Cal heads across the Bay to battle San Francisco
On Wednesday at 8:00 PM PST on CBS Sports Network, Cal men’s basketball (5-2) will take on the San Francisco Dons (7-1) at The War Memorial at the Sobrato Center in San Francisco. San Francisco defeated Cal 79-60 last year in Berkeley.
Last time out: Last Tuesday, Cal defeated UC Davis 72-66 in Berkeley. Sophomore guard Matt Bradley led the way for Cal with 19 points and 4 rebounds.
On San Francisco: The Dons are led by a pair of talented junior guards in Jamaree Bouyea (15.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, & 4.5 assists) and Charles Minlend (15.1 points). 7-foot senior Jimbo Lull (12.8 points & 7.6 rebounds) holds his own down low, giving the Dons a sound post presence. Senior guard Jordan Ratinho (10.9 points) and sophomore guard Khalil Shabazz (10.0 points) are also scoring in double figures.
As a team, the Dons average 87.13 points per game on 47.2% shooting from the field, 37.1% shooting from 3-point range, and 74.4% shooting from the foul line. They’re averaging 13.8 assists and 12.4 turnovers per game, so their ball movement could be better. Defensively, they’re holding opponents to 71.25 points per game on 44.5% shooting from the field and 40.1% shooting from beyond the arc. They average a +10.5 rebound margin per game, doing a good job of dominating their opponents inside.
When looking at the stats, it’s clear that scoring balance, rebounding, and strong shooting percentages are the strengths of this Dons team. When you score efficiently and control the glass, you’re not going to lose very many games.
Keys to the game: For Cal, they need to take advantage of San Francisco’s suspect perimeter defense. Opponents are shooting 40.1% from 3-point range against the Dons, finding solid success beyond the arc. Cal is shooting 44.0% from beyond the arc, so they should be able to take advantage. If Grant Anticevich, Matt Bradley, Kareem South, and others can find the hot hand and get going from the perimeter, Cal should put themselves in a good position to win this game.
Secondly, Cal needs to defend the post. Lull is one of the top big men in the country and will not be easily stopped. Mark Fox and his staff need to come up with a sound game plan to contain Lull and not allow him to impose his will inside. If Lull has a big night (E.g. 15 points & 10 rebounds), I don’t see Cal winning this game.
Lastly, Cal needs to win the free throw battle. The Dons average 20.5 free throw attempts per game while their opponents average 17.375. If you round to the nearest whole number that’s four more free throw attempts per game. Considering that the Dons shoot 74.4% from the foul line and their opponents shoot 72.7%, that means that the Dons average 15.252 foul shots made per game while their opponents make 12.63 (2-3 more foul shots made per game than their opponents). Those two points may not seem like much, but when we’re talking about a close game, every point matters. If Cal can take away that 2-3 point advantage at the foul line and actually be the team that makes more foul shots, that will be huge.