On Monday at 2:00 PM PST on Pac-12 Networks, Cal women’s basketball will take on the USC Trojans at the Galen Center. It will be the second of a two-game road swing in Los Angeles. Cal comes in at 0-6 overall and 0-3 in the Pac-12 while USC comes in at 1-4 overall and 0-4 in the Pac-12.

Last time out: On Saturday, Cal fell to UCLA at Pauley Pavilion by a final score of 71-37. Natalie Chou led the way for UCLA with 18 points and 4 rebounds while Cal freshman Dalayah Daniels had a double-double consisting of 14 points and 10 rebounds.

RECAP: Cal WBB falls to #11 UCLA at Pauley Pavilion

On USC: The Trojans are led by sophomore guard Endyia Rogers, who is averaging 16.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. Rogers is having a really solid season and is doing all she can to help her team. The issue is this Trojans team lacks depth. They essentially run a seven player rotation, relying heavily on Rogers. Grad transfer forward Jordan Sanders(11.5 points) and sophomore center Angel Jackson (10.6 points & 5.6 rebounds) are the top two pieces around Rogers.

As a team, the Trojans average 66.4 points per game on 42.3% shooting from the field, 37.6% shooting from 3-point range, and 69.5% shooting from the foul line. The Trojans average a -6.6 rebound margin, 14.8 assists, 6.4 steals, 4.0 blocks, and 13.6 turnovers per game. Their opponents average 69.8 points per game on 40.4% shooting from the field, 31.4% shooting from 3-point range, and 75.0% shooting from the foul line.

Winless in league play so far, the Trojans are as beatable of an opponent as Cal is going to have this season. And likewise for the Trojans, Cal is as beatable of an opponent as they are going to have. This is one of those games where the loser is going to feel like they let an opportunity slip away.

Keys to the game: For Cal, the first key to the game is clearly to win the battle in the paint. Cal has size up front with Dalayah Daniels, Fatou Samb, Evelien Lutje Schipholt, Ugonne Onyiah, and Sela Heide. This core group has done a solid job of rebounding and getting work done inside. Judging by their -6.6 rebound margin, USC isn’t so good up front. If Cal can assert their will inside, control the boards, and score more points in the paint, that will be huge as they go about trying to win their first Pac-12 game.

Secondly, Cal needs to generate offense. Their defense hasn’t been great, but offense has been awful. Cal is averaging 48.3 points per game on 32.5% shooting from the field, 17.6% shooting from 3-point range, and 69.4% shooting from the foul line. It would really help if they could get things going from the perimeter to free things up inside. Having Leilani McIntosh back is nice, but she can’t do it all by herself. If things don’t change drastically on offense, it doesn’t matter how well Cal plays defensively.

Finally, Cal needs to take better care of the ball. Cal averages a jaw-dropping 24.3 turnovers per game compared to their opponents’ 12.2. If Cal can cut their turnovers down by even one third, that would be significant progress. When talking about generating offense, taking care of the ball is where it has to start.

Prediction: If Cal was at home, I’d feel different. But they’re not. USC wins this by 10 points. 65-55.