MBB Notebook: Bradley Injury and Washington Week

Cal led 29-21 over Oregon State in the first half Saturday in Corvallis, looking for their first road win of the year. Matt Bradley drew in a defender, fired a pass out to an open Monty Bowser, and came down on the foot of an Oregon State player. His ankle turned, the same one that he hurt against San Francisco, and he had to be helped off the court.

While the Bears led by 10 at halftime, they lost their leader and best player, and couldn't find consistent offense nor make a foul shot in the second half, losing their lead and falling to Oregon State. It marked a disappointing end to a road trip where the Bears had opportunities to win both games, with second half failings dashing the Bears' chances.

That begs the question of 'what now?' Cal is now without two of their top scorers in Bradley and Grant Anticevich, who is recovery from surgery for a ruptured appendix. Cal head coach Mark Fox noted Saturday that Bradley's injury is "pretty significant, I believe. I don't think we'll have Matt for some time."

When Bradley missed the CSUN and Seattle games, Ryan Betley and Makale Foreman took over the scoring load. Kuany Kuany and Joel Brown had more scoring opportunities, and Jarred Hyder became eligible. Some combination of these five will look to shoulder the scoring load for the Bears in the meantime, though replacing Bradley entirely isn't possible, mainly from a gravity and leadership standpoint.

Bradley's presence draws coverage, and he's been able to score despite the extra attention. On the play he was injured on, he drew defenders prior to finding an open player on a kickout, and that presence isn't possible to replace.

So now the Bears head back to Haas this week, with two games against the Washington schools. The Bears swept Washington State last year and split against Washington. These are two games where the Bears are favored by Kenpom, but the margins got a whole lot thinner without Bradley.

At Home: 4-1 (average score of 70.2-62, margin of +8.2)

On the Road: 0-5 (average score of , margin of 62.8-75.2, margin of -12.4)

Neutral Site: 1-0 (86-61 win over Northwest at Oregon State)

Injuries:

Bradley (ankle) - Out for a while after turning his ankle against Oregon State, Bradley was on crutches during the second half of Cal's loss to the Beavers

Anticevich (appendix) - On the Pac-12 broadcast of the Oregon game, it was mentioned that Anticevich's appendix had burst prior to getting him to the hospital for surgery, which is why the senior Australian forward has been out.

Per Game Stat Leaders:

Points: Bradley, 17.8

Rebounds: Kelly, 6.3

Assists: Brown: 3.7

Steals: Brown, 1.7

Blocks: Anticevich, .9

Minutes: Betley 32.1

Field Goal % (minimum 5 attempts per game): Kelly, 55.1%

3pt% (minimum 2 attempts per game): Betley, 36.9%

Free Throw% (minimum 1 attempt per game): Foreman, 85.7%

Thursday January 7th: Vs. Washington State (8-1, 1-1)

Where: Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, CA

Time: 7 PM

TV: Pac-12 Network

Radio: KGO 810 AM

Kenpom Prediction: 63-62 Cal win, 55% chance of winning

Saturday January 9th: Vs. Washington (1-7, 0-3)

Where: Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, CA

Time: 12 PM

TV: Pac-12 Network

Radio: KGO 810

Kenpom Prediction: 66-64 Cal win, 55% chance of winning

Washington State had a sterling 8-0 start before their first loss to Arizona in double overtime. Kyle Smith, formerly at USF, has the Cougs playing as well as they have since the Tony Bennett days. Some of it may have been bolstered by a less than exemplary non-conference schedule, but Washington State beat all those opponents with a much improved defense. The Cougars are holding teams down on the defensive end, as Wazzu opponents have shot 34.2% from the field against them, including 38.7% inside the arc (a mark that ranks second in the country).

With CJ Elleby going pro after last season, the Cougs have relied on Isaac Bonton, who's second in the Pac-12 in % of shots taken while on the floor (Matt Bradley is the first). Bonton's splits aren't great (a 31.9/24.1/64.4 split), but he's capable of heating up and is a solid passer.

The Cougs have brought in some impact freshmen, with Efe Abogidi, Andrej Jakimovski, and Dishon Jackson being the main players among that group. Jackson is a Bay Area native who just got his first start against Arizona, but otherwise hasn't played much. Abogidi is an impressive shot blocker, averaging over 2 blocks a game alongside a near double-double (10.4 ppg and 9 rpg), while Jakimovski is at 38.7% from beyond the arc on nearly 5 attempts per game. Wazzu is going to shoot the three, as Kyle Smith teams have done, and Jakimovski, along with Noah Williams, is a threat.

Likely Starters

G Isaac Bonton 6'3", 190 lbs

G Noah Williams 6'5" 187 lbs

F Andrej Jakimovski 6'8" 215 lbs.

F Dishon Jackson 6'10" 235 lbs

F Efe Abogidi 6'10" 225 lbs.

Key Reserves

F Tony Miller 6'6" 210 lbs

G Myles Warren 6'3" 185 lbs

F Aljaz Kunc 6'8" 212 lbs

G TJ Bamba 6'5" 208 lbs

Player to Watch - Williams

While he doesn't have the volume that Bonton has, Williams is shooting over 40% from beyond the arc. Cal has seen a couple guards in Chris Duarte and Ethan Thompson heating up against them over the past two games, and Williams is no exception. He draws a fair amount of fouls while avoiding foul trouble in his own right as well.

Another rough year for Mike Hopkins in Seattle, as the Huskies lost two NBA draft picks from a year ago, and offense has been dreadful in multiple metrics. Washington is a shade under 25% from 3 so far this year, they get to the foul line at a bottom 20 rate in the country, and they're not a particularly great passing team. They don't turn the ball over at a particularly high rate, but they've had major struggles.

Granted, the Huskies have played a tough schedule, with a neutral site game against Baylor early in the season. Washington also lost to UC Riverside in Vegas and lost to Montana at home. Their sole win of the season was a 32 point blowout win over Seattle. Their zone, something Hopkins carried over from Syracuse, has allowed a ton of offensive rebounds, again at a bottom 20 rate in the country.

There has been a bright spot for the Huskies in Quade Green. The point guard, who was ruled ineligible right before Cal played them at Haas a year ago, is averaging 15.5 points per game, along with just under 3 assists. He's been the main source of offense for Washington, the only Husky averaging over 10 points per game.

Likely Starters

G Quade Green 6' 170 lbs

G Erik Stevenson 6'3" 200 lbs

G Jamal Bey 6'6" 210 lbs

F Hameir Wright 6'9" 220 lbs

F Nate Roberts 6'11" 265 lbs

Key Reserves

F J'Raan Brooks 6'9" 220 lbs

G Raequan Battle 6'5" 175 lbs

G Nate Pryor 6'4" 175 lbs

Player to Watch - Green

Green has been the sole drive of the offense for the most part, with a team that has a lot of length, but one that hasn't shot well. Notably, Hameir Wright, who shot 40% from 3 in conference play, is sitting at 15.8% from beyond the arc. Cal's defense will have to focus on Green and limit his opportunities at the foul line, where he's an 86.4% shooter.