| | Associated Press
BERKELEY, Calif. -- California coach Ben Braun isn't terribly pleased with the Golden Bears' reward for advancing to the second round of the Preseason NIT.
After Cal's 83-76 overtime victory over Mississippi State late Monday night, Braun was dismayed to learn the Golden Bears would spend Tuesday traveling to Austin, Texas, to play the Longhorns in the second round of the tournament on Wednesday.
Texas beat Navy 79-65 on Monday before Cal's game, which ended at 3:15 a.m. ET to accommodate national television.
"Since we played the late game, I think it's an absurdity that we're playing (the Texas game) there and not here," Braun said. "I guess common sense is not important in this."
The decision to play the second game in Austin was made jointly by ESPN and the NIT tournament committee, school officials said. Braun's argument was that Texas would be in a better position to travel because of time zone changes and the earlier start to the Longhorns' Monday game.
In addition, California's game at Haas Pavilion was attended by more than 3,000 more fans than Texas' contest.
"It's time changes, plane changes," Braun said. "Our guys will be eating their meals in the airport (on Tuesday).
"It's a very poor decision. I'm not afraid to say that. You're risking injuries, you're playing guys with sleep deprivation."
To beat Texas, the Bears will need all of the depth they showed in outlasting the Bulldogs on Monday night. Cal returned 93 percent of its scoring and rebounding from last season, and several players made important contributions to a team that last season relied heavily on star forward Sean Lampley.
Braun said he planned to use his bench liberally against the Longhorns -- something that might help his team's development in the long run. But that didn't curb his angry feelings toward the schedule makers.
"Somebody needs to take responsibility for a very poor decision, and I don't mind saying that," Braun said. "They can't fine me for that."
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