In the words of Blazing Saddles' Mr. Taggart character, "What in the wide world of sports is going on here?'
After a school record 16-game losing streak, Cal men's basketball is on a three game winning streak, heading into the Pac-12 tournament with confidence, something that started with a 76-73 win over regular season champions Washington.
Cal gets Colorado Wednesday, they lost to the Buffaloes in Berkeley this year in their sole meeting by a final of 68-59. Colorado has won 8 of their last 10 on the way to the 5 seed in the conference tournament.
Today's 3-2-1 takes a closer look at the 3-game winning streak, how it has happened, and if the momentum can be extended.
Three Thoughts
1. The Emergence of Connor Vanover
Connor Vanover was a late addition to the class of 2018, a much needed big for a team without any. He had decommitted from Memphis due to the coaching change there, and near immediately jumped on the Cal train after receiving an offer. That said, there was the thought that he'd need time to fill out his 7'3", 215 lb frame. He was now-Oregon C Bol Bol's backup at Findlay Prep, and there were concerns if he'd be able to hold up to more minutes and more games.
Yet, he has. Vanover, who during practice wouldn't run during warmups in favor of doing pushups and everything to strengthen his upper body, has taken over the starting big man spot. Vanover started every game since the Oregon State game at center. In that time, he's averaged:
- 27.3 minutes per game
- 12.1 ppg
- 5.4 rebounds per game
All of these numbers are up from season-long averages of 17 minutes per game, 7.4 ppg and 3 rpg. Vanover capped that eight game stretch with a 24 point (5-6 from 3), 5 rebound, and 6 block performance against Stanford, coming up with a much needed 3 point play to save the Bears from blowing a 21 point lead.
The development in Vanover's game has been interesting, as he's becoming a more confident cutter for easy layups than he was early in the season, where his baskets came off pick and pop jumpers or alley oops. With a little more weight on him, along with the double-braid look, he's been a much more confident player over the second half of the Pac-12 schedule.
2. Points in the Paint and Points off Turnovers
Both of these areas have played their role in the three game winning streak, with the former playing the biggest role in the win over Washington, and the latter coming into play against Washington State. Admittedly, points in the paint usually is correlated with assists, and the Bears had their highest total against the Huskies (22) along with 44 points in the paint. That came in the form of driving well against the UW 2-3 zone after making the shots that the Huskies gave them (mainly baseline and high post jumpers). Vanover's development as a cutter helped in this regard, as he didn't take a single three, but took advantage of the size advantage to the tune of 18 points. Justice Sueing had a career high in assists against UW with 6, as his passing on the interior played a crucial role.
Against both Washington State, the more important piece was points off turnovers. Cal's been good all year at forcing turnovers, but nowhere near as good at converting them into points. Against Washington State, the Bears converted 20 turnovers into 30 points, including a windmill dunk by Juhwan Harris-Dyson to put the capper on Cal's first Pac-12 sweep since 2017.
Cal didn't carry that over to the Stanford game (with 24 points in the paint, and 17 points off 15 turnovers), but how well they can convert in these two areas will determine if they can keep the streak alive in the Pac-12 tournament.
3. Matt Bradley
Bradley's been the most consistent of the freshman throughout his debut year, as aside from Vanover, he's the reason why the Bears took home the win in Palo Alto on Thursday. KZ Okpala cut the Cal lead down to 10 with about 5 seconds left in the first half, and Bradley fired back with a 35 footer, banking it in at the buzzer, then hitting his other 3 pointer to start the scoring in the second half for the Bears, pushing the lead to 16, and giving that much more breathing room.
In addition to shooting 42% from 3 in conference play, Bradley's taken up backup point guard duties when Paris Austin has been out of the game, admittedly to various levels of effectiveness, but there has to be an appreciation for the confidence to take on that role.
Two Questions
Can Darius McNeill stay consistent?
This has been a season-long issue for McNeill, who led the Bears in scoring during the Washington-school series with 18 points per game. McNeill was held scoreless against Stanford, not making a 3 pointer for the first time since the Fresno State loss.
McNeill is at times the team's most effective scorer, and the sophomore from Houston will need to recover from a tough performance. The last time he was held without a three, he responded with 22 points against San Jose State, so he's more than capable of being resilient, but for the near-impossible dream of a Pac-12 Tournament victory, McNeill's going to have to figure out how to be a consistent scorer for a team that needs it.
Can the Free Throw Woes be Cleaned Up?
Lost in the aftermath of the Stanford win was the 3-10 stretch from the free throw line as they let Stanford cut the lead to 3 before putting things away. Sueing and McNeill combined to shoot 2-10 from the line during the contest. It's an area that has to be shored up for the tournament, as Sueing's around a 75% free throw shooter for the Pac-12 season.
One Final Prediction/Thought
Wednesday could be Cal's final game of the year, but unless the Bears manage to make a fairytale run through the Pac-12 tournament in Vegas, this week is it for the Cal basketball team in 2018-19. So, in lieu of predicting an upset, here's one prediction for the Colorado game:
Cal got down early against the Buffaloes in Berkeley, but cut down that initial 17 point deficit, even taking a lead in the second half while playing a five-out set, with Justice Sueing being the tallest Cal player on the court. If Juhwan Harris-Dyson is healthy enough to play, as some hand problems kept him out for much of the second half against Stanford, expect that five man group of Paris Austin, Harris-Dyson, McNeill, Bradley and Sueing to get a solid run in Wednesday afternoon.
