On Thursday at 11:30 AM PST on Pac-12 Networks, Cal women’s basketball will face #24 Arizona State in the Pac-12 Tournament at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Cal comes in at 11-18 overall and 3-15 in the Pac-12 while Arizona State comes in at 20-10 overall and 10-8 in the Pac-12. Arizona State is the #5 seed in the Pac-12 Tournament while Cal is the #12 seed.

Last time out: On Sunday, Cal had a huge 55-54 win over #13 Arizona. Cal freshman Jazlen Green led the way with 17 points and 5 rebounds.

RECAP: Cal pulls off shocking upset over #13 Arizona in Tucson

On Arizona State: The Sun Devils are led by senior forward Ja’Tavia Tapley (11.5 points & 6.2 rebounds), senior guard Robbi Ryan (10.5 points), and senior guard Reili Richardson (9.6 points). Together, this senior trio has the Sun Devils on the verge of another NCAA Tournament bid.

As a team, the Sun Devils average 65.4 points per game on 40.0% shooting from the field, 31.2% shooting from 3-point range, and 68.1% shooting from the foul line. They average a +6.6 rebound margin, 14.4 assists, 8.4 steals, 1.9 blocks, and 14.2 turnovers per game. Their opponents average 58.8 points per game on 40.4% shooting from the field, 30.5% shooting from 3-point range, and 71.3% shooting from the foul line.

The Sun Devils have had a bit of a streaky season in the Pac-12. They lost their first two games before winning five straight games. They also recently had a three game losing streak followed by a three game winning streak, so they’ve been very up and down.

Keys to the game: Cal played Arizona State last week, losing 77-54 before they rebounded with an unbelievable win over #13 Arizona. What I want to do is analyze three things Cal needs to change from their last meeting if they are to get the win.

First, Cal needs to defend the perimeter. Last Friday, Arizona State shot 10-17 from beyond the arc. Senior forward Jamie Ruden in particular went wild, scoring 18 points on 4-5 shooting from deep. If Cal allows Arizona State to torch them from 3-point range once again, they will not win this game.

As a quick extension of that, Cal in turn needs to make some threes as well. Their 2-8 shooting from 3-point range against Arizona State was not very good. Cal has some good 3-point shooters in Jazlen Green and Jaelyn Brown. They need to make sure they’re taking advantage and getting shots to fall on their end as well.

Secondly, Cal needs to do much better on the boards. Arizona State out-rebounded Cal 42-28 on Friday. Cal did not do well inside and they paid dearly for it. Cal has to find a way to make it a more even battle on the glass. Otherwise, they’ll get creamed once again.

Finally, Jaelyn Brown needs to come through. What we saw on Sunday is that when she gets going, this Cal team takes it up a notch. When she’s not on, they have a tough time winning games in such a competitive conference. If Cal is to advance and beat the Sun Devils, they’re going to need a big outing from Brown. Otherwise, they’ll find themselves in the early buffet line come Thursday afternoon.