(03-16) 21:36 PDT — Cal sophomore forward Ryan Anderson had to rush from the Staples Center to catch a flight Thursday after the Bears lost 88-66 to UCLA in the Pac-10 tournament, but he found the time to make one heart-felt statement.
“It will be a huge disappointment if we have to sit at home and see other teams continue to play,” he said. “To play in a postseason tournament would be huge, experience-wise. We can learn what it feels like and come back hard next year.”
Instead of sitting at home during the postseason, Anderson and his teammates will be playing at home after accepting a bid Sunday to play in the National Invitational Tournament. The Bears (16-15) earned a No. 4 regional seed and will play New Mexico (24-8) at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Haas Pavilion.
Tickets will go sale at 8:30 a.m. today via calbears.com and through the Cal ticket office at (800) 462-3277. The winner of the Cal-New Mexico game will play the Ohio State-North Carolina Asheville winner on a date between Thursday and next Monday at a site to be determined.
“College basketball has become extremely competitive, so to be in the postseason is a huge opportunity,” Cal coach Ben Braun said. “I don’t think you should ever look at the NIT as a consolation. We’re looking at it as a great opportunity to extend our season, especially after having been through so many tough games.”

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