Jaylen Brown called it “a humbling moment, truly.”

The Cal forward, who was also named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, was held responsible for the Bears’ 77-66 defeat against Hawaii in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Friday.

“A lot of the blame is on me,” he said.

Certainly Brown didn’t skirt the issue after shooting 1 for 6 and scoring a season-low four points to go with seven turnovers. He fouled out with 6:22 left.

Rated as one of the nation’s elite recruits last spring, Brown said he chose Cal with a vision of doing something really big his freshman season.

“I expected us to win it all. That was my goal,” he said. “I didn’t do what it takes to help my team get over the hump.”

Contrary to expectations, the Atlanta-born individual, who recently received the title of Freshman All-American from the U.S. Basketball Writers, concluded his college season with a disappointing performance. Brown’s shooting performance in the final five games was subpar, as he only made 10 out of 48 attempts and had an average of just 8.2 points.

“I’ve just got to get better. Point-blank, period. Got to get better,” he said, adding that he hasn’t given any thought yet to whether he will enter the NBA draft.

Brown was called for three offensive fouls in the first half and coach Cuonzo Martin said those kinds of problems late in the season have impacted his approach.

“So now he’s thinking about it and then teams let him shoot the jump shot,” Martin said.

Freshman Ivan Rabb of Oakland gave a polite “no sir,” when asked if he has a timetable for making a decision about his future at Cal.

Rabb stopped short of echoing Brown’s expectation of winning a national title this season.

“I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. That’s what it’s about when you come to college,” said Rabb, who set a Cal freshman record with 291 rebounds.

The loss served as incentive for next season, according to Jabari Bird, the junior guard who was out from the game due to back spasms. “It is disheartening for our class to experience our first game and fall short,” he expressed. “We are aware of our exceptional abilities.“Many of the talented players, notably the injured senior point guard Tyrone Wallace, will no longer be present. Bird, the Salesian High alumnus and former McDonald’s All-American, confirmed his intention to return, expressing certainty. He also mentioned that his classmates, Jordan Mathews and Sam Singer, will be joining him.The defence of Cal, which has been a strong point throughout the season, was unable to restrain Hawaii, who had a shooting percentage of 52% and made 20 out of 25 free throws.Martin’s proposal to allocate 48 minutes of playing time to the infrequently utilised reserves Roger Moute a Bidias, Stephen Domingo, and Brandon Chauca had a negative effect on the Bears’ unity.

“All of a sudden, you’re playing a lot of minutes against an experienced team. That’s not an easy thing to do,” he said.