On Saturday at 5:00 PM PST on ESPN 2, Cal men's basketball will take on Arizona State. Cal is 21-9 overall and 11-6 in Pac-12 play. Arizona State is 15-15 overall and 5-12 in Pac-12 play. I will fire up this game hub with 5 things to look for going into the game.
#1. Cal needs to start strong: After a tough loss to Arizona, Cal has to really get off to a good start. If Cal gets off to a good start, they should be able to quickly dispose of the Sun Devils, who have had a pretty poor season. If on the other hand, Arizona State starts strong, Cal may be in a for a long night. Cal knows all too well that they have not exactly delivered the goods on the road. The longer this game is close for, the more it favors Arizona State since they are at home and playing with utterly no pressure. Cal has to get off to a strong start and make things tough for the Sun Devils.
#2. Cal has to get to the line: A big reason for why Cal was able to beat Arizona State at Haas Pavilion back in January has to do with the fact that Cal got to the foul line and made their free throws (20-29). Cal has to take a similar approach going into this game. They need to get the line, make their foul shots, and prevent the Sun Devils from doing the same. That in a nutshell could be what this game comes down to.
#3. Cal needs to stop Tra Holder: Arizona State guard Tra Holder averages 14.5 points per game and has the potential to light it up. Cal has to prevent Holder from having a big night. He had 9 points in their first meeting back in January and that was a big reason for why Cal won.
#4. Cal's bench has to be better: Arizona State outscored Cal 30-18 off the bench in their first meeting this season. Cal needs more players coming off the bench like Stephen Domingo to step it up and make life easier on the starters. Cal has the pieces to have solid bench production, but for whatever reason, their bench players have not been able to do much in terms of putting up points and giving the starters some much needed rest.
#5. This is not a must win game, but Cal better treat it like one: While it's probably true that Cal doesn't need this win to make the tournament, they still don't want to drop a second straight loss in Tempe. A loss to Arizona State would de really bad for Cal since this win is ripe for the picking. Cal better view this game as a chance to prove they belong as a 5 seed or 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament. If Cal wins, a 5 seed or 6 seed seems likely. If Cal loses, Cal will probably be a 7 or 8 seed in the NCAA tournament. It sounds brutal, but it's the truth.
Prediction: Arizona State is coming off of a 10 point win over Stanford and they are certainly feeling confident as a result. However, Cal is a much better team and really needs this win from the standpoint of not giving themselves as bad of an NCAA tournament seed. Cal is a potential Final Four team and Arizona State is not. I think that difference will give Cal the extra motivation to win this game. There's just too much on the line for Cal in this game. They have tournament seeding to worry about while Arizona State will roll into Vegas with their only path to the NCAA tournament being 4 straight wins. Cal will win this game 74-64.
#1. Cal needs to start strong: After a tough loss to Arizona, Cal has to really get off to a good start. If Cal gets off to a good start, they should be able to quickly dispose of the Sun Devils, who have had a pretty poor season. If on the other hand, Arizona State starts strong, Cal may be in a for a long night. Cal knows all too well that they have not exactly delivered the goods on the road. The longer this game is close for, the more it favors Arizona State since they are at home and playing with utterly no pressure. Cal has to get off to a strong start and make things tough for the Sun Devils.
#2. Cal has to get to the line: A big reason for why Cal was able to beat Arizona State at Haas Pavilion back in January has to do with the fact that Cal got to the foul line and made their free throws (20-29). Cal has to take a similar approach going into this game. They need to get the line, make their foul shots, and prevent the Sun Devils from doing the same. That in a nutshell could be what this game comes down to.
#3. Cal needs to stop Tra Holder: Arizona State guard Tra Holder averages 14.5 points per game and has the potential to light it up. Cal has to prevent Holder from having a big night. He had 9 points in their first meeting back in January and that was a big reason for why Cal won.
#4. Cal's bench has to be better: Arizona State outscored Cal 30-18 off the bench in their first meeting this season. Cal needs more players coming off the bench like Stephen Domingo to step it up and make life easier on the starters. Cal has the pieces to have solid bench production, but for whatever reason, their bench players have not been able to do much in terms of putting up points and giving the starters some much needed rest.
#5. This is not a must win game, but Cal better treat it like one: While it's probably true that Cal doesn't need this win to make the tournament, they still don't want to drop a second straight loss in Tempe. A loss to Arizona State would de really bad for Cal since this win is ripe for the picking. Cal better view this game as a chance to prove they belong as a 5 seed or 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament. If Cal wins, a 5 seed or 6 seed seems likely. If Cal loses, Cal will probably be a 7 or 8 seed in the NCAA tournament. It sounds brutal, but it's the truth.
Prediction: Arizona State is coming off of a 10 point win over Stanford and they are certainly feeling confident as a result. However, Cal is a much better team and really needs this win from the standpoint of not giving themselves as bad of an NCAA tournament seed. Cal is a potential Final Four team and Arizona State is not. I think that difference will give Cal the extra motivation to win this game. There's just too much on the line for Cal in this game. They have tournament seeding to worry about while Arizona State will roll into Vegas with their only path to the NCAA tournament being 4 straight wins. Cal will win this game 74-64.
