On Sunday at 3:00 PM PST on ESPNU, Cal men’s basketball will take on Arizona State at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley. Cal comes in at 10-14 overall and 4-7 in the Pac-12 while Arizona State comes in at 16-8 overall and 7-4 in the Pac-12.
Last time out: On Thursday, Cal lost to Arizona by a final score of 68-52. Arizona freshman Zeke Nnaji led the way for the Wildcats with 21 points and 5 rebounds while Cal sophomore Matt Bradley had 19 points and 8 rebounds for the Golden Bears.
RECAP: Cal stumbles in second half against Arizona
On Arizona State: The Sun Devils are led by junior guard Remy Martin, who is averaging 19.5 points per game on 43.7% shooting from the field, 34.1% shooting from 3-point range, and 75.6% shooting from the foul line. Martin is having a fantastic season and is one of the top guards in the Pac-12. Junior guard Alonzo Verge, Jr. is having a nice season as well, averaging 13.6 points per game while coming off the bench more than half the time.
Two other Sun Devils are scoring in double figures as well in redshirt junior forward Romello White (10.5 points & 9.2 rebounds) and redshirt senior guard Rob Edwards (10.5 points). Outside of Martin, Verge, White, and Edwards, no one else on this Sun Devils team is averaging more than 5 points per game, so it really is on these four guys to carry the scoring load.
As a team, the Sun Devils average 73.3 points per game on 42.7% shooting from the field, 31.8% shooting from 3-point range, and 68.7% shooting from the foul line. They also average a -1.1 rebound margin, 11.0 assists, 7.8 steals, 3.4 blocks, and 13.6 turnovers per game. Their opponents are averaging 68.9 points per game on 42.1% shooting from the field, 32.2% shooting from 3-point range, and 66.2% shooting from the foul line.
After a 1-3 start in Pac-12 play, the Sun Devils are starting to catch fire, having won 6 of their last 7 games and four games in a row. A team that is likely on the outside looking in on the NCAA tournament, the Sun Devils need to make up all the ground that they can get, making Sunday’s game very important for them.
Keys to the game: Priority number one for Cal needs to be containing Remy Martin. If he has a big afternoon, it’s going to be a long afternoon for Cal. Cal needs to mix up their defenses accordingly, give him different looks, and not allow him to get into an easy rhythm. He’s their best player by a wide margin and needs to be defended as such.
As an extension of this, Matt Bradley needs to have a big game for Cal in return. In many ways, this game will come down to who has the better night between Bradley and Martin. If Bradley gets the best of Martin, Cal likely wins. If Martin gets the best of Bradley, Arizona State likely wins. It’s that simple.
Secondly, Cal needs to make their presence felt inside. Romello White will certainly look to make his presence felt inside and Cal needs to find a way to match that. Grant Anticevich, Andre Kelly, D.J. Thorpe, and Lars Thiemann give Cal a deeper front court rotation. If they collectively step up and do a good job rebounding, blocking shots, and scoring inside, that should go a long ways to securing a Cal victory.
Finally, Cal needs to take care of the basketball. Too often, they make careless passes caused by miscommunication. Cal needs to make sure everyone is on the same page, knows what play they’re running, and executes accordingly. Cal will not beat a veteran Arizona State team if they play sloppy.
