On Sunday at 2:00 PM PST on Pac-12 Networks, Cal women’s basketball will head to Eugene to face the #6 Oregon Ducks. Cal comes in at 8-8 overall and 0-5 in the Pac-12 while Oregon comes in at 14-2 overall and 4-1 in the Pac-12.

Last time out: Cal lost to Oregon State on Friday by a final score of 81-44 in Corvallis. Cal senior Jaelyn Brown finished with 23 points.

RECAP: Beavers beat up Bears in Corvallis

On Oregon: The Ducks are led by senior guard Sabrina Ionescu, who is averaging 17.6 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. Ionescu is not only the face of the Ducks. She’s the face of women’s basketball, getting shout outs from Kobe Bryant and LeBron James on social media. While Ionescu is getting all the attention on this Ducks team, she’s not the only good player they have. Senior forward Ruthy Hebard (16.5 points & 9.5 rebound) and junior forward Satou Sabally (14.8 points & 6.7 rebounds) are playing fantastic this year as well, doing a good job of taking some of the pressure off of Ionescu’s shoulders.

As a team, the Ducks average 85.6 points per game on 50.0% shooting from the field, 35.8% shooting from 3-point range, and 76.8% shooting from the foul line. They average a +11.4 rebounding margin, 21.1 assists, 8.6 steals, 3.3 blocks, and 11.9 turnovers per game. As for their opponents, they average 56.6 points per game on 35.8% shooting from the field, 26.7% shooting from 3-point range, and 70.5% shooting from the foul line.

The Ducks’ two losses are against #5 Louisville at a neutral site (62-72) and at #18 Arizona State (66-72). In their most recent game, they demolished Stanford 87-55 and look to similarly make quick work of Cal.

Keys to the game: Cal comes in as a huge underdog, so in order to beat Oregon, they’ll have to play out of their minds. That said, I will try to focus on three things that must happen if Cal is to shock the world.

First, Cal needs to stay out of foul trouble. Cal hung with Oregon State on Friday through the first quarter and even part of the second quarter until Jaelyn Brown picked up her 3rd foul. Once she went to the bench, Oregon State took over and from there it was one-way traffic. Cal needs to keep their best players on the floor if they are to win this game. That’s a really simple key to the game, but a vital one.

Secondly, Cal needs to slow the pace down. If this game turns into a track meet, Oregon will blow Cal out of the water. The more possessions Oregon has, the more opportunities they have to score and extend their lead. If Cal can find ways to milk time off the shot clock, get good looks, and slow down the pace as much as possible, maybe this becomes a choppy game that favors them.

Finally, Jaelyn Brown needs to get the better of Sabrina Ionescu. That’s a tall order, but one that must happen if Cal is to win. If Brown has an even better night than she did on Friday and if Ionescu by some miracle (and perhaps good Cal defense) has a below average game, Cal might keep this close.

Note: Cal senior forward CJ West’s status for this game is up-in-the-air after she entered concussion protocol and did not return to Friday’s game.