On Wednesday at 7:00 PM PST on Pac-12 Networks and KGO 810 AM, Cal men’s basketball will face Stanford in the Pac-12 tournament. Cal comes in as the #11 seed at 8-19 overall and 3-17 in the Pac-12 while Stanford comes in as the #6 seed at 14-12 overall and 10-10 in the Pac-12. There are only 11 teams in the Pac-12 tournament this year due to Arizona withdrawing from postseason play due to ethical issues within their own program.

Previous meetings with Stanford: Cal went 0-2 against Stanford this year in the regular season, getting beaten rather decisively in both contests: 55-70 in Berkeley; 70-76 in Palo Alto. This will also be the third time in four years that Cal and Stanford will have faced off in the Pac-12 tournament. Stanford dominated Cal 76-58 in 2018 and Cal returned the favor 63-51 in 2020. Wednesday’s game will be a Pac-12 Tournament rubber match of sorts.

On Stanford: After once looking like they were heading to the NCAA tournament, the Cardinal have come unglued as of late, losing their last four games. Most recently, they got soundly beaten like a gong against USC to a tune of 79-42. It was an embarrassing performance that had many Stanford fans rightfully angry and upset. On top of that, their star player Oscar da Silva, who has been averaging 18.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, is a game-time decision with a lower leg injury. Given how he stole Cal’s lunch money both times they played, it would be a huge break for Cal if he isn’t a go.

For Stanford, they’re hoping to put these four losses in the rear view mirror and recapture some of the magic that they had earlier in the season. Given how well they played against Cal, they have to view this upcoming game as a chance to get back on track and perhaps propel themselves towards an improbable Pac-12 tournament championship.

As a team, the Cardinal are averaging 71.3 points per game on 47.7% shooting from the field, 32.6% shooting from 3-point range, and 71.5% shooting from the foul line. They also average a +1.1 rebound margin, 12.6 assists, 7.0 steals, 3.6 blocks, and 15.0 turnovers per game. Their opponents average 69.0 points per game on 40.7% shooting from the field, 32.9% shooting from 3-point range, and 75.2% shooting from the foul line.

Keys to the game: For Cal, the first thing they need to do is defend a lot better. Defense has been a major issue of theirs all season both on the perimeter and inside. Mark Fox mentioned in Tuesday’s zoom conference that they’ve been really working on defense during the break and getting a feel for their zone defense. So maybe we’ll see Cal whip that out with some success.

Secondly, Cal needs a big night from junior guard Matt Bradley, who is averaging 18.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. Aside from fellow junior Andre Kelly, who is averaging 10.4 points per game, Bradley is the only Cal player scoring in double figures on average. Cal needs Bradley to erupt for 20+ points in this game if they’re going to pull off the upset.

Finally, Cal’s perimeter shooting needs to get going. If Grant Anticevich, Ryan Betley, and Makale Foreman can join Bradley in knocking down some threes, Cal will have a shot to win this game. If those guys are building a house full of bricks, it’ll be a long night.

Prediction: As bad as Stanford has been playing as of late, I still have to pick them to win this game. They beat Cal both times this season and it isn’t like Cal has been lighting the world on fire, either. Cal has the worst record in the Pac-12 and has lost four games in a row as well. They’ve also won just one of their last twelve games. Stanford desperately needs this and I think they’ll find a way to pull it out. Stanford 73 Cal 66 is my prediction.

Notes: Matt Bradley was named to the Pac-12 All-Second Team on Tuesday. Click here to read the release on CalBears.com

Cal head coach Mark Fox addressed the media on Tuesday. Click here for his comments.

Stanford head coach Jerod Haase addressed the media on Tuesday as well. Click here for his comments.