On Thursday at 7:30 PM PST on FS1 and KGO 810 AM, Cal men’s basketball will take on the Arizona Wildcats at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley. Cal comes in at 10-13 overall and 4-6 in the Pac-12 while Arizona comes in at 16-7 overall and 6-4 in the Pac-12.
Last time out: On Saturday, Cal lost to Utah by a final score of 60-45 in Salt Lake City. Utah sophomore forward Timmy Allen led the way for the Utes with 21 points and 4 rebounds while Cal sophomore guard Matt Bradley finished with 13 points for the Golden Bears.
RECAP: Cal struggles in Salt Lake City
On Arizona: The Wildcats are led by a trio of talented freshman in forward Zeke Nnaji (16.2 points & 8.9 rebounds), guard Nico Mannion (14.0 points & 5.5 assists), and guard Josh Green (11.9 points & 4.5 rebounds). All three are expected to be selected in the first round of the 2020 NBA draft.
As a team, the Wildcats average 78.8 points per game on 46.0% shooting from the field, 36.0% shooting from 3-point range, and 73.5% shooting from the foul line. They average a +4.0 rebounding margin, 15.8 assists, 6.7 steals, 3.7 blocks, and 11.3 turnovers per game. Their opponents average 65.9 points per game on 39.4% shooting from the field, 32.4% shooting from 3-point range, and 71.0% shooting from the foul line.
It has been an up and down season for the Wildcats, who just fell out of the AP Top 25 after their home loss to UCLA. While they have a lot of talent, it’s hard to maintain consistency when your best players are all freshmen. Especially without any upper classmen that you can really rely on. That said, they have had some good moments like playing #2 Gonzaga to within 4 points. They’ve shown they can hang with the best teams in college basketball. It’s just a matter of bringing it every night.
Keys to the game: For Cal, I think they need to look to the Washington game as an example of how to win this game. They did a great job containing Isaiah Stewart and should look to do the same thing against Zeke Nnaji. If Cal can make life difficult on Nnaji like they did on Stewart, they’ll force Mannion and Green to step up their game. Those guys are certainly capable of doing so, but it’s important to understand that Nnaji is the top scorer on this Wildcats team, making him the #1 priority for Cal to defend.
Secondly, Cal needs to play an efficient game offensively. That means making shots and not turning the ball over. The Wildcats love to get out in transition, especially Mannion and Green. When those guys are in the open floor, they’re very dangerous. If Cal can limit their chances to get out in the open floor, they’ll be taking away a big part of the Wildcats’ game.
Finally, Matt Bradley needs to have a big game for Cal. If he does, odds are good his teammates will feed off of that as will the crowd. If you’re going to beat a team like Arizona, it’s imperative that your stars step up. Cal is no exception. Especially when Bradley is the only true star that they have.
