Here is my preview/live game thread for the Cal men's basketball game against Rice. The game tips off tonight at 8:30 PM PST on Pac-12 Networks. Throughout the night, this thread will be updated with live observations from Haas Pavilion. Look for my live tweets on my twitter handle @slamdunk406. Also, post-game interviews will be included on this thread.
Anyways, like the women's game, I will list five key things to look for in tonight's game.
#1. Rice's top scorer from last season, Seth Gearhart graduated: Gearhart, a 6'7", 215 pound forward, led the Owls in scoring last season with 15.3 points per game. Plus, junior guard Marcus Jackson, who averaged 14.5 points per game last season, got injured in Rice's exhibition and is out indefinitely. He is a very good shooter, shooting 39.7% from three-point range last season and 83.1% from the foul line. If he were healthy, he would be the guy Cal would focus on. But with him out, Rice will need to look for production from other guys. Freshman guard Marcus Evans and sophomore forward Egor Koulechov (transfer from Arizona State), the team's leading scorers in their exhibition, will likely be the guys to carry most of the scoring load.
#2. Rice has some size, so look for Kingsley Okoroh and Kameron Rooks to get minutes: Rice has a couple of bigs that will require Kingsley Okoroh and Kameron Rooks to get some minutes. First up is 6-10, 260 pound forward/center Andrew Drone, a junior who played around 23 minutes per game last season. Ivan Rabb has gotten stronger, but it would be better if it were Kingsley or Kameron banging down low in the post against Drone. Fortunately, Drone isn't much of an offensive threat, scoring just 6.7 points and only grabbing 5.4 rebounds per game. So, Ivan Rabb can definitely take him, it's just that Kingsley and Kameron are better suited physically to go up against him inside. Coach Martin said on Wednesday that he expects Kameron and Kingsley to get more minutes as a result.
Rice also has a 7'1", 220 pound sophomore center named Nate Pollard. His uncle is former Kansas center and former Sacramento Kings center Scott Pollard. Pollard didn't get a ton of minutes last season, just 5.7 minutes per game, but he did play 25 games, so he'll definitely be in the rotation tonight. The presence of Drone and Pollard will definitely play a role in how Cuonzo Martin manages his front court rotation.
#3. Will Jabari Bird bounce back? Jabari Bird had an awful performance against Carroll College, scoring just 5 points on 2-8 shooting. I expect Jabari Bird to have a strong outing tonight, but if he doesn't, it will be a tad alarming.
#4. Cuonzo Martin anticipates his rotation to be set: The 9-10 guys you see Cuonzo Martin play tonight, minus garbage time obviously, will be the 9-10 guys that we are going to see playing throughout the season. I expect that rotation to be the following: Wallace, Mathews, Bird, Brown, and Rabb (Starters). Singer, Domingo, Okoroh, Rooks, and maybe Moute a Bidias (Bench).
#5. What style will Tyrone Wallace play? Tyrone Wallace is a point guard, but he still likes to get in attack mode and score the ball. It'll be interesting to see if at any moment he feels the need to go into attack mode or if he'll be more of a facilitator. If the game is going smoothly, he'll be a facilitator, but if the team starts to get into any trouble, he'll go into attack mode.
Prediction: Cal wins by 17 (80-63). The vegas line on the game is Cal by 16.5.
Anyways, like the women's game, I will list five key things to look for in tonight's game.
#1. Rice's top scorer from last season, Seth Gearhart graduated: Gearhart, a 6'7", 215 pound forward, led the Owls in scoring last season with 15.3 points per game. Plus, junior guard Marcus Jackson, who averaged 14.5 points per game last season, got injured in Rice's exhibition and is out indefinitely. He is a very good shooter, shooting 39.7% from three-point range last season and 83.1% from the foul line. If he were healthy, he would be the guy Cal would focus on. But with him out, Rice will need to look for production from other guys. Freshman guard Marcus Evans and sophomore forward Egor Koulechov (transfer from Arizona State), the team's leading scorers in their exhibition, will likely be the guys to carry most of the scoring load.
#2. Rice has some size, so look for Kingsley Okoroh and Kameron Rooks to get minutes: Rice has a couple of bigs that will require Kingsley Okoroh and Kameron Rooks to get some minutes. First up is 6-10, 260 pound forward/center Andrew Drone, a junior who played around 23 minutes per game last season. Ivan Rabb has gotten stronger, but it would be better if it were Kingsley or Kameron banging down low in the post against Drone. Fortunately, Drone isn't much of an offensive threat, scoring just 6.7 points and only grabbing 5.4 rebounds per game. So, Ivan Rabb can definitely take him, it's just that Kingsley and Kameron are better suited physically to go up against him inside. Coach Martin said on Wednesday that he expects Kameron and Kingsley to get more minutes as a result.
Rice also has a 7'1", 220 pound sophomore center named Nate Pollard. His uncle is former Kansas center and former Sacramento Kings center Scott Pollard. Pollard didn't get a ton of minutes last season, just 5.7 minutes per game, but he did play 25 games, so he'll definitely be in the rotation tonight. The presence of Drone and Pollard will definitely play a role in how Cuonzo Martin manages his front court rotation.
#3. Will Jabari Bird bounce back? Jabari Bird had an awful performance against Carroll College, scoring just 5 points on 2-8 shooting. I expect Jabari Bird to have a strong outing tonight, but if he doesn't, it will be a tad alarming.
#4. Cuonzo Martin anticipates his rotation to be set: The 9-10 guys you see Cuonzo Martin play tonight, minus garbage time obviously, will be the 9-10 guys that we are going to see playing throughout the season. I expect that rotation to be the following: Wallace, Mathews, Bird, Brown, and Rabb (Starters). Singer, Domingo, Okoroh, Rooks, and maybe Moute a Bidias (Bench).
#5. What style will Tyrone Wallace play? Tyrone Wallace is a point guard, but he still likes to get in attack mode and score the ball. It'll be interesting to see if at any moment he feels the need to go into attack mode or if he'll be more of a facilitator. If the game is going smoothly, he'll be a facilitator, but if the team starts to get into any trouble, he'll go into attack mode.
Prediction: Cal wins by 17 (80-63). The vegas line on the game is Cal by 16.5.
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