Hey guys, here is the game hub for Saturday's Cal men's basketball game against Saint Mary's. Tipoff is 12:30 PM PST on Pac-12 Networks. This thread is firing up with 5 things to know going into the game.
#1. Saint Mary's 6-0 record might be a bit inflated: Saint Mary's comes into this game with an undefeated 6-0 record while Cal comes in with two losses. Advantage Gaels, right? Not necessarily. Saint Mary's is yet to play a game away from home this season and their overall quality of opponent hasn't been that impressive: San Fransisco State, Manhattan, Stanford, CSU-Bakersfield, UC Davis, and UC Irvine. While it is true that Saint Mary's is a much tougher opponent than Seattle and Incarnate Word, we don't need to act like Saint Mary's should automatically have the upper hand in this game. Cal should be motivated to win this game and Saint Mary's will be having their first true test of the season.
#2. Cal needs to be wary of the Saint Mary's three-ball: The Gaels are shooting 43.5% from three-point range so far and Cal hasn't exactly been the best at defending the three-ball, allowing opponents to shoot 36.8% from beyond the arc. Cal has to make defense on the perimeter a priority and challenge the Gaels to score inside against their big men.
#3. Cal needs to stop Emmett Naar: The Gaels' leading scorer is sophomore guard Emmett Naar, who is 6'1 and weighs 195 lbs. Naar is averaging 16.5 points per game on 16-25 (64.0%) shooting from three-point range, 36-58 (62.1%) shooting from the field, and 11-12 (91.7%) shooting from the foul line. In short, Naar can shoot the ball and unless Cal really buckles down on him, he could go off and score well-beyond his season average. Cal has had an issue with letting one guy go bananas against them, hence the concern.
#4. Tyrone Wallace needs to be ready to go into attack mode: I expect this game to be very close and when Cal is in need of a clutch bucket, Tyrone Wallace needs to be the guy to get those buckets. This isn't to say that Bird, Mathews, Rabb, or Brown can't be expected to be clutch, but Wallace is the best player on this team and the most seasoned in tight moments.
#5. Can Cal get more help off the bench? The bench for Cal is pretty thin right now. Especially when it comes to getting points. Cal especially needs Stephen Domingo to hit some shots and provide a much needed scoring lift. While Jabari Bird is coming off the bench, he is still getting starters minutes, so Bird getting 15 points doesn't address the issue I'm talking about. Stephen Domingo, Sam Singer, and Roger Moute a Bidias need to collectively put the ball in the basket and score some points.
Prediction: Cal hasn't lost at home all season, though we've had some tight moments. Saint Mary's hasn't lost all season but hasn't really been tested yet. Cal has had a history of rising to the occasion and playing better against more quality opponents. Cal really needs to win this game and also avenge the loss the women had to Saint Mary's last week. I predict that Cal wins this game 72-70. It'll be close, but they'll find a way to pull it out.
Note: I will be live-tweeting the game as well on my personal twitter handle @slamdunk406
#1. Saint Mary's 6-0 record might be a bit inflated: Saint Mary's comes into this game with an undefeated 6-0 record while Cal comes in with two losses. Advantage Gaels, right? Not necessarily. Saint Mary's is yet to play a game away from home this season and their overall quality of opponent hasn't been that impressive: San Fransisco State, Manhattan, Stanford, CSU-Bakersfield, UC Davis, and UC Irvine. While it is true that Saint Mary's is a much tougher opponent than Seattle and Incarnate Word, we don't need to act like Saint Mary's should automatically have the upper hand in this game. Cal should be motivated to win this game and Saint Mary's will be having their first true test of the season.
#2. Cal needs to be wary of the Saint Mary's three-ball: The Gaels are shooting 43.5% from three-point range so far and Cal hasn't exactly been the best at defending the three-ball, allowing opponents to shoot 36.8% from beyond the arc. Cal has to make defense on the perimeter a priority and challenge the Gaels to score inside against their big men.
#3. Cal needs to stop Emmett Naar: The Gaels' leading scorer is sophomore guard Emmett Naar, who is 6'1 and weighs 195 lbs. Naar is averaging 16.5 points per game on 16-25 (64.0%) shooting from three-point range, 36-58 (62.1%) shooting from the field, and 11-12 (91.7%) shooting from the foul line. In short, Naar can shoot the ball and unless Cal really buckles down on him, he could go off and score well-beyond his season average. Cal has had an issue with letting one guy go bananas against them, hence the concern.
#4. Tyrone Wallace needs to be ready to go into attack mode: I expect this game to be very close and when Cal is in need of a clutch bucket, Tyrone Wallace needs to be the guy to get those buckets. This isn't to say that Bird, Mathews, Rabb, or Brown can't be expected to be clutch, but Wallace is the best player on this team and the most seasoned in tight moments.
#5. Can Cal get more help off the bench? The bench for Cal is pretty thin right now. Especially when it comes to getting points. Cal especially needs Stephen Domingo to hit some shots and provide a much needed scoring lift. While Jabari Bird is coming off the bench, he is still getting starters minutes, so Bird getting 15 points doesn't address the issue I'm talking about. Stephen Domingo, Sam Singer, and Roger Moute a Bidias need to collectively put the ball in the basket and score some points.
Prediction: Cal hasn't lost at home all season, though we've had some tight moments. Saint Mary's hasn't lost all season but hasn't really been tested yet. Cal has had a history of rising to the occasion and playing better against more quality opponents. Cal really needs to win this game and also avenge the loss the women had to Saint Mary's last week. I predict that Cal wins this game 72-70. It'll be close, but they'll find a way to pull it out.
Note: I will be live-tweeting the game as well on my personal twitter handle @slamdunk406
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