The close of week three of the college basketball season brings the week four college basketball rankings for your perusal. The Associated Press released their Week 4 rankings and dropped Cal to No. 24. The Bears had an up and down week and it cost them in the rankings. They opened with a win over Georgia, but were then clobbered by the now No. 13 Missouri Tigers in the CBE Classic Final. They rebounded with a strong home win over Denver.
The Bears are the early favorite in the Pac-12, which finds itself in a bit of a down year through the early portion of non-conference play. Arizona is receiving 15 votes and Stanford is receiving 3 votes. Had the Cardinal held on to defeat the now No. 4 Syracuse Orange, they very well might be in the Top 25. Oregon State also had a shot at moving up in the receiving votes category, but a Monday loss to No. 20 Vanderbilt cost them.
Cal opens the week on Monday with a home game against McNeese State before traveling to San Diego for a tough matchup with the San Diego State Aztecs. Following their loss to Missouri, this is the Bears next big test on the young season.
For more on Cal basketball, check out California Golden Blogs.