Jaylen Brown's vanishing act dooms Cal against Hawaii

SPOKANE, WA - MARCH 18: Stefan Jovanovic #15 of the Hawaii Warriors celebrates in the closing seconds of the Warriors 77-66 win over the California Golden Bears during the first round of the 2016 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena on March 18, 2016 in Spokane, Washington. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

On a day when shorthanded Cal needed their freshman star to be at his sharpest, Jaylen Brown could not come through.

Brown played his worst game this season Friday afternoon in the fourth-seeded Bears' 77-66 opening-round NCAA tournament loss to 13th-seeded Hawaii.

Brown scored four points on 1-for-6 shooting and committed seven costly turnovers against Hawaii's ball-hawking defense, but even that dismal stat line doesn't tell the full story of his futility. It was his self-induced foul trouble that was the most maddening part of what will likely be the only NCAA tournament game of the potential first-round pick's career.

When Cal coach Cuonzo Martin inserted Brown back into the game with two fouls and six minutes remaining in the first half, the bulldozing small forward committed his third foul charging into a Hawaii defender rather than pulling up for a short jumper. That neutered Brown's aggressiveness the rest of the game because it left him tentative and hesitant to drive again.

Brown's fifth foul was a product of frustration and immaturity. With 6:22 to go and Cal already trailing by eight points, Brown missed an open 3-pointer and then compounded the mistake by committing a reach-in foul vying for the rebound.

The lack of impact from Brown was especially significant on a day when Cal was already without two of its top perimeter players. Starting point guard and team leader Tyrone Wallace sat out due to a fractured hand and former McDonald's All-American Jabari Bird also was sick and did not play.

Guard Jordan Mathews scored 23 points and freshman big man Ivan Rabb had 13, but Cal could not overcome its 16 turnovers or 41 percent shooting. Hawaii led the entirety of the second half and never cracked even when the advantage shrank to one with 11 minutes to go, briefly becoming the lowest seed to win a game in this year's NCAA tournament before 15th-seeded Middle Tennessee shocked Michigan State an hour later.

Guards Quincy Smith and Roderick Bobbitt led Hawaii with 19 and 17 points respectively, while skilled big man Stefan Jankovic had 16. The Big West champion Rainbow Warriors (28-5) advance to face the winner of Maryland and Middle Tennessee in the second round on Sunday.

As for Brown, it's likely he'll turn pro in spite of leaving a bad impression on scouts. The heralded freshman is still a projected top 15 pick despite going 9-for-48 from the field in his final five games this season.

The 6-foot-7 Brown has the size, strength and athleticism of a prototypical NBA small forward. He just needs to develop a perimeter jumper and the consistency necessary not to vanish when needed most.