Cal (14-5, 5-3Â Pac-12) vs. Stanford (11-9, 3-5 Pac-12)
After an eight-day break between action, California men's basketball opens a three-game homestand against Bay Area rival Stanford on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. At 5-3 in Pac-12 play, the Golden Bears look to round out the first half of their conference slate in prime position to secure a first-round bye in Las Vegas. Sunday's contest will be televised live on ESPNU and can be heard on KGO 810 AM.
With a victory at Oregon State last Saturday, the Bears have already secured two road wins this season -- two more than California had at this same point last year. The Bears went 4-5 in the first half of their Pac-12 slate in 2015-16, dropping all five games on the road before finishing the second half of their conference schedule with an 8-1 record.
Ivan Rabb (15.1 points per game),
Charlie Moore (14.4 ppg) and
Jabari Bird (13.9 ppg) continue to anchor the California offense, while Rabb and
Kingsley Okoroh remain among the country's best in the paint. Okoroh's 50 blocks this season rank 19th in NCAA action, and Rabb ranks in the top 30 in the country in defensive rebounds per game (11th, 7.67) and rebounds per game (14th, 10.6). Meanwhile, the Cal defense ranks second in the league in scoring defense (62.8 points allowed) and field goal percentage defense (39.4 percent). Cal leads the Pac-12 in rebounding offense (40.2).
HOW TO FOLLOW THE ACTION: The season's first meeting of the Battle of the Bay series airs live on ESPNU with Roxy Bernstein and Corey Williams on the call. California Golden Bears Sports Network has the radio call from Todd McKim and
Jay John on KGO 810 AM. Follow the Bears on social media for a behind-the-scenes look at Facebook.com/CalMensBball and on Twitter and Instagram @CalMensBball.
SCOUTING THE CARDINAL
Last Meeting: The Golden Bears picked up a 15-point victory, 76-61, over the Cardinal in Haas Pavilion on Feb. 6, 2016
Series Record: California leads, 147-121
Stanford's 2016-17 Record: 11-9. 3-5 Pac-12
Stanford's Last Game: The Cardinal dropped a 69-52 decision at Oregon to snap a three-game winning streak
• The Cardinal opened Pac-12 play on a four-game losing skid before picking up three consecutive wins against the Washington schools and Oregon State. Stanford is 3-2 in its last five outings.
• Stanford is averaging 68.6 points overall and 68.8 points in league action.
• Leading scorer (16.6 ppg) and rebounder (8.6 rpg) Reid Travis has missed four of the last six games with a right shoulder injury.
• Dorian Pickens is second on the squad with 12.8 points per game - the only Cardinal other than Travis averaging in the double figures across the season. Pickens is the lone Cardinal to start all 20 games this season.
• Michael Humphrey is averaging 12.6 points and 8.0 rebounds in Pac-12 play.
CAL RECORDS AGAINST STANFORD
Points: 41, Ray Murry, March 5, 1977
Rebounds: 22, Ansley Truitt, Feb. 4, 1972
FG: 17, Dick Tamberg, Feb. 26, 1954
3P: 5, Kevin Johnson, Feb. 22, 1987
FT: 16, Jackie Ridgle, Jan. 17, 1969
SERIES NOTES
Record at Cal: 57-46
Last 10 meetings: 3-7
Most points, Cal: 101, 1976-77
Most points, Stanford: 101, 1999-00
Largest margin, Cal: 40, 1946-47
Largest margin, Stanford: 51, 1999-00
Longest Cal win streak: 14, 1924-25 to 1929-30
Longest Stanford win streak: 9, 1996-97 to 2000-01
Current Streak: 1, Cal
LAST TIME OUT
Cal picked up a second road win with a triumph at Oregon State, 69-58
• The Bears shot 46 percent (23-50) from the field and 75 percent (18-24) at the free throw line.
• Four Bears scored in double figures, led by
Ivan Rabb's 18 points.
