Cal MBB hosts No. 24 UCLA
On Thursday at 6:00 PM PST on ESPNU and KGO 810 AM, Cal men’s basketball will welcome No. 24 (AP) UCLA to Haas Pavilion. UCLA comes in at 11-2 overall and 7-0 in the Pac-12, while Cal comes in at 7-8 overall and 2-6 in the Pac-12.
MBB Notebook: Improbable Road Split, Notes on LA Schools
Mark Fox looks ahead to #24 UCLA and USC
Last time out: On Saturday, Cal picked up a surprising 72-63 win at Utah. Cal senior forward Grant Anticevich led the Golden Bears with 14 points and 7 rebounds while Utah junior forward Timmy Allen finished with a game-high 26 points to go along with 6 rebounds and 5 assists for the Runnin’ Utes.
RECAP: Cal MBB shocks Utah in Salt Lake City
Previous matchup against UCLA: Earlier this season, Cal lost to UCLA at Pauley Pavilion by a final score of 76-56. It was a different looking UCLA team back then as Chris Smith, who led UCLA in scoring that game with 21 points and 4 rebounds, is now out for the season due to a torn ACL in his left knee.
RECAP: Cal MBB gets Pulverized at Pauley Pavilion
On UCLA: Even with Chris Smith done for the season, the Bruins still have a ton of firepower as Jaime Jaquez, Jr. (13.2 points), Tyger Campbell (11.9 points), Johnny Juzang (11.1 points), Cody Riley (10.5 points), and Jules Bernard (10.4 points) are all scoring in double figures on average. When you have that amount of depth even after losing your star player, you know you’re really good.
The Bruins are currently the top team in the Pac-12 as is evident by their 7-0 conference record. Last week was a bit odd in that they blew the doors off Washington State 91-61 at home before barely beating Washington 81-76. Not sure what to make of that. But anyways, they keep on winning and are yet to be beaten in league play.
As a team, the Bruins average 77.9 points per game on 46.6% shooting from the field, 38.6% shooting from 3-point range, and 73.8% shooting from the foul line. They also average a +6.6 rebound margin, 15.5 assists, 4.9 steals, 2.6 blocks, and 11.1 turnovers per game. Their opponents are averaging 68.6 points per game on 43.2% shooting from the field, 31.0% shooting from 3-point range, and 74.6% shooting from the foul line.
Keys to the game: Assuming Matt Bradley will not be available as he continues to rehab from his ankle injury, beating the Bruins will be no easy task for this Cal team. It’s going to take a true team effort. Below are three things that I think Cal needs to really emphasize if they are to win this game.
First, Cal needs to do a good job containing UCLA point guard Tyger Campbell. Cal head coach Mark Fox talked about this during Wednesday’s media availability. Namely that they need to do all they can to contain Campbell and not allow him to have a huge night. He’s really the engine that makes this offense go and if he has a big night, it’s going to be a long night for Cal. Cal point guard Joel Brown will need to play a big role in defending Campbell. That’s certainly a key matchup to look for.
Secondly, Cal needs to defend the 3-point line much better than they did at Pauley Pavilion. UCLA shot 8-14 (57.1%) from deep last time and really got whatever they wanted from behind the perimeter. If Cal can shore up their perimeter defense, rotate better, and not allow so many easy looks from deep, that will really help them as the go about trying to win this game.
Finally, Cal needs to control the tempo. If it’s a fast paced game, UCLA will run Cal out of the gym. If it’s a slow paced game with fewer possessions and is more of a physical game, Cal will put themselves in a position to win this game. As an extension of that, Cal needs to make sure the possessions they have are quality. If Cal is turning the ball over a lot and not taking good shots, then the tempo isn’t going to matter much.
Prediction: Cal is coming off a really nice win on the road at Utah and certainly showed they are capable of surprising people. So, we certainly shouldn’t be too surprised if they follow up with a home win over UCLA. That said, UCLA is the vastly better team, and I don’t see UCLA having the same issues that plagued Utah on Saturday night. Cal will make it a game, but UCLA will still find a way to pull out the victory 70-63.