Hey guys, Cal women's basketball (9-3) takes on Arizona (9-4) tonight on the road in Tucson. The game can be viewed on Pac-12 Networks at 7:00 PM. Note: I'm getting my tipoff times from CalBears.com from now on. Anyways, I will fire up this thread with 5 things to look for going into this game.
#1. Will Kristine Anigwe get more help? Against Arizona State, Kristine Anigwe was the only Cal player to score in double figures. She did her part with her 22 points and 13 rebounds, but the rest of her teammates disappeared. Anigwe needs to get more help tonight. Especially from Courtney Range, Asha Thomas, and Mikayla Cowling.
#2. Cal needs to defend the three-point line: Arizona has three players who shoot the ball really well from beyond the arc: Taryn Griffey (48.1%), Michal Miller (41.7%), and JaLea Bennett (50%). Also, as a team they shoot 38.7% from beyond the arc, so collectively, the team knows how to knock down the three-ball. Note: Taryn is the daughter of Ken Griffey, Jr.
#3. Will Cal get off to another slow start? Against both CSU-Northridge and Arizona State, Cal got off to slow starts and it cost them in Tempe. Cal better get off to a strong start and not allow the Wildcats to get an early lead.
#4. TAKE CARE OF THE BALL! Cal turned the ball over 26 times against the Sun Devils. That won't get it done against very many Division 1 teams, let alone Pac-12 teams. Cal must take better care of the basketball and minimize the amount of silly mistakes that they make. E.g. Gabby Green literally throwing the ball across the court to nobody.
#5. Should MaAne Mosley get more minutes? When MaAne Mosley is on the floor, Cal plays better. She had a team high +/- of +90 against CSU-Northridge and against Arizona State, she was the only player with a positive +/- of +3. When she's on the floor, the team does well due to her rebounding, defense, and smart shot selection. Perhaps Coach Gottlieb should play her a bit more. Especially with the bench being so thin.
Prediction: Cal is still a Top-25 team and Arizona is not. Plus, Arizona got waxed by Stanford on Saturday. I expect Cal to come out victorious against the Wildcats by a final score of 65-55. This is not going to be a free win by any means. Arizona can play, but Cal has more talent and should have more motivation to win due to their level of expectations. Cal should respond positively to the pressure of needing a split in the desert.
#1. Will Kristine Anigwe get more help? Against Arizona State, Kristine Anigwe was the only Cal player to score in double figures. She did her part with her 22 points and 13 rebounds, but the rest of her teammates disappeared. Anigwe needs to get more help tonight. Especially from Courtney Range, Asha Thomas, and Mikayla Cowling.
#2. Cal needs to defend the three-point line: Arizona has three players who shoot the ball really well from beyond the arc: Taryn Griffey (48.1%), Michal Miller (41.7%), and JaLea Bennett (50%). Also, as a team they shoot 38.7% from beyond the arc, so collectively, the team knows how to knock down the three-ball. Note: Taryn is the daughter of Ken Griffey, Jr.
#3. Will Cal get off to another slow start? Against both CSU-Northridge and Arizona State, Cal got off to slow starts and it cost them in Tempe. Cal better get off to a strong start and not allow the Wildcats to get an early lead.
#4. TAKE CARE OF THE BALL! Cal turned the ball over 26 times against the Sun Devils. That won't get it done against very many Division 1 teams, let alone Pac-12 teams. Cal must take better care of the basketball and minimize the amount of silly mistakes that they make. E.g. Gabby Green literally throwing the ball across the court to nobody.
#5. Should MaAne Mosley get more minutes? When MaAne Mosley is on the floor, Cal plays better. She had a team high +/- of +90 against CSU-Northridge and against Arizona State, she was the only player with a positive +/- of +3. When she's on the floor, the team does well due to her rebounding, defense, and smart shot selection. Perhaps Coach Gottlieb should play her a bit more. Especially with the bench being so thin.
Prediction: Cal is still a Top-25 team and Arizona is not. Plus, Arizona got waxed by Stanford on Saturday. I expect Cal to come out victorious against the Wildcats by a final score of 65-55. This is not going to be a free win by any means. Arizona can play, but Cal has more talent and should have more motivation to win due to their level of expectations. Cal should respond positively to the pressure of needing a split in the desert.
