Solomon ruled ineligible

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BERKELEY -- The California men's basketball team has announced that sophomore big man Richard Solomon -- who was earlier suspended for two games due to an undisclosed violation -- has been ruled academically ineligible for the remainder of the 2011-12 season.

"Academics are a priority," said head coach Mike Montgomery. "We hope that Richard can get his grades right, and rejoin the team, next year."

The Bears forward started in eight of the 13 games he appeared in, and was slowly coming back from a foot injury, coming on in relief of big men David Kravish and Harper Kamp in recent games. Solomon averaged 6.0 ppg, and 6.2 rpg. Solomon had recently returned from a foot injury that sidelined him for the first two games of the Pac-12 season.

Cal (15-4, 5-1 Pac-12) heads to the Pacific Northwest with first place in the Pac-12 on the line as the Bears face Washington (11-6, 4-1) in a 5:30 p.m. PT game at the Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle, Wash. on Thursday, Jan. 19. Cal then heads to the Palouse to take on Washington State (9-8, 1-4) in a 3 p.m. PT game on Saturday, Jan. 21, at Beasley Coliseum, in Pullman, Wash.