Chants of "ACC" broke out during points of Sunday night's matchup at Galen Center and eventually a collection of Cal fans were politely asked to make their way for the exits following the evening contest, but the excitement was warranted for Bears fans following an exciting game in Los Angeles.
Cal and USC are no longer in the same conference, but the matchup felt familiar throughout the evening Sunday. The Bears (3-1) entered the game looking to bounce back from a road loss to Vanderbilt earlier in the week that they played without their head coach on the bench as Madsen stayed home in the Bay Area to be with his family following the birth of his fifth child.
The Bears turned the ball over 20 times in that game and at times looked like a team needing their head coach. Madsen was back on the sideline Sunday evening, and with him was the tenacity you expect from the coach nicknamed Mad Dog.
The lead changed 13 times over the course of Sunday's game, but an adjustment to go to a bigger lineup over the final stretch paid off for Madsen and his team leading to a 71-66 victory over the Trojans.
Cal has been alternating forwards BJ Omot and and Joshua Ola-Joseph in the starting lineup each game, but Madsen opted to play both down the stretch of Sunday's matchup. Getting the 6-foot-8 Omot and 6-foot-7 Ola-Joseph on the floor allowed the Bears to create some favorable matchups on both ends of the floor.
The added length also led to several key plays in the final minutes including big rebounds from Ola-Joseph and Andrej Stojakovic.
Omot hit a corner 3-pointer to put the Cal up 2 points with 4:54 to play sparking an 8-2 run to close out the game for the Bears allowing them to dispatch the Trojans (3-1).
"BJ Omot has been huge," Madsen said. "You know, he can shoot off the catch or the dribble. The first time at Cal, probably about two or three months ago, we're scrimmaging and he crosses people over and takes a step-back 3 from like 25, 28 feet and it goes in. I thought, OK, that's a luck shot.
"But then he's done it time and time and time again. He has that shot. It's a good shot for him, and it's a shot that we can go to late clock if needed."
Ola-Joseph has made two starts but has hit some rough patches at times early this season, but he put together his best performance of the year Sunday. The Minnesota transfer tied a season-high with 6 points and more than doubled his season total with 7 rebounds against the Trojans.
The junior, who totaled only 3 rebounds through the first three games, impacted the game in a variety of ways over his 16 minutes on the floor and Madsen credited Ola-Joseph with changing the course of Sunday's contest.
"He gave such a spark. He had great energy. He got huge rebounds. He made shots," Madsen said. "… He’s been a true professional in terms of just putting in the work. Nutrition, extra work on the court, phenomenal in the classroom. So, he's been a great, tremendous addition to this team."
While the Bears received a spark from their big lineup with Omot and Ola-Joseph down the stretch, it was their leaders who carried the load for most of the night. Stojakovic (20 points) and point guard Jovan Blacksher (19) continue to guide the offensive production for the Bears, and they made several key plays throughout Sunday's victory.
Blacksher did most of his heavy lifting in the first half with 18 points through the first 20 minutes while Stojakovic was able to contribute in a variety of ways on both ends of the floor including having a key block in the final seconds.
"Someone who puts winning above everything else," Madsen said of Blacksher, who hit four 3-pointers in the game. "The floor general out there. Sometimes I'm out there calling plays, signaling in things, and you can't hear sometimes in such a great environment as the Galen Center here at USC, and Jovan knows exactly where to put people on the court."
Stojakovic has become Cal's emotional leader this season in his first year with the Bears following his transfer from Stanford. His exuberance has helped the Bears build an identity, and that was again on display Sunday night.
"Andrej is a heck of a player," Blacksher said. "We need him to keep showing his emotion, keep being aggressive and do what he does."
The Bears finished Sunday's game with 13 turnovers and played much cleaner than the last time out against the Commodores earlier in the week. Protecting the ball was a big focus for Cal following its first loss of the season, and Madsen appreciated how his players responded to their first bit of adversity this week.
"We really had three or four strong days of practice, some great film sessions, where the players were really talking amongst themselves, watching the film, making corrections," Madsen said about the bounce-back performance Sunday night following the loss to Vanderbilt. "And, that's just great to see because that means it's a player-led team."
The Bears return home to host the Cal Classic beginning with Air Force on Thursday.
