On Super Bowl Sunday at 1:00 PM PST on Cal Live Stream and KALX (90.7FM), Cal women’s basketball will welcome the Colorado Buffaloes to Haas Pavilion. Cal comes in at 0-12 overall and 0-9 in the Pac-12 while Colorado comes in at 6-9 overall and 4-8 in the Pac-12.

Last time out: On Friday, Cal lost to Utah 62-51 at Haas Pavilion. Freshman guard Mia Mastrov had 20 points and 6 rebounds in her Cal debut.

RECAP: Cal WBB falls to Utah in first game back from isolation

On Colorado: This will be the second time Cal faces Colorado this season. As was mentioned in the Utah preview, Colorado was the last team Cal faced before they hit the pause button due to COVID-19. Cal has some familiarity with them and given how they played in Colorado, they should have some hope to perhaps finally get their first win of the season.

Senior forward Mya Hollingshed is still leading the charge with her 16.7 points and 8.7 rebounds per game while freshman guard Frida Formann (10.7 points) and sophomore guard Jaylyn Sherrod (10.4 points) are both averaging double figures.

The Buffs have had a bit of a rough season, having lost three straight games, but they do have an impressive win over now #6 Stanford in overtime. So while they’ve struggled at times, they’ve also shown they have the ability to play with the best of the best.

As a team, the Buffs average 65.7 points per game on 40.6% shooting from the field, 28.9% shooting from 3-point range, and 62.0% shooting from the foul line. They also average a +2.6 rebound margin, 12.1 assists, 8.7 steals, 4.3 blocks, and 15.2 turnovers per game. Their opponents average 62.9 points per game on 39.8% shooting from the field, 31.9% shooting from 3-point range, and 67.9% shooting from the foul line.

Keys to the game: For Cal, the first thing they need to do is knock down some threes. With Mastrov in the lineup, they have one more option to go to in the backcourt and judging by how she played, she’s capable of making a real impact. But, it can’t just be Mastrov or someone else doing it by themselves. It has to be a team effort. If Leilani McIntosh, Ornela Muca, and Archer Olson can all chip in some threes, that could make the difference in this one.

Secondly, Cal needs to get rolling in the paint. While Mastrov was out there knocking down shots on Friday, not much was happening inside. Cal needs to get Ugonne Onyiah, Evelien Lutje Schipholt, Fatou Samb, and especially Dalayah Daniels to get going and take some pressure off the backcourt.

Finally, Cal can’t have a bad quarter. Aside from getting outscored by 10 points in the 2nd quarter on Friday, Cal played a tight game. If they can find a way to avoid a bad quarter and play Colorado close in all four quarters, they’ll at least give themselves a shot to win.

Prediction: While Colorado is coming in on a three game losing skid, they’re not winless like Cal is. Colorado will win this game, but Cal won’t humiliate themselves. I see a 67-57 win for the Buffs.