On Tuesday at 2:00 PM PST on Pac-12 Networks and KGO 810 AM, Cal men’s basketball will close out the non-conference portion of their schedule with a home game against Seattle U. Cal comes in at 4-4 overall (0-2 in the Pac-12) while Seattle U comes in at 5-4 overall, yet to play a WAC game.
Last time out: On Saturday, Cal routed CSUN by a final score of 87-56. Cal grad transfers Makale Foreman (23 points) and Ryan Betley (19 points) led the way for the Bears.
RECAP: Cal MBB bullwhips Matadors in Berkeley
On Seattle: The Redhawks are led by junior guard/forward Riley Grigsby (17.4 points & 4.2 rebounds) and sophomore guard Darrion Trammell (17.0 points & 4.0 rebounds). They’re the only two players scoring in double figures on average for this Redhawks team, so they have a lot on their shoulders.
The Redhawks don’t really have a signature win on their resume. At the end of November, they lost to CSUN by a final score of 76-65. So, that’s a little bit of data going into this game considering how easily Cal beat CSUN over the weekend.
Keys to the game: The big takeaway from Saturday’s win over CSUN was the way that Cal played as team. While Foreman and Betley were the leading scorers, they got a lot of help from their teammates. Lars Thiemann got going inside, Kuany Kuany blocked a couple of shots, Joel Brown played a very complete game on both ends of the floor, etc. If Matt Bradley (ankle) is available to play, Cal will need to figure out a way to keep the team balance going while also getting the most out of their star player.
Secondly, Cal needs to keep shooting well from deep. Against CSUN, Cal shot 9-17 (52.9%) from 3-point range. If Cal can shoot like that again and continue to get the most out of Foreman and Betley’s 3-point prowess, Cal will be tough to stop.
Finally, Cal needs to defend the 3-point line. Seattle hasn’t shot great from deep all season (27.9%), but they should see an opportunity against a Cal team that is allowing opponents to shoot 39.1% from 3-point range. If Cal can shore up the perimeter defense and hold Seattle close to their average, the Bears should walk out with a win.
Prediction: The Bears are starting to really find their groove at home. I got Cal winning 70-60.
