Hey guys, Cal women’s basketball tips off against Sacramento State at 1:00 PM PST in the consolation game. Here is my list of 5 things to look for going into this game.
#1. How will Cal bounce back? Yesterday’s loss to Saint Mary’s was really tough to stomach. If you watched the post-game interviews that I posted, you saw Coach Gottlieb say many times that she hates losing and that it always hurts. It will be important to see how Cal comes out today and whether or not there are any signs of a hangover.
#2. Sacramento State really likes to push the tempo: Sacramento State plays the style of basketball that the Golden State Warriors played in the early 90s. They score a lot of points (78.2 points per game) and they give up a lot of points (84.6 points per game). Plus, they attempt 37.8 three-point field goals per game, so they really let it fly. It’ll be important for Cal to dictate the tempo and slow it down. If they play to Sacramento State’s pace, that will give the Hornets an advantage.
#3. Will we see more out of Courtney Range? It’s only been one day since they last played, but it really would be nice to see Range have a solid shooting performance. So long as she struggles to find her groove on offense, things are going to be tougher for this Cal team. That’s just a fact.
#4. Sacramento State scores with balance: One of the Hornets’ strengths is that they don’t rely on one player to score the bulk of their points. Their leading scorer Adella Randle-El averages 13.2 points per game on 27.4% shooting from the field. It’s important that Cal keeps a blanket over everybody and doesn’t let anybody go wild.
#5. Cal has to take good care of the ball: This is becoming a common theme, but in this game, it’s especially important that Cal doesn’t turn the ball over. When playing a fast paced team, the last thing you want to do is give that team free fast break opportunities.
Conclusion: I expect Cal to win this game 80-65. Cal has a lot more talent and they should have no problem scoring on the Hornets. Plus, Cal can play good defense, so I definitely don’t expect this Cal team to allow Sacramento State to score as many points as they do on average.
#1. How will Cal bounce back? Yesterday’s loss to Saint Mary’s was really tough to stomach. If you watched the post-game interviews that I posted, you saw Coach Gottlieb say many times that she hates losing and that it always hurts. It will be important to see how Cal comes out today and whether or not there are any signs of a hangover.
#2. Sacramento State really likes to push the tempo: Sacramento State plays the style of basketball that the Golden State Warriors played in the early 90s. They score a lot of points (78.2 points per game) and they give up a lot of points (84.6 points per game). Plus, they attempt 37.8 three-point field goals per game, so they really let it fly. It’ll be important for Cal to dictate the tempo and slow it down. If they play to Sacramento State’s pace, that will give the Hornets an advantage.
#3. Will we see more out of Courtney Range? It’s only been one day since they last played, but it really would be nice to see Range have a solid shooting performance. So long as she struggles to find her groove on offense, things are going to be tougher for this Cal team. That’s just a fact.
#4. Sacramento State scores with balance: One of the Hornets’ strengths is that they don’t rely on one player to score the bulk of their points. Their leading scorer Adella Randle-El averages 13.2 points per game on 27.4% shooting from the field. It’s important that Cal keeps a blanket over everybody and doesn’t let anybody go wild.
#5. Cal has to take good care of the ball: This is becoming a common theme, but in this game, it’s especially important that Cal doesn’t turn the ball over. When playing a fast paced team, the last thing you want to do is give that team free fast break opportunities.
Conclusion: I expect Cal to win this game 80-65. Cal has a lot more talent and they should have no problem scoring on the Hornets. Plus, Cal can play good defense, so I definitely don’t expect this Cal team to allow Sacramento State to score as many points as they do on average.
