On Wednesday at 7:00 PM PST on Pac-12 Networks and KGO 810 AM, Cal men’s basketball will take on the Washington State Cougars up in Pullman. Cal comes in at 10-15 overall and 4-8 in the Pac-12 while Washington State comes in at 14-12 overall and 5-8 in the Pac-12.

Last time out: On Sunday, Cal lost to Arizona State at home by a final score of 80-75. Remy Martin and Alonzo Verge, Jr. each had 22 points for Arizona State while Matt Bradley also had 22 points for Cal. Kind of crazy how that all lined up.

RECAP: Cal falls to Arizona State at Haas

On Washington State: The Cougars are led by sophomore forward CJ Elleby, who is averaging 18.7 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. Elleby is having a fantastic season and is expected by many to get drafted in the 2020 NBA draft should he choose to leave after this year. Junior guard Isaac Bonton is the number two option on this Cougars team, averaging 14.8 points and 4 assists per game. However, Bonton is out with a hip injury, “doubtful” to play against Cal on Wednesday. Without him, senior forward Jeff Pollard (9.1 points & 4.3 rebounds) becomes the number two option.

As a team, the Cougars are averaging 70.2 points per game on 40.2% shooting from the field, 31.5% shooting from 3-point range, and 72.4% shooting from the foul line. They’re averaging a -1.3 rebound margin, 11.9 assists, 6.7 steals, 2.4 blocks, and 11.7 turnovers per game. Their opponents are averaging 68.5 points per game on 45.1% shooting from the field, 31.3% shooting from 3-point range, and 67.2% shooting from the foul line.

Similar to Cal, Washington State came into this season with low expectations and has exceeded them. They beat a ranked Oregon team at home and have proven to be a much tougher team to beat than people thought they would be. Without Bonton, a lot of pressure is on Elleby to deliver the goods. He is the only other player scoring in double figures that gives the Cougars some potency offensively. Without him, this Cougars team is very vulnerable.

By the Numbers: Cal MBB at Washington State

Keys to the game: Priority number one for Cal has to be defending Elleby. He’s their top player and assuming Bonton is out, he’ll be the only legit offensive threat in the game. If Cal can defend Elleby well and make things difficult on him, that should be enough for them to get the win. The Cougars simply don’t have enough weapons to win unless Elleby has a big night.

Secondly, Cal needs to come out with the right level of energy and focus. This has been a major issue of theirs on the road. They come out flat, get down by double digits, and then spend the rest of the game clawing back, trying to win. Cal needs to set the tone early, get some shots to drop, get some stops, and ideally have a lead at halftime. If Cal is trailing at the half, they’ll have a tough time pulling out this win.

Finally, Cal needs to maintain a good offensive flow. Mark Fox seems to have adopted a Cuonzo Martin philosophy of winning ugly through defensive stops and rebounding. This isn’t a bad philosophy so long as the offense doesn’t go stupid. Cal needs to make sure they avoid 3-4 minute stretches of going scoreless. Those droughts really hurt. Even against a team like Washington State that is undermanned. In order to do this, Matt Bradley needs to get going, Grant Anticevich needs to knock down his shots, and everyone needs to feed off of that.