Charlie Moore added 15 and
Jabari Bird and
Grant Mullins each chipped in 12 points.
• Rabb added eight rebounds, and
Kingsley Okoroh had eight rebounds as well as a season-high eight boards for Mullins.
• Cal held a Pac-12 opponent under 60 points for the third time this season, improving to 9-1 overall when holding opponents under 60 points.
MORRISON HONORED WITH PETE NEWELL AWARD
This weekend's halftime activities will include a special ceremony when the Golden Bears honor Stan Morrison with the 2016-17 Pete Newell Career Achievement Award. The award honors the legacy of Cal's Hall of Fame basketball coach and the contributions Newell made to University of California basketball. The Career Achievement Award is presented to a Cal men's basketball alumnus who has distinguished himself in his career accomplishments, upholding the highest ideals of Coach Newell and the University of California.Â
Morrison, who was a 6-7 forward for Pete Newell's teams as an undergad at Cal, returned to Cal as a graduate assistant and began his long career in coaching and athletic administration. He served as head coach at Pacific from 1972-79, leading the Tigers to a conference title and an NCAA Tournament berth his final season. Morrison moved to USC as head coach from 1979-86, and in his seven seasons with the Trojans, USC advanced to the NCAA Tournament twice and claimed a share of the Pac-10 title in 1985. He became Director of Athletics at UC Santa Barbara in 1986 and returned to coaching in 1989, leading San Jose State through 1998. Morrison served as AD at UC Riverside for 12 years from 1999-2011 and led the Highlanders transition from NCAA Division II to Division I. He currently serves as senior vice president for Pacific Premier Bank in Southern California.
LONG RANGER
Jabari Bird's perimeter shooting is among the best in program history. With five three-pointers at No. 11 Oregon, the senior moved into the top 10 in program history for three-point field goals made, and already ranks top 10 in three-pointer attempts. Bird has currently hit a three-pointer in a career-long 10 consecutive games and is 28-74 (37.8 percent) from beyond the arc in that span. He checks in at:
Cal Career Three-Point Field Goals Made
1. Jerome Randle (2007-10) -- 252
2. Ryan Drew (1988-91) -- 214
3. Allen Crabbe (2011-13) -- 209
...
7. Ayinde Ubaka (2004-07) -- 160
8. Joe Shipp (2000-03) -- 157Â
9.
Jabari Bird (2013-present) -- 156
10.
Theo Robertson (2006-10) -- Â 154
Cal Career Three-Point Field Goals Attempted
1. Jerome Randle (2007-10) -- 622
2. Ryan Drew (1988-91) -- 560
3. Allen Crabbe (2011-13) -- 547
...
7. Ayinde Ubaka (2004-07)........................ 474
8. Joe Shipp (2000-03)............................... 464
9.
Jabari Bird (2013-present) -- 425Â
10. Randy Duck (1994-97) -- 423
PARTY LIKE A BLOCK STAR
Kingsley Okoroh is climbing up the Cal career record charts for his prowess in protecting the rim. Okoroh has moved into sole possession of No. 6 all-time with 111 career blocks. With 50 blocks this season, Okoroh has already surpassed his previous single-season high of 33 blocks across 34 games in 2015-16.
Cal Career Blocked Shots Leaders
1. David Kravish (2012-15) -- 226
2. Michael Stewart (1994-97) -- 207
3. DeVon Hardin (2005-08) -- 132
4. Solomon Hughes (1999-02) -- 122
5. Richard Solomon (2011-14) -- 119
6.
Kingsley Okoroh (2014-present) -- 111
7. Tom Schneiderjohn (1976-79) -- 105Â
Cal Single-Season Blocked Shots Leaders
1. David Kravish (2014) -- 73
2. David Kravish (2013) -- 63
3. Michael Stewart (1994) -- Â 59
4. Michael Stewart (1997) -- Â 56
5. Jamal Sampson (2002) -- 54
6.
Kingsley Okoroh (2017) -- Â 50
T7. David Kravish (2015) -