On Friday at 6:00 PM PST on Pac-12 Networks, Cal women’s basketball will take on the #21 ranked Utah Utes in Salt Lake City. Cal comes into this game at 12-5 overall and 3-3 in the Pac-12 while Utah comes in at 16-1 overall and 5-1 in the Pac-12.
Last time out: Cal defeated Washington on Sunday by a final score of 79-70. Kristine Anigwe had 30 points and 18 rebounds for Cal while Amber Melgoza had 27 points and 5 rebounds for Washington.
RECAP: Cal defeats Washington to get home sweep
On Utah: The Utes are led by senior forward Megan Huff, who averages 19.6 points and 9.4 rebounds per game on 51.5% shooting from the field, 43.5% shooting from 3-point range, and 79.7% shooting from the foul line. Due to the season-ending knee injury of senior wing Daneesha Provo (13.5 points & 2.1 steals), there is even more on Huff’s plate than before. On top of that, freshman wing Dre’Una Edwards (12.2 points & 7.7 rebounds), is dealing with a dislocated right shoulder and may not be able to play on Friday night against Cal. Still, despite those injuries, the Utes are playing really good basketball ranked inside the Top 25 in both the AP and Coaches Poll.
When looking at the stats, what really jumps out about Utah is their defense and rebounding. They hold opponents to 57.8 points per game on 40.0% shooting from the field and 29.5% shooting from 3-point range. On the glass, Utah averages a +8.2 rebounding differential per game, thanks to the stellar rebounding of Huff and Edwards. When you combine that kind of defense and rebounding with an offense that puts up 76.5 points per game, you have yourself a winning a combination.
Keys to the game: The first key to the game for Cal is for Kristine Anigwe to win the battle inside against Megan Huff. Anigwe is arguably the best post player in the conference, but Huff is not far behind. If Anigwe can make sure she’s the one that walks away with more points and rebounds, Cal will be in a good position to win. If it’s the other way around, Utah will win. In a lot of ways, this game boils down to how these two players perform.
As an extension of that, rebounding is going to be huge in this game. Cal has a +9 rebounding differential per game, so they definitely have what it takes to win the battle on the boards. If Cal can be the team that walks away with more rebounds, that will be huge as they go about trying to pick up this road win.
A second key for Cal is to get some 3-pointers to fall. Cal has some really good 3-point shooters in Asha Thomas, Kianna Smith, Receé Caldwell, McKenzie Forbes, and even Kristine Anigwe. Despite their amount of quality shooters, Cal is shooting just 31.8% from 3-point range. If they can shoot even 35.0% from 3-point range, that would really help them. Especially since Utah holds opponents to 29.5% shooting from deep.
Lastly, Cal needs to ratchet up their defensive intensity. Utah is a really good defensive team and Cal will need to match the intensity that they bring on defense. Utah gets 9.2 steals per game and 4.7 blocks per game, doing a really good job of staying active in passing lanes and protecting the rim. Cal in contrast averages only 5.0 steals and 4.1 blocks per game. If Utah is the team that brings more energy and fight on defense, they’ll win this game for sure.
Due to the injuries of Utah, Cal needs to take advantage of being the healthier team and that starts on defense. With a shorter bench rotation, Utah will need to use more energy throughout the game. If Cal’s role players can step up and give their team more depth, that will be huge.
