On Saturday at 2:00 PM PST on Pac-12 Networks and KGO 810 AM, Cal men’s basketball will take on the Arizona Wildcats at the McKale Center in Tucson, Arizona. Cal comes in at 7-11 overall and 2-9 in the Pac-12 while Arizona comes in at 12-4 overall and 6-4 in the Pac-12.
MBB Notebook: Bradley Returns, Desert Trip Looms
Last time out: On Thursday, Cal fell to Arizona State in Tempe by a final score of 72-68. Matt Bradley (26 points & 10 rebounds) and Andre Kelly (16 points & 13 rebounds) both had double-doubles for Cal while Remy Martin led Arizona State with 19 points.
RECAP: Cal MBB falls to Arizona State in Tempe
On Arizona: The Wildcats are led by junior guard James Akinjo (14.5 points & 5.6 assists), redshirt junior guard Jemarl Baker, Jr. (12.0 points), and freshman guard Bennedict Mathurin (11.7 points & 4.9 rebounds). It’s a different looking Wildcats team without the flurry of first round NBA draft picks, but there’s still a lot of talent to contend with.
After starting off 6-0 in non-conference play, the Wildcats are hovering a shade above .500 (6-4) in Pac-12 play. They got some impressive wins against Colorado at home as well as sweeping the Washington schools on the road, but they’ve also suffered two losses to Stanford and a home sweep to USC and UCLA. With Cal coming to town, they’re looking to get an easy win following their most recent loss to Stanford.
As a team, the Wildcats average 79.3 points per game on 45.6% shooting from the field, 37.9% shooting from 3-point range, and 72.1% shooting from the foul line. They also average a +8.9 rebound margin, 15.6 assists, 6.6 steals, 4.6 blocks, and 12.6 turnovers per game. Their opponents are scoring 68.6 points per game on 41.9% shooting from the field, 32.5% shooting from 3-point range, and 71.5% shooting from the foul line.
Keys to the game: For Cal, the first thing they need to do is settle in offensively early on. Against Arizona State on Thursday, Cal was in a funk early on, missing layups, bricking open threes, etc. It was ugly. Cal needs to do all they can to get open looks for guys like Grant Anticevich, Ryan Betley, and Makale Foreman so as to get off to a comfortable start. If Cal gets off to another rocky start in this game, they might as well hit the buffet line at halftime and not come out for the second half.
Secondly, Cal needs to hold their own inside. Arizona has some solid big men inside like Jordan Brown, Christian Koloko, and Ira Lee. Arizona will look to control the glass and not allow Cal to get very many second chance points. If Cal can win the battle on the glass and establish a post presence led by Andre Kelly, they’ll put themselves in a position to win this game.
Finally, Matt Bradley needs to have another big night. He’s the best player on this Cal team and on the road, they really need him to play up to his max potential. He played pretty well against Arizona State, but did miss a few shots that he’d like to have back. If plays a bit more efficiently, that could make the difference this game.
Prediction: If Cal couldn’t get it done in Tempe, I don’t see why there’s much hope for them to get it done in Tucson. Arizona is a better team than Arizona State and has too much pride to get swept at home for a second time. Cal will play hard, but their lack of talent and depth will once again do them in. I see Arizona winning this game 76-67 as I said on WildcatsRadio1290 earlier today.
