If you were hoping there would be some college hoops this Thanksgiving weekend, you are in luck! On Friday and Saturday, Cal women’s basketball (3-2) will host the annual Cal Classic, which always runs the weekend of Thanksgiving. Cal will get things started on Friday at 1:00 PM PST against North Carolina Central. Penn State vs. Long Beach State to follow. All four games will be available to watch on Cal Live Stream.
Last time out: Cal defeated #20 Arkansas on Sunday by a final score of 84-80. Cal senior Jaelyn Brown finished with 30 points and 12 rebounds, earning ESPNW National Player of the Week honors as well as Pac-12 Player of the Week honors. Cal freshman Evelien Lutje Schipholt earned Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors with her 11 points and 10 rebounds.
RECAP: Cal knocks off #20 Arkansas
On North Carolina Central: The Eagles soar in at 1-3 overall, notching a 67-64 win over the Fighting Camels of Campbell University. When looking at their roster, it’s clear that the Eagles lack depth. Junior guard Kieche White (15.0 points), senior forward Paulina Afriyie (12.3 points), and freshman forward Anissa Rivera (11.3 points) are the only players on the team scoring in double figures. As a matter of fact, they’re the only players averaging more than 5 points per game.
When looking at their collective team stats, it’s clear that the Eagles struggle in a lot of departments. They average 62.25 points per game on 37.0% shooting from the field, 27.1% shooting from 3-point range, and 54.4% shooting from the foul line. Those are horrendous shooting numbers. Defensively, their opponents average 70.75 points per game on 38.4% shooting from the field and 33.3% shooting from 3-point range, so they are playing decent defense.
On the glass, the Eagles have a -7.8 rebound margin per game, which is pretty weak. As far as taking care of the ball is concerned, the Eagles average 11.8 assists per game while turning the ball over 16.3 times. The Eagles do average a solid 10 steals per game and 5.8 blocks, so they are good at forcing some turnovers and protecting the rim.
Keys to the game: For Cal, the first thing they need to do is dominate the glass. This is an area where North Carolina Central struggles and an area that Cal excels in (+7.4 rebounding margin). Cal’s ability to dominate the glass (especially offensive boards) is a major reason they beat Arkansas. If they attack the glass with similar success, they should walk out with a win.
Cal comes into this game as the heavy favorite. They have more talent and are coming off of a huge win over a ranked opponent. Given that, the only way they lose this game is if they commit some self-inflicted wounds. Those wounds would come in the form of turnovers and bad shots. So long as Cal takes good care of the ball and has good shot selection, they should win this game handily. But, if they get sloppy, complacent, and play down to the level of their opponent, then this game could get a lot more interesting than it should.
Lastly, Cal needs to get off to a strong start. Against bad teams, it’s important you set the tone early and send a message that they have no chance of winning. If Cal finds themselves in a tight game at the half, North Carolina Central will have the belief that they just might be able to pull off the upset. Cal needs to come out strong, get off to a big lead, and make sure they never give it back. That should happen provided they take care of the ball, defend, and control the glass.
