While Sunday was an eventful day on the Cal men’s basketball front with the firing of head coach Wyking Jones, it shouldn’t be forgotten that on Monday, Cal women’s basketball will look to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive against #1 Baylor on their home floor in Waco, TX. Tipoff time is 6:00 PM PST on ESPN.
Last time out: On Saturday, Cal defeated North Carolina 92-72 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Asha Thomas (19 points) and Kristine Anigwe (18 points & 22 rebounds) led the way for the Golden Bears.
RECAP: Cal defeats UNC after second half surge
On Baylor: Baylor is led by senior center Kalani Brown (15.8 points & 8.1 rebounds), junior forward Lauren Cox (12.6 points & 8.1 rebounds), junior guard Juicy Landrum (11.2 points & 5.1 rebounds), and graduate transfer guard Chloe Jackson (11.2 points). In addition to those four players, Baylor has a solid core of bench players that provide additional depth.
When looking at the team stats, what jumps out about Baylor is their staggering combination of high octane offense and smothering defense. When you average 80.9 points per game and give up 54.0 points per game, it’s not hard to convince people that you are 32-1. Baylor shoots 50.0% from the field, 38.6% from 3-point range, and 67.5% from the foul line while holding opponents to 31.0% shooting from the field and 29.7% from 3-point range.
Even more eye-popping are Baylor’s rebounding numbers. Baylor averages 47.4 rebounds per game while holding opponents to 30.0 rebounds per game. That’s a +17.4 rebounding differential per game. If that doesn’t make you jump out of your seat, I don’t know what will.
The bottom line with this Baylor team is they’re really really good. They’re number one in the nation for a reason. They can defend, they can score, and they can control the glass like Dennis Rodman. It’s a scary combination that makes them nearly impossible to beat.
Keys to the game: If Cal is going to pull off the unthinkable and stun Baylor, the first thing they need to do is mitigate Baylor’s rebounding prowess. Baylor is the better rebounding team, but Cal has the best rebounder in the country in Kristine Anigwe, who is averaging 22.8 points and 16.5 rebounds per game. If Anigwe has a monster game on the glass and is able to get some help from her teammates (E.g. C.J. West and Jaelyn Brown), Cal will have a shot to pull off this upset.
Secondly, Cal needs to get some threes to fall, especially early. When looking back on their close game with UConn, what kept Cal in the game early on was their perimeter shooting. Asha Thomas got some threes to fall, Receé Caldwell got some to fall, etc. If Cal’s perimeter shooting is on point early and giving Baylor trouble, Cal should be able to hang around a lot longer than people expect.
Lastly, to quote Tower of Power, Cal ought to be havin’ fun out there. No one expects them to win this game including myself. That doesn’t mean Cal shouldn’t believe in themselves, but the lack of expectations should reduce the pressure by a lot and make them play much more relaxed. So long as Cal can stay loose, enjoy the moment, and not get tight, they’ll have an opportunity to pull off the unthinkable. However, if they come out nervous and overly eager, they’ll get down early fast and it will all spiral out of control from there.
