Since Andrej Stojakovic has been out due to a hip injury, Cal and head coach Mark Madsen have leaned heavily on a three-guard lineup of veteran transfer Jovan Blacksher Jr., shooting guard DJ Campbell, and electrifying freshman Jeremiah Blacksher. And although it has been a rotational necessity due to the absence of their leading scorer, who also happens to be a 6-foot-7 wing, it’s been equal parts successful and unsuccessful.

The Bears are 2-2 in the four games Stojakovic has been out, and in those four games this three-guard lineup has yielded the highest of highs and also the lowest of lows. The philosophy behind the lineup is simple: put the best players on the court and let them make plays, regardless of size or fit.

And in Cal’s two wins, that philosophy has certainly triumphed. In the win versus Florida State, Wilkinson led all Bears with 18 points and Campbell came through down the stretch by going flawless from the free-throw line. In the overtime thriller against Miami, the trio combined for 63 of Cal’s 98 points with Wilkinson earning a new career high of 30.

So in theory and practice, this three-guard lineup has the potential to be lethal on offense with the guards taking turns based on who has the hot hand. There was even some high-IQ basketball between the guards with Madsen calling guard-to-guard high pick-and-rolls to great success in the clutch of both wins during this stretch. They used the play to get Wilkinson downhill into the paint and the result was either a layup or two free throws.