Washington has clinched a share of the Pac-12 championship and with another victory can claim the title outright.The California Bears are appetizing prey having lost all 14 conference games they’ve played thus far, the Huskies would love to continue their misery.
Who: Washington Men’s Basketball (#25 AP/Coaches, A#29 NET Ranking) @ California Golden Bears
When: Tonight, 8pm Tip
Where: Haas Pavilion in Berkeley, California
How to Watch: FS1 (Free 7 Day trials on FuboTV and Sling)
Cal is in the midst of a 15 game losing streak and have yet to win a game in the year 2019. Their last win was an 88-80 win over San Jose State on December 21st. Cal was most recently swept in the Desert falling by 25 to an Arizona team that had lost 7 in a row and then losing by 10 to ASU their last time out.
California Notes:
Cal has showed signs of life at times, they actually led the Sun Devils by 6 at half-time before crumbling in the second half. Cal has been the conferences most challenged offensive team ranking last in scoring (65.2), field goal percentage (39.4) and rebounding margin (-7.4) during conference play.
Cal’s star Justice Sueing is scoring more in his sophomore year (14.9 points per game) but he’s struggled shooting just 27.6% beyond the arc even though he attempts 3.9 of them per game. Sueing went 3 of 11 from the field and scored just 9 points against ASU.
Junior guard Paris Austin grew up in Oakland and signed with Boise State out of high school. He transferred back to Cal after two years with the Broncos and after sitting out last season is averaging 11.7 ppg and 4.3 apg in his first year as the Bears starting point guard.
Washington will want to keep an eye on sharp shooting freshman Matt Bradley. Bradley leads the Pac-12 in 3-point shooting (48.4%) and scored 23 points while grabbing 10 rebounds against ASU. He was 5 of 7 from beyond the 3-point line.
The Last Time: Washington 71, Cal 52 (January 19th, 2019)
Cal actually played the Huskies reasonable tough in Seattle only trailing by one at half-time. Washington cruised in the 2nd half to a comfortable win by holding Cal to just 24 points the final 20 minutes. Dominic Green led the Huskies with 17 points off the bench, he has failed to crack double figures in the nine games since then.
Matchups to Watch:
Washington’s Struggling Offense vs. Cal’s Porous Defense
The Huskies haven’t been great offensively during this stretch, they have shot below 45% in 5 of their last 7 games. They shot over 50% in 5 of their first 7 Pac-12 games. The Bears may just be a sight for sore eyes, Cal is last in scoring defense (79.7), opponent field goal percentage (50.8%) and opponent 3-point percentage (38.7%) in the Pac-12 during conference play.
Can the Huskies force turnovers?
It seems like a silly question but Cal takes care of the ball (2nd fewest turnovers in the Pac-12) and only turned the ball over 13 times against the Huskies when the teams played in Seattle. Washington’s 7 steals against Cal was a season low in conference play.
Will Washington be focused?
Mike Hopkins continues to preach to his team “Don’t eat the cheese,” a reference to ignoring the hype that comes with success. Washington finally got some respect this week earning the #25 spot in the AP Poll but many will remember the last time the Huskies were #25 they got humbled out of the rankings in a 22 point loss to Auburn. The Huskies have had some slow starts the last few weeks, they would love to get a big lead and play some deep reserves in this game.
Oregon State has a better record but I reckon the Stanford game will be the most difficult of the Huskies last four games, how nice would it be for the starters to cap out at 25 minutes and be rested for Sunday’s showdown.
Prediction
This game pits the Pac-12’s number 1 team versus the number 12 team. Cal has lost 16 in a row and is just 5-9 at home. Games like these are great because in a perfect world you play hard, get a lead and rest your starters 5-10 minutes in the second half ahead of your Saturday/Sunday game. That said, Washington can’t afford to overlook Cal, Cal has been a strong first-half team, it’s the second half of games where their lack of depth has caused them to wilt. Washington’s two objectives are to get a win and stay healthy, everything else is icing on the cake. Washington is 17-0 when holding opponents under 67 points, I bet they do it one more time.
Washington 72 California 55
Last Prediction: Washington 66, Colorado 58
Actual Score: Washington 64, Colorado 55
