career start once the Jayhawks return to action next week. The freshman has had the hot hand since coming off an NCAA suspension to sink USC with a game-winning 3-pointer. Against Cal, he finished 6-of-13 from the floor, making three from beyond the arc and also contributing four assists while playing good defense.

"He is a guy that can score when we don't really have a good offense," Self said.

So while Self used words like "disappointed" and "ridiculous" to describe some of his team's antics (Brady Morningstar was later assessed a technical for knocking the ball out of Gary Franklin's hands after a called timeout), the Jayhawks also had plenty of fun wearing their road blues and going at it in front of 11,250.

Kansas fans showered their team with chants and booed Gutierrez on his home court. They got to see Selby light it up and provide a glimpse of what's to come.

Yes, the Jayhawks still have to incorporate their star and have been shaky at times this season even with Selby in uniform.

"We got to be smarter," Reed said. " We've got to keep our cool and be mature about it."

But thus far, Kansas has come out on top in every challenge it has faced and gotten the last laugh.

They were the phone calls heard 'round ... the office. If that.

On Saturday, our own Diamond Leung, alongside Fox Sports, revealed that in 2008 California's men's basketball program self-reported violations to the NCAA Committee on Infractions relating to the number and frequency of phone calls to recruits. According to Fox, coach Mike Montgomery and his staff met went in front of the committee in Indianapolis Friday. Cal told Diamond in a statement that the findings were reported "quickly," and that "internal and external investigations have already concluded that the violations were not intentional."

There are two semi-analytical things that jump out about this story:

1. It's rather remarkable, given the way most NCAA violations stories are immediately and hastily discovered, parsed, chewed up and regurgitated, that this took almost two years to become a thing. If Cal was trying to keep this quiet, it very nearly succeeded. No one found out about this story until Montgomery went in front of the committee. That's a tough thing to keep on the down low, and even then no one knew Montgomery was going to be there until a day after the hearing concluded. Impressive stuff, Cal sports information department. Gold stars all around.

Of course, this might also have to do with the struggles of Cal's hoops team, the lack of national relevance during much of Montgomery's tenure and various other external factors. The Bears aren't exactly Duke, after all. Even so, this seemed to catch pretty much everyone off-guard, even though the violations occurred way back in 2008.

2. More phone call issues? Really? If Cal's description of the situation is accurate -- that staff members make illicit calls accidentally, and that the abuse was reported quickly -- it's unlikely the Bears will face serious NCAA penalties. But that doesn't make the nature of the violations any less silly. Whether it's Kelvin Sampson at Indiana, Bruce Pearl at Tennessee, Jim Calhoun at Connecticut, or the Chattanooga Mocs, college hoops coaches seem incapable of keeping themselves (or their staffs) from pressing "send" more often than is allowed.

Are the phone call rules dumb? Maybe. Are they in any way confusing, complicated or difficult to abide? No. So why does this keep happening?