On Thursday at 3:00 PM PST on Pac-12 Networks and KGO 810 AM, Cal men’s basketball will welcome the Utah Runnin’ Utes to Haas Pavilion. Cal comes in at 7-14 overall and 2-12 in the Pac-12 while Utah comes in at 8-7 overall and 5-6 in the Pac-12.
Last time out: On Sunday, Cal fell to Stanford on the road by a final score of 76-70.
RECAP: Cal MBB Falls Flat on the Farm
MBB Notebook: Thoughts on Stanford Losses, Homestand Upcoming
Previous meeting with Utah: Cal’s last win came against Utah on the road in Salt Lake City by a final score of 72-63. After trailing 34-22 at halftime, Cal turned on the jets in the second half while Utah went quiet.
RECAP: Cal MBB shocks Utah in Salt Lake City
On Utah: Since their second half collapse against Cal, Utah has woken up, winning three of their last four games. That loss seemed to light a fire in them. They knew they let one slip away there and must be looking towards Thursday’s game with much anticipation.
Junior forward Timmy Allen continues to be the motor that makes this Utah team go, averaging 16.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game while senior guard Alfonso Plummer is chipping in 13.5 points per game on 36.2% shooting from 3-point range. Allen and Plummer are the only two Utes scoring in double figures on average, so they have a lot of responsibility on their shoulders.
As a team, the Utes are averaging 70.5 points per game on 45.8% shooting from the field, 33.7% shooting from 3-point range, and 76.1% shooting from the foul line. They’re also averaging a -1.6 rebound margin, 15.5 assists, 6.3 steals, 3.1 blocks, and 11.9 turnovers per game. Their opponents averaging 66.6 points per game on 42.4% shooting from the field, 35.2% shooting from 3-point range, and 73.7% shooting from the foul line.
Keys to the game: For Cal, the first thing they have to do is contain Timmy Allen. What really did Cal in last week against Stanford was their inability to contain Oscar da Silva. da Silva got whatever he wanted inside and really took Cal’s lunch money. Allen will look to do a similar thing against Cal by getting inside and getting a lot of easy baskets in the paint. If Cal can keep Allen out of the paint and force him to settle for more jumpers, they should be a in a good position to win this game. If not, I like Utah to win.
Secondly, Cal needs to play a complete first half. Cal hung with Stanford for much of the first half on Sunday, but during the final four minutes or so, they came unglued. Cal needs to find a way to avoid offensive dry spells and 9-0 type runs from their opponents. If Utah is able to pull away like they did in the first half in Salt Lake City, I don’t like Cal’s chances of making another second half comeback.
Finally, Cal needs to get Matt Bradley more help and take care of the ball. Matt Bradley can’t do this all by himself. He needs to be surrounded by other guys who can score and take the pressure off of him. When things go south is when everyone around him plays like garbage and then he’s forced to come to the rescue via hero ball. His teammates need to give him reason to believe in them and Mark Fox needs to put together a game plan that can allow them to be successful.
Touching quickly on ball security, a lot of Cal’s turnovers are easily preventable. Passes clanging off someone’s hand, miscommunication that leads to an errant pass into the stands, etc. Cal has to play less sloppy and have better possessions. Part of that is also taking good shots. Too often, we’ll see Jarred Hyder, Ryan Betley, or Makale Foreman hoist up a prayer in an act of desperation. Cal has guys who can shoot, but their shot selection needs to get a lot better.
Prediction: My sense of things is that Utah is really upset with how things went in their last meeting against Cal and they are looking for some redemption. Taking nothing away from Cal, Utah knows that they booted that game. They got careless and lazy and Cal made them pay. I expect to see a much more focused Utah team that doesn’t take Cal as lightly as they did in the second half in Salt Lake City. Utah 72 Cal 66 is my prediction.