On Saturday at 5:00 PM PST on ESPNU, Cal men’s basketball will welcome the Utah Runnin’ Utes to Haas Pavilion. Cal comes in at 5-14 overall and 0-7 in the Pac-12 while Utah comes in at 10-8 overall and 4-2 in the Pac-12.

On Utah: The Runnin’ Utes are led by senior guard Sedrick Barefield, who is averaging 15.9 points and 3.8 assists per game on 43.2% shooting from the field, 41.6% shooting from 3-point range, and 84.7% shooting from the foul line. Barefield is the engine that makes this Utah team go. When he plays well, they are very difficult to stop.

Surrounding Barefield are a cast of really good role players in sophomore forward Donnie Tillman (11.2 points & 5.6 rebounds), freshman forward Timmy Allen (10.3 points & 4.6 rebounds), senior guard Parker Van Dyke (6.7 points on 40.2% shooting from 3-point range), and junior center Jayce Johnson (6.4 points & 6.1 rebounds). All of these guys know their role and do a good job doing what is asked of them.

After dropping two straight games to Arizona and Washington, Utah got back on track with three straight wins over Washington State, Colorado, and Stanford. In those three wins, they held their opponents to 70 points or fewer, playing really good defense. Utah comes into Berkeley with a lot of momentum and will look to keep the good vibes rolling.

Keys to the game: If Cal wants to win this game, the first thing they need to do is contain Sedrick Barefield. Darius McNeill, Paris Austin, and Juhwan-Harris Dyson will be the main ones guarding him, so a lot rests on their shoulders in that regard. Beating Utah begins and ends with doing a good job on Barefield, so Cal has to make him priority number one.

Secondly, Cal needs to avoid a dry spell on offense. The defense against Colorado was improved, but they went through an almost five minute stretch without scoring, resulting in their early deficit. The offense was stagnant, and guys were not moving the ball well. Cal snapped out of this in the second half, so they have what it takes to avoid a dry spell. It’s just a matter of executing their offense for the full 40 minutes.

Lastly, Cal needs to make sure they bring energy on defense for the whole game. When Cal plays with energy on defense, they look pretty good. Their offense flows much better and everyone starts to gain more confidence. Cal has the pieces to win some games in the Pac-12. It’s just a matter of believing in themselves and bringing the energy and fight that Wyking Jones has been talking about.

Quotes on Utah: Cal head coach Wyking Jones talked about Utah earlier this week. Below are his thoughts on the matchup:

“Utah’s a very good team. They do a great job of executing against man and zone. Sedrick Barefield is an unbelievable scorer. He scores in bunches and they have a bunch of guys, role players, Timmy Allen, a bunch of role players that are really good, Van Dyke can really shoot it, Jayce Johnson’s a solid big. They’re a very good basketball team, but they kinda center around Barefield. He’s the guy, he’s the one that can really really hurt you and score in bunches. He can really shoot the ball. Against Colorado he had five threes in the first half. So, he’s an unbelievable scorer. It’s a challenge.”

Note: Cal freshman Jacobi Gordon (Achilles) did not play on Thursday against Colorado. Consider him questionable for Saturday against Utah.