On Saturday at 3:30 PM PST on Pac-12 Networks, Cal men's basketball will take on the Oregon State Beavers. Cal comes into this game with a 16-8 overall record and a 6-5 record in Pac-12 play. Oregon State is 15-8 overall and has a 6-6 record in Pac-12 play. This game hub will get ignited with 5 things to look for going into the game.
#1. Cal has to keep Gary Payton II off the glass: Despite being a 6'3" guard, GPII attacks the glass really well (7.8 rebounds per game). I asked Cuonzo Martin at Thursday's post-game press conference what he plans to do to stop Payton from killing them on the glass like he did in their first meeting, in which he had 11 rebounds.
I'm paraphrasing here, but what Cuonzo Martin said was that in their previous meeting, they played sloppy and lacked focus. He said the key to keeping Payton off the glass is simply boxing out, but he did give Payton credit for his rebounding prowess, stating that he is one of the few players at the Division 1 level who aggressively follows his own shot and pursues his own misses.
Martin says teams aren't used to guys like him, hence he gets a lot of rebounds. So, if Cal boxes out and plays with good fundamentals, they should be able to keep Payton off the glass. However, judging by how well Payton has rebounded this season, it will still be a challenge to keep him off the glass for 40 minutes.
#2. Ivan Rabb has to show up: Ivan Rabb finished with a double double against the Beavers in their first meeting with 10 points and 10 rebounds, but it was a really quiet double double. Rabb said that he was sick during that game and not feeling 100%. Assuming he doesn't get sick again against the Beavers, he should have a better outing. If Rabb has a more impactful game than he did the last time Cal faced Oregon State, that will really help.
#3. Cal has to play consistently for 40 minutes: Cal played poorly in the first half up in Corvallis and that is really where they lost the game. Oregon State had a 38-27 lead at the half and Cal was not able to make a strong enough surge in the second half to make up the difference. Cal finished the game making 9 of their last 11 field goals, but it ended up not mattering. Cal must play a good game from start to finish like they did on Thursday against Oregon.
#4. Cal must keep Oregon State away from the foul line and limit the number of open threes they get: Oregon State only attempted 7 3-point shots against Cal in their first meeting of the season, which means Cal did a fantastic job defending the perimeter since the Beavers usually take a little more than 18 3-point shots per game. Oregon State shoots a solid 36.4% from 3-point range, so Cal will definitely not want the Beavers to get too comfortable from beyond the arc.
As for the foul line, Cal shot 23 foul shots against Oregon State while Oregon State shot 27. Cal has to do a better job of not fouling and make sure they get to the line more than their opponent. This is a common theme in all games, but it really is so true. Cal needs to win the free throw battle. Especially the battle of foul shot attempts.
#5. Will Cal continue to soar? After Thursday's amazing performance, will Cal be able to play as well or better? Or will there be a bit of a letdown? I'm not suggesting Cal won't play well, but it'll be interesting to see if they build on this win in terms of their performance. Will Jabari Bird have another strong outing? Will the defense be even more smothering? It will be interesting to see if Cal can play even better against a team that on paper isn't as good as Oregon.
Prediction: I got Cal winning this game 72-65. I think they'll win fairly easily, but it won't be a blowout like the Oregon game. Considering Cal's undefeated record at home, it's hard to see them losing at Haas Pavilion at all this season. However, Oregon State did give them trouble in their previous game, especially Gary Payton II. The Beavers will not be an easy win by any means, but behind the crowd at Haas Pavilion, Cal will find a way to get this win without too much drama.
As sort of a bonus thing to look for, Tyrone Wallace's performance will be important to watch during this game. Will he play off the ball next to Sam Singer a lot? How many minutes will he get as the primary point guard? Tyrone Wallace said in Thursday's post-game press conference "I am a point guard. Sam's a point guard," so he definitely identifies as a point guard. It will be interesting to see if there is any friction should Tyrone Wallace have to play more off the ball.
Oregon State head coach Wayne Tinkle on Cal: "They really are a dangerous team. They've done a good job rallying the troops with the injuries as of late. It's going to be a daunting task to try to get a win. This is tough. We have one of the toughest schedules down the stretch. If we can take care of business in Palo Alto (which they did), maybe that will help us going into Cal."
