At 5:00 PM PST tonight on Pac-12 Bay Area, Cal women's basketball will take on the Utah Utes. Cal comes into this game 12-13 overall and 3-11 in Pac-12 play. Utah is 14-11 overall and 6-8 in Pac-12 play. I will get this game hub rolling with 5 things to look for.
#1. Can Cal carry momentum on the road? Cal absolutely destroyed Arizona on Sunday and they now embark on a road trip to the Rockies against two teams with losing records in conference play. Will Cal be able to put together a winning streak on this road trip and come back to Haas Pavilion with a chance to finish their regular season with a 5-game winning streak?
#2. Kristine Anigwe has to play big: In Utah's win over Cal at Haas Pavilion earlier this season, Emily Potter had a huge game inside, scoring 20 points while grabbing 9 rebounds. Kristine Anigwe has to do a better job for Cal at containing Emily Potter and not letting her have a huge night. If Potter produces like she does on average (15.7 points and 10.3 rebounds), Utah will be tough to stop.
#3. It would be nice if Penina Davidson got rolling: Penina Davidson has had a hard time getting into a rhythm as of late and with Cal's bench being so depleted, her team really needs her to step up. Hopefully Penina Davidson can have a productive night and that doesn't just mean scoring. She needs to grab rebounds, block some shots, and help Kristine Anigwe keep Emily Potter off the glass.
#4. Cal has to defend the perimeter well: Utah guard Paige Crozon is a very good 3-point shooter, shooting 35.6% from 3-point range while averaging 12.3 points per game. Cal has to defend the perimeter well and prevent her from getting easy looks from beyond the arc.
#5. Cal needs to take care of the ball: Cal has had issues with taking care of the ball all season and it comes back to haunt them, especially on the road. Cal needs to limit their turnovers and that starts with Asha Thomas and Gabby Green running the point guard position effectively.
Prediction: As much as I want to pick Cal to win this game, I gotta roll with the Running Utes in this one. This will be a close game, but Utah is never an easy place to play on the road due to altitude and environment. Emily Potter and Paige Crozon are a solid duo that should be able to lead their team to victory provided they get some help from their role players. I'm going to say the final score is 69-66.
#1. Can Cal carry momentum on the road? Cal absolutely destroyed Arizona on Sunday and they now embark on a road trip to the Rockies against two teams with losing records in conference play. Will Cal be able to put together a winning streak on this road trip and come back to Haas Pavilion with a chance to finish their regular season with a 5-game winning streak?
#2. Kristine Anigwe has to play big: In Utah's win over Cal at Haas Pavilion earlier this season, Emily Potter had a huge game inside, scoring 20 points while grabbing 9 rebounds. Kristine Anigwe has to do a better job for Cal at containing Emily Potter and not letting her have a huge night. If Potter produces like she does on average (15.7 points and 10.3 rebounds), Utah will be tough to stop.
#3. It would be nice if Penina Davidson got rolling: Penina Davidson has had a hard time getting into a rhythm as of late and with Cal's bench being so depleted, her team really needs her to step up. Hopefully Penina Davidson can have a productive night and that doesn't just mean scoring. She needs to grab rebounds, block some shots, and help Kristine Anigwe keep Emily Potter off the glass.
#4. Cal has to defend the perimeter well: Utah guard Paige Crozon is a very good 3-point shooter, shooting 35.6% from 3-point range while averaging 12.3 points per game. Cal has to defend the perimeter well and prevent her from getting easy looks from beyond the arc.
#5. Cal needs to take care of the ball: Cal has had issues with taking care of the ball all season and it comes back to haunt them, especially on the road. Cal needs to limit their turnovers and that starts with Asha Thomas and Gabby Green running the point guard position effectively.
Prediction: As much as I want to pick Cal to win this game, I gotta roll with the Running Utes in this one. This will be a close game, but Utah is never an easy place to play on the road due to altitude and environment. Emily Potter and Paige Crozon are a solid duo that should be able to lead their team to victory provided they get some help from their role players. I'm going to say the final score is 69-66.
