On Thursday at 7:30 PM PST on Pac-12 Networks and KGO 810 AM, Cal men’s basketball will take on the Washington State Cougars up in Pullman. Cal comes in at 8-15 overall and 3-13 in the Pac-12 while Washington State comes in at 12-10 overall and 5-10 in the Pac-12.

Last time out: On Saturday, Cal pulled off a stunning 71-62 win over Colorado in Berkeley. Matt Bradley (29 points) and Jalen Celestine (13 points) both scored career highs for the Bears.

RECAP: Cal MBB confounds Colorado in Berkeley

MBB Notebook: A Win Over Colorado, Washington Trip Up Next

Previous meeting with Washington State: When Cal and Washington State met earlier this season in Berkeley, Washington State won by a final score of 71-60. Matt Bradley (ankle) missed the game while it was Grant Anticevich’s first game back from his appendectomy.

RECAP: Cal MBB lays an egg at home against Wazzu

On Washington State: The Cougars are led by senior guard Isaac Bonton, who is averaging 18.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game. Bonton suffered a bizarre injury to both of his ankles on Saturday against USC, didn’t play Monday against rival Washington, and should be considered questionable for Thursday. If Bonton is unable to go, that will really open up the possibility for Cal to steal this game.

The number two option on this Cougars team is sophomore guard Noah Williams, who is averaging 12.5 points per game. If Bonton is unable to go, Williams will need to pick up the slack and have a big night in his absence.

After starting 8-0, the Cougars have cooled off a bit as they are 4-10 since. One of those four wins came at Cal and the Bears in turn are 12th in the Pac-12, so they are in no position to call any opponent easy. Still, they haven’t been playing well as of late and they’re definitely a much more shaky looking team than they were when Cal last saw them.

As a team, the Cougars are averaging 68.2 points per game on 41.4% shooting from the field, 34.0% shooting from 3-point range, and 70.2% shooting from the foul line. They’re averaging a +2.5 rebound margin, 11.7 assists, 5.9 steals, 3.7 blocks, and 15.1 turnovers per game. Their opponents are averaging 67.5 points per game on 40.8% shooting from the field, 31.5% shooting from 3-point range, and 72.1% shooting from the foul line.

Keys to the game: For Cal, if they want to win this game, they have to make sure they do a much better job on the boards than they did in their first matchup. In that game, the Cougars dominated the glass 45-28. If Cal gets out-rebounded again by a similar amount, Washington State should win with no problem.

Secondly, Cal needs to defend the perimeter. In their first meeting, Washington State shot 7-18 from 3-point range, really giving Cal trouble from the perimeter. Cal needs to do a much better job of not allowing Washington State to heat up from deep if they are to win this game.

Third, Cal has to take care of the ball. Cal did a good job of this in their first meeting, turning the ball over just 7 times. As we saw on Saturday, when Cal takes care of the ball, good things can happen. If Cal once again has a low turnover number, they should be in a good position to win this game.

As an added bonus, assuming Bonton plays, Cal will need to do a much better job defending him. He scored 22 points in Berkeley on a very efficient 7-11 shooting from the field, 2-4 shooting from 3-point range, and 6-6 shooting from the foul line. If Bonton is a go and has similar performance, Cal will not win this game.

Prediction: I’m going to make my prediction based on the assumption that Bonton will play. It sounds like there was a possibility he’d play on Monday and with three more days of rest, I’d have to think he’ll give it a go. On that note, I got Washington State winning 69-64.

Of course, if Bonton is out, that opens the door for Cal to steal a win. Though it should be noted that Cal has never had an easy time winning away from home this season as their win at Utah is their lone road win of the season. Bonton being out by no means makes it an easy win for Cal and in truth, my money would still be on Washington State to win.