On Saturday at 3:00 PM PST on Pac-12 Networks, Cal men’s basketball will head to Seattle to take on the Washington Huskies. Cal comes in at 11-15 overall and 5-8 in the Pac-12 while Washington comes in at 12-15 overall and 2-12 in the Pac-12.
Last time out: On Wednesday, Cal defeated Washington State 66-57, completing their regular season sweep of the Cougars. Cal senior point guard Paris Austin led the way with 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists while Washington State junior forward Tony Miller finished with 18 points.
RECAP: Cal picks up first road win of the year at Washington State
On Washington: The Huskies are led by freshman forward Isaiah Stewart, who is averaging 17.0 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. Stewart is one of the top players in the Pac-12, doing all he can to help his team. Freshman forward Jaden McDaniels (12.5 points & 5.8 rebounds) and junior guard Nahziah Carter (12.2 points & 5.2 rebounds) are the other two Huskies scoring in double figures. Both players likewise are having solid seasons despite their team’s woes.
As a team, the Huskies average 69.2 points per game on 43.8% shooting from the field, 32.5% shooting from 3-point range, and 70.7% shooting from the foul line. They’re averaging a -0.9 rebound margin, 12.5 assists, 7.0 steals, 6.3 blocks, and 15.0 turnovers per game. Their opponents are averaging 65.7 points per game on 38.1% shooting from the field, 30.7% shooting from 3-point range, and 70.4% shooting from the foul line.
Earlier in the year, prior to their first meeting with Cal, Washington sophomore guard Quade Green was ruled academically ineligible, averaging 11.6 points and 5.3 assists in the 15 games that he played in. Without Green, the Huskies have really struggled. They’ve lost nine games in a row and won just one game since his departure. It’s clear that he had a much bigger impact than we all realized. That all said, this Huskies team still has some talent and should not be taken lightly. If there’s any team that has the talent to get hot towards the end of the year, it’s them.
By the Numbers: Cal MBB at Washington
Keys to the game: If Cal wants to complete a regular season sweep over the Huskies as well, the first thing they need to do is contain Isaiah Stewart. When they faced in Berkeley, Cal held Stewart to 13 points and 6 rebounds. 4 points and 2.7 rebounds below his average. They did a good job of going one and a half man on him. Not quite double teaming him, but making it hard on him to establish position in the post and denying entry passes. Those four points made all the difference as Cal won that game in overtime. If Cal does a good job containing Stewart like they did in Berkeley, that will go a long ways towards getting the win in Seattle.
Secondly, Cal needs to do a good job attacking the Washington zone. They did a good job of this in Berkeley thanks to Grant Anticevich (13 points) and Matt Bradley (17 points) finding gaps in the zone and knocking down open shots. What helps this time is Paris Austin and Joel Brown are more comfortable in Mark Fox’s offense than they were at the beginning of Pac-12 play. They should do a better job of attacking the zone and kicking out to open shooters.
Finally, Cal needs to get to the foul line. Against Washington in Berkeley, Cal shot 3-4 at the line, not getting there nearly enough. In their win at Washington State on Wednesday, Cal shot 21-24 at the line, aggressively attacking the rim and capitalizing on their free throw attempts. If Cal can get to the line 15+ times in Seattle, they should be in good shape to steal a win.
