Cal MBB heads to Boulder to battle the Buffs
On Thursday at 11:00 AM PST on Pac-12 Networks and KGO 810 AM, Cal men’s basketball will take on the Colorado Buffaloes in Boulder. Cal comes in at 6-7 overall and 1-5 in the Pac-12 while Colorado comes in at 9-3 overall and 3-2 in the Pac-12.
MBB Notebook: Home Split and Mountain Trip
Last time out: On Saturday, Cal picked up their first win of Pac-12 play with an 84-78 victory over Washington. Cal junior Andre Kelly (22 points & 3 rebounds) and Cal grad transfer Ryan Betley (18 points & 3 assists) led the way.
RECAP: Cal MBB picks up first league win over Washington
On Colorado: The Buffaloes are led by senior point guard McKinley Wright IV, who is averaging 15.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game. Wright is having a fantastic season and is arguably the top point guard in the Pac-12. Senior forward Jeriah Horne is the other Buffaloes player scoring in double figures, averaging 10.7 points & 5.9 rebounds while junior forward Evan Battey (9.9 points) and senior center Dallas Walton (9.6 points) are knocking on the door. Walton hasn’t played since the Arizona game on December 28th due to a lower leg injury.
The Buffaloes are off to a solid start this season, having won all three games at home. They’re coming off an impressive 65-58 win at Utah on Monday, defeated Oregon 79-72 in their most recent home game, and they also went into Manhattan, Kansas to defeat Kansas State 76-58 in their second game of the season.
As a team, the Buffaloes average 74.8 points per game on 44.6% shooting from the field, 35.2% shooting from 3-point range, and an NCAA Division I best 84.5% at the foul line. They average a +5.9 rebound margin, 13.8 assists, 5.1 steals, 2.8 blocks, and 11.6 turnovers per game. Their opponents average 62.3 points per game on 41.4% shooting from the field, 30.6% shooting from 3-point range, and 68.7% shooting from the foul line.
Keys to the game: I rarely start with this one, but foul shots are going to be crucial. Colorado is shooting the best free throw percentage in the nation and Cal has to do all they can to keep Colorado away from the foul line. If Colorado gets to the foul line 20+ times in this game, that’s likely 15-17 points right there. On top of that, Cal has not been shooting their foul shots all that well: 66.0%. Their 50.0% shooting at the line cost them the game in Corvallis. In addition to keeping Colorado away from the foul line, Cal needs to do all they can to knock down the foul shots that they get.
The second key to this game for Cal is to work the ball inside. During Matt Bradley’s absence, which is expected to continue into this week, Cal has been able to generate decent offensive flow by working the ball inside to Andre Kelly and Lars Thiemann. Going big has reaped some rewards for them. They need to do it again if they’re going to beat Colorado.
Finally, Cal needs to win the battle in the backcourt. McKinley Wright IV comes into this game as the best player on the court and he’ll look to have his way against Cal’s backcourt. If Makale Foreman can have a big afternoon and if Jarred Hyder, Joel Brown, and Ryan Betley can provide adequate support, Cal’s backcourt might end up making the difference.
Prediction: Cal is coming off a nice win at home over Washington, but away from home, it remains a real challenge. The Rocky Mountain road trip is always tough and given that Colorado is actually a pretty good team, it’s hard seeing Cal win this game. Colorado is yet to drop a game in Boulder this season and they won’t do so against Cal. Colorado wins 72-58.