Hey guys, here is the game hub for Tuesday's Cal men's basketball game against Seattle. Tipoff is 7:00 PM on Pac-12 Networks. Here is a list of 5 things to look for going into the game.
#1. How will Cal play early on? After their two losses in Las Vegas, will Cal come out motivated to stomp their next opponent or will they play tentatively and on edge? It will be really interesting to see whether or not Cal sets the tone early or if Seattle hangs around for a little bit.
#2. Seattle doesn't have much offensive fire power: Seattle averages only 61.4 points per game while their opponents average 62.2 points per game. Seattle has only two players (Senior center Jack Crook and junior guard Brendan Westendorf) scoring in double figures. Seattle will look to slow the pace down and minimize the amount of possessions Cal has. Look for them to play zone and try to grind out a win just like East Carolina tried to do.
#3. Rebounding battle will be key: Cal averages 40.5 rebounds per game while Seattle averages 39.8 rebounds per game. It'll be interesting to see how good of a job Cal does keeping Seattle off the glass. Both of these teams come into this game having a rebounding edge of their opponents thus far.
#4. If Cal settles for too many threes, this could be scary: Seattle is holding their opponents to 31.9% shooting from beyond the arc. They do a solid job defending the three and will try to get Cal to shoot as many threes as possible. Cal better make the threes they take and do whatever they can to get in the paint for some easy buckets.
#5. Seattle may do a hack-a-whoever strategy: Teams that are at a disadvantage talent wise do whatever they can to muck up the game and make things ugly. Tyrone Wallace's foul shooting is much improved, but as a team, Cal is shooting an ok, but not great 70.5% from the line. If Cal doesn't want a close game, they'll have to make their free throws. It stands to reason that Seattle will send them to the foul line plenty of times. Against East Carolina, Cal shot 31 foul shots.
Prediction: I expect Cal to bounce back from their two losses in Vegas and be motivated to win in front of their home crowd rather decisively. I expect Cal to win by the score of 77-60.
#1. How will Cal play early on? After their two losses in Las Vegas, will Cal come out motivated to stomp their next opponent or will they play tentatively and on edge? It will be really interesting to see whether or not Cal sets the tone early or if Seattle hangs around for a little bit.
#2. Seattle doesn't have much offensive fire power: Seattle averages only 61.4 points per game while their opponents average 62.2 points per game. Seattle has only two players (Senior center Jack Crook and junior guard Brendan Westendorf) scoring in double figures. Seattle will look to slow the pace down and minimize the amount of possessions Cal has. Look for them to play zone and try to grind out a win just like East Carolina tried to do.
#3. Rebounding battle will be key: Cal averages 40.5 rebounds per game while Seattle averages 39.8 rebounds per game. It'll be interesting to see how good of a job Cal does keeping Seattle off the glass. Both of these teams come into this game having a rebounding edge of their opponents thus far.
#4. If Cal settles for too many threes, this could be scary: Seattle is holding their opponents to 31.9% shooting from beyond the arc. They do a solid job defending the three and will try to get Cal to shoot as many threes as possible. Cal better make the threes they take and do whatever they can to get in the paint for some easy buckets.
#5. Seattle may do a hack-a-whoever strategy: Teams that are at a disadvantage talent wise do whatever they can to muck up the game and make things ugly. Tyrone Wallace's foul shooting is much improved, but as a team, Cal is shooting an ok, but not great 70.5% from the line. If Cal doesn't want a close game, they'll have to make their free throws. It stands to reason that Seattle will send them to the foul line plenty of times. Against East Carolina, Cal shot 31 foul shots.
Prediction: I expect Cal to bounce back from their two losses in Vegas and be motivated to win in front of their home crowd rather decisively. I expect Cal to win by the score of 77-60.
