On Thursday at 6:00 PM PST on ESPN 2, Cal men's basketball will take on UCLA at home at Haas Pavilion. The game is a "White Out", which means all fans are instructed to wear white. Cal comes into this game 19-8 overall and 9-5 in Pac-12 play. UCLA is 15-12 overall and 6-8 in Pac-12 play. Cal is 4th in the conference and UCLA is 9th. Here are 5 things to look for going into this huge game.
#1. Cal will have to do a good job defending Isaac Hamilton: UCLA junior guard Isaac Hamilton is averaging 17.0 points per game on 49.7% shooting from the field to go along with 4.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists. Cal will have to really do a good job defending him and not allow him to get a lot of easy looks. I expect Tyrone Wallace to be the primary defender on him.
#2. Cal has to defend the three-ball: During Tuesday's press conference, Cuonzo Martin said that a key to beating UCLA is defending the perimeter well. Isaac Hamilton (40.9%), Aaron Holiday (41.0%), and Bryce Alford (36.5%) are all good three-point shooters. Cal will have to defend the perimeter really well and not allow the Bruins to get easy looks from beyond the arc.
#3. This is a potential trap game: Cal is coming in on a sizzling five-game winning streak while UCLA has been up and down all season. UCLA needs this game badly to boost their tournament résumé and build momentum for the Pac-12 tourney. UCLA is a very talented team and has the pieces to pull off the upset. Cal has to take this game very seriously and not allow the Bruins to hang around.
#4. Cal has to do well on the glass: Thomas Welsh and Tony Parker both grab more than 8 rebounds per game. Ivan Rabb, Kameron Rooks, and Kingsley Okoroh have to really crash the glass and keep those guys off the boards. Those guys get a lot of their points from rebounding. If Cal limits UCLA to one shot for most of their possessions, that will be huge.
#5. It would be nice if Ivan Rabb has a huge game: Tyrone Wallace had a huge game on Sunday, Jaylen Brown has been sensational, and Jabari Bird has recently had an explosion. While not necessary for winning this game, it would be nice to see Ivan Rabb have a huge game against UCLA. He's been playing well, but his contributions have been more quiet. His 15 points against Washington State were pretty quiet. If Ivan Rabb becomes a bigger focus of the offense and makes an impact like we've seen from Jaylen Brown and Jabari Bird, that would be great. I feel like Ivan Rabb is being lost in the shuffle a bit and that can't happen as the team starts to prep for the NCAA tourney.
Prediction: Considering that Cal is undefeated at home all season and has won 5 straight, I have Cal winning this game 78-72. UCLA has the pieces to pull off the upset, but ultimately, I don't see them getting it done. Cal is rolling right now and they should really thrive in the environment of their home fans wearing white while waiving white towels courtesy of Pepsi. The environment will be electric and Cal will get a boost from it.
I don't see UCLA playing Cal closer than Saint Mary's (4 points) and Arizona (1 point). Those games will be the closest games at Haas if all goes as it should. UCLA will put up a fight, but fall short by 6 points. I expect Jaylen Brown to have a big game and Tyrone Wallace to play well for all four quarters. Plus, Jordan Mathews and Jabari Bird play better at home. As for Ivan Rabb, hopefully he'll get the touches he needs and deserves. But regardless of how many touches Rabb gets, he'll still have a solid night.
#1. Cal will have to do a good job defending Isaac Hamilton: UCLA junior guard Isaac Hamilton is averaging 17.0 points per game on 49.7% shooting from the field to go along with 4.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists. Cal will have to really do a good job defending him and not allow him to get a lot of easy looks. I expect Tyrone Wallace to be the primary defender on him.
#2. Cal has to defend the three-ball: During Tuesday's press conference, Cuonzo Martin said that a key to beating UCLA is defending the perimeter well. Isaac Hamilton (40.9%), Aaron Holiday (41.0%), and Bryce Alford (36.5%) are all good three-point shooters. Cal will have to defend the perimeter really well and not allow the Bruins to get easy looks from beyond the arc.
#3. This is a potential trap game: Cal is coming in on a sizzling five-game winning streak while UCLA has been up and down all season. UCLA needs this game badly to boost their tournament résumé and build momentum for the Pac-12 tourney. UCLA is a very talented team and has the pieces to pull off the upset. Cal has to take this game very seriously and not allow the Bruins to hang around.
#4. Cal has to do well on the glass: Thomas Welsh and Tony Parker both grab more than 8 rebounds per game. Ivan Rabb, Kameron Rooks, and Kingsley Okoroh have to really crash the glass and keep those guys off the boards. Those guys get a lot of their points from rebounding. If Cal limits UCLA to one shot for most of their possessions, that will be huge.
#5. It would be nice if Ivan Rabb has a huge game: Tyrone Wallace had a huge game on Sunday, Jaylen Brown has been sensational, and Jabari Bird has recently had an explosion. While not necessary for winning this game, it would be nice to see Ivan Rabb have a huge game against UCLA. He's been playing well, but his contributions have been more quiet. His 15 points against Washington State were pretty quiet. If Ivan Rabb becomes a bigger focus of the offense and makes an impact like we've seen from Jaylen Brown and Jabari Bird, that would be great. I feel like Ivan Rabb is being lost in the shuffle a bit and that can't happen as the team starts to prep for the NCAA tourney.
Prediction: Considering that Cal is undefeated at home all season and has won 5 straight, I have Cal winning this game 78-72. UCLA has the pieces to pull off the upset, but ultimately, I don't see them getting it done. Cal is rolling right now and they should really thrive in the environment of their home fans wearing white while waiving white towels courtesy of Pepsi. The environment will be electric and Cal will get a boost from it.
I don't see UCLA playing Cal closer than Saint Mary's (4 points) and Arizona (1 point). Those games will be the closest games at Haas if all goes as it should. UCLA will put up a fight, but fall short by 6 points. I expect Jaylen Brown to have a big game and Tyrone Wallace to play well for all four quarters. Plus, Jordan Mathews and Jabari Bird play better at home. As for Ivan Rabb, hopefully he'll get the touches he needs and deserves. But regardless of how many touches Rabb gets, he'll still have a solid night.
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