This weekend, both Cal men’s and women’s basketball will take on the Utah Utes in Salt Lake City. Cal men’s basketball will play on Saturday at 7:00 PM PST on ESPNU and KGO 810 AM while Cal women’s basketball will play on Sunday at 11:00 AM PST on Pac-12 Networks.
Cal men’s basketball comes in at 6-8 overall and 1-6 in the Pac-12 while Utah men’s basketball comes in at 5-5 overall and 2-4 in the Pac-12. As for Cal women’s basketball, they come in at 0-11 overall and 0-8 in the Pac-12 while Utah women’s basketball comes in at 3-8 overall and 2-8 in the Pac-12. I’ll start with previewing the men’s game first followed by the women’s game.
UPDATE: Cal WBB at Utah has been postponed due to COVID-19 tracing within the Cal program.
MBB Notebook: Home Split and Mountain Trip
Last time out for Cal MBB: On Thursday, Cal men’s basketball fell to Colorado by a final score of 89-60. It was an ugly game for the Bears.
RECAP: Cal MBB gets boat raced in Boulder
On Utah MBB: The Runnin’ Utes are led by junior forward Timmy Allen (16.4 points & 5.8 rebounds) and senior guard Alfonso Plummer (13.5 points). Together, Allen and Plummer form a solid one-two punch for this Utah team. It’s been a rough season early on for the Utes, but after defeating Stanford 79-65 on Thursday, they’re hoping to get on a roll and build on that momentum by taking care of business at home against Cal.
As a team, the Utes average 69.5 points per game on 44.1% shooting from the field, 30.8% shooting from 3-point range, and 71.4% shooting from the foul line. They average a -3.8 rebound margin, 15.4 assists, 7.1 steals, 3.5 blocks, and 10.7 turnovers per game.
Keys to the MBB game: For Cal, the first thing they need to do is defend. This has been a sore spot of this team all season and as pointed out by Rob Hwang over at WriteForCalifornia.com, Cal’s overall defensive efficiency is currently worse than it was during the Wyking Jones years. That’s really bad.
Touching more on the defense, there’s two major defensive issues for this Cal team. Number one is their perimeter defense. Cal is allowing opponents to shoot 40.4% from 3-point range on the season (340th in the country) and 45.0% from 3-point range in Pac-12 play (12th in the conference). They’re nearly the worst perimeter defensive team in the country, ranking ahead of just ten schools! Number two is Cal doesn’t have much rim protection. They average 2.0 blocks per game overall (293rd in the country) and 1.9 blocks per game in Pac-12 play (12th in the conference).
If Cal is to win at Utah, they’re going to have to defend the perimeter much better than they have been and they’re also going to have to find a way to keep Utah out of the lane. If they can’t do that, it’s going to be a long night in Salt Lake City.
The second thing Cal needs to do is take care of the ball. Cal turned the ball over 16 times at Colorado, really killing their offensive mojo. On the season and in conference play, Cal is averaging 13.6 turnovers per game (178th in the country; 5th in the conference). So, 16 turnovers was higher than the season average. If Cal can turn the ball over 11 times or fewer, that will be a good sign that they’re having better possessions and playing at a pace that is better suited to them.
Finally, Cal needs to keep Timmy Allen under wraps. He’s really the engine that makes this Utah team go. If he has a big night, Utah will win. Also, with Matt Bradley expected to be out, it’s really going to require a committee effort on offense. Makale Foreman, Ryan Betley, Andre Kelly, and Grant Anticevich need to get rolling and also get some help from the rest of the players. If it’s just one or two of them in double figures, Cal might as well leave the game early and take a stroll down Temple Square.
MBB Prediction: After the disgraceful performance we saw on Thursday in Boulder, it’s hard seeing this Cal team get a win in this one. Utah is coming off a nice win over a very good Stanford team and Cal has struggled on the road all season, even with Matt Bradley in the lineup. With Bradley out, the only question should be not who wins, but by how much?
The last time Cal got beaten this badly in the Rockies, it was during Cuonzo Martin’s final year by a final score of 44-74 at Utah. In Cal’s next game at Colorado, they lost 46-54. So, that should give them some hope to have a better outing even if it is in defeat. I don’t see Mark Fox allowing his guys to get whipped like a chow in back-to-back games. Cal will have a much better outing, but Utah will still come away victorious 72-62.
Last time out for Cal WBB: On Friday, Cal also lost to Colorado in Boulder. The only difference was they played a much closer game, losing 75-59. Leilani McIntosh (14 points & 10 assists) and Ugonne Onyiah (13 points & 12 rebounds) both had their first career double-doubles.
RECAP: Cal WBB battles hard in Boulder loss
On Utah WBB: The Utes are led by sophomore guard Brynna Maxwell (13.3 points), who is shooting 37.4% from the field, 31.7% from 3-point range, and 95.9% from the foul line. Around Maxwell is solid group consisting of sophomore guard Kemery Martin (9.2 points), junior guard Dru Gylten (8.3 points), and junior guard/forward Niyah Becker (7.0 points).
The Utes are coming off a pair of brutal losses to UCLA and Stanford, but they have had some conference success notching wins over Washington and Oregon State. Considering that Cal hasn’t won a league game yet, Utah is eying Cal as a very beatable opponent.
As a team, the Utes are averaging 63.4 points per game on 38.3% shooting from the field, 31.1% shooting from 3-point range, and 70.9% shooting from the foul line. They’re averaging a -1.1 rebound margin, 11.6 assists, 8.8 steals, 4.2 blocks, and 18.7 turnovers per game. Their opponents are averaging 74.2 points per game on 44.2% shooting from the field, 36.7% shooting from 3-point range, and 74.3% shooting from the foul line.
Keys to the WBB game: If Cal is to get a win, the first thing they need to do is work it inside. We’ve seen this Cal team find some success when they get rolling in the paint. If Ugonne Onyiah, Dalayah Daniels, and others get going down low, that could really make the difference. Especially since the Utes (-1.1 rebound margin) aren’t great inside.
Secondly, Cal needs to keep Utah away from the foul line. Maxwell is a fantastic foul shooter and as a team, the Utes are really good, shooting north of 70%. If Cal can force Utah into taking tough shots and not allow them to get freebies at the line, that will really help them steal this game.
Lastly, Cal needs to have another solid 3-point shooting game. Cal had by far their best 3-point shooting game of the season against Colorado as they shot 10-27 (37.0%). If Cal can stay hot from beyond the arc, that could push them over the top. For much of the season, that really has been the missing piece to the puzzle, largely due to all the injuries.
WBB Prediction: This is certainly a game Cal can win. We saw them give Colorado a solid fight and they nearly defeated Arizona State earlier this year on the road. Cal has also shown that they aren’t afraid of the road and if anything, they seem to play better than they do at home. On top of that, Utah is coming in on a three game losing skid, having lost 7 of their last 8 games. You can call me crazy, but I’m going to predict Cal finds a way to pull this one out 63-60, getting their first win of the season.
