When Cal basketball needs someone to pick them up, the last three years it's generally Jorge Gutierrez who has been directing the march. Jorge had another excellent performance for Cal, shooting 8 of 17 from the field, nailing all nine of his free throws on his way to 25 points, dishing six assists, grabbing five rebounds, getting four steals, and putting up a block shot as well to lead the California Golden Bears to the second round of the NIT over the challenging Ole Miss Rebels.
Allen Crabbe added 20 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals, a pale and sick Harper Kamp contributed a gutty 11 points, and Richard Solomon grabbed 10 rebounds starting for the injured Markhuri Sanders-Frison, who is likely out for the year with a shoulder injury. Chris Warren had a yeoman's effort with 23 points and five three pointers to become Ole Miss's all time leading scorer, but shot a pedestrian 8 of 19 from the field to get to that point. Zach Graham contributed 17 points in support.
Cal now moves onto face the Colorado Buffaloes in the second round in Boulder Friday night on ESPNU. For more coverage on the game, go to the California Golden Blogs (Cal) and Red Cup Rebellion (Ole Miss) for further analysis.