The California Golden Bears have a rich tradition in college basketball, despite not necessarily being one of the foremost schools coming to mind when thinking on the subject. But the program has contributed to the Conference of (real NCAA) Champions in the form of an NCAA title (see below), so this edition of Pac-12 Friday is a strong one—more so than many of the schools we’ve yet to explore in this space so far. Enjoy!

5. 2016

With 4 future NBA players on the rosters, these Golden Bears posted a 23-11 overall record to finish No. 23 in the Associated Press poll and No. 30 in the national SRS rankings. A 12-6 conference mark earned third place, and Cal reached the league tournament semifinals before losing to 12th-ranked Utah. The Bears were then upset in the first round of March Madness, despite posting a 3-3 record against ranked teams all year.

4. 1959

Although finishing just 11th in the final AP poll, Cal ran the table in the NCAA Tournament to win the national championship—beating 4 ranked teams along the way: No. 18 Utah, No. 15 St. Mary’s, No. 5 Cincinnati, and No. 10 West Virginia. The team’s overall 25-4 record included a 14-2 league mark, earning the Golden Bears first place. The No. 7 SRS finish doesn’t do the accomplishment justice, of course, but …

3. 2010

A surprise team on this list, this Cal roster went 24-11 overall while winning the conference title with a 13-5 mark in league play. Unranked in the polls, the Golden Bears finished No. 15 in the national SRS rankings and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before drawing No. 3-ranked Duke and losing there. That’s why the polls are worthless, of course. This no-name team truly belongs on this list, either way.

2. 1997

This was one of 4 teams this season from the conference to reach the Sweet 16: Cal finished 23-9 overall after losing to No. 4 North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament, and the Golden Bears posted a 12-6 mark to grab third place in the league. The No. 12 SRS ranking nationally captures this team’s ability, while the 5-4 record against ranked teams shows that Cal itself deserved to be ranked … somewhere. But yeah, mediots!

1. 1960

With a 28-2 record, this Cal team defended its national title from the season before quite well: it went 12-1 in conference play to win the title, and the Golden Bears finished No. 3 in the national SRS rankings and No. 2 in the AP poll. After beating Idaho State, Santa Clara, and Oregon to reach the Final Four, Cal then defeated No. 1-ranked Cincinnati before coming up short in the National Final against No. 3 Ohio State.