Note: The quote from Tinkle is from Tuesday's Pac-12 MBB teleconference. I asked him about Cal and what he thinks of the team going into this weekend.
#1. Cal has to keep Gary Payton II off the glass: Despite being a 6'3" guard, GPII attacks the glass really well (7.8 rebounds per game). I asked Cuonzo Martin at Thursday's post-game press conference what he plans to do to stop Payton from killing them on the glass like he did in their first meeting, in which he had 11 rebounds.
I'm paraphrasing here, but what Cuonzo Martin said was that in their previous meeting, they played sloppy and lacked focus. He said the key to keeping Payton off the glass is simply boxing out, but he did give Payton credit for his rebounding prowess, stating that he is one of the few players at the Division 1 level who aggressively follows his own shot and pursues his own misses.
Martin says teams aren't used to guys like him, hence he gets a lot of rebounds. So, if Cal boxes out and plays with good fundamentals, they should be able to keep Payton off the glass. However, judging by how well Payton has rebounded this season, it will still be a challenge to keep him off the glass for 40 minutes.
#2. Ivan Rabb has to show up: Ivan Rabb finished with a double double against the Beavers in their first meeting with 10 points and 10 rebounds, but it was a really quiet double double. Rabb said that he was sick during that game and not feeling 100%. Assuming he doesn't get sick again against the Beavers, he should have a better outing. If Rabb has a more impactful game than he did the last time Cal faced Oregon State, that will really help.
#3. Cal has to play consistently for 40 minutes: Cal played poorly in the first half up in Corvallis and that is really where they lost the game. Oregon State had a 38-27 lead at the half and Cal was not able to make a strong enough surge in the second half to make up the difference. Cal finished the game making 9 of their last 11 field goals, but it ended up not mattering. Cal must play a good game from start to finish like they did on Thursday against Oregon.
#4. Cal must keep Oregon State away from the foul line and limit the number of open threes they get: Oregon State only attempted 7 3-point shots against Cal in their first meeting of the season, which means Cal did a fantastic job defending the perimeter since the Beavers usually take a little more than 18 3-point shots per game. Oregon State shoots a solid 36.4% from 3-point range, so Cal will definitely not want the Beavers to get too comfortable from beyond the arc.
As for the foul line, Cal shot 23 foul shots against Oregon State while Oregon State shot 27. Cal has to do a better job of not fouling and make sure they get to the line more than their opponent. This is a common theme in all games, but it really is so true. Cal needs to win the free throw battle. Especially the battle of foul shot attempts.
#5. Will Cal continue to soar? After Thursday's amazing performance, will Cal be able to play as well or better? Or will there be a bit of a letdown? I'm not suggesting Cal won't play well, but it'll be interesting to see if they build on this win in terms of their performance. Will Jabari Bird have another strong outing? Will the defense be even more smothering? It will be interesting to see if Cal can play even better against a team that on paper isn't as good as Oregon.
Prediction: I got Cal winning this game 72-65. I think they'll win fairly easily, but it won't be a blowout like the Oregon game. Considering Cal's undefeated record at home, it's hard to see them losing at Haas Pavilion at all this season. However, Oregon State did give them trouble in their previous game, especially Gary Payton II. The Beavers will not be an easy win by any means, but behind the crowd at Haas Pavilion, Cal will find a way to get this win without too much drama.
As sort of a bonus thing to look for, Tyrone Wallace's performance will be important to watch during this game. Will he play off the ball next to Sam Singer a lot? How many minutes will he get as the primary point guard? Tyrone Wallace said in Thursday's post-game press conference "I am a point guard. Sam's a point guard," so he definitely identifies as a point guard. It will be interesting to see if there is any friction should Tyrone Wallace have to play more off the ball.
Oregon State head coach Wayne Tinkle on Cal: "They really are a dangerous team. They've done a good job rallying the troops with the injuries as of late. It's going to be a daunting task to try to get a win. This is tough. We have one of the toughest schedules down the stretch. If we can take care of business in Palo Alto (which they did), maybe that will help us going into Cal."
Note: The quote from Tinkle is from Tuesday's Pac-12 MBB teleconference. I asked him about Cal and what he thinks of the team going into this weekend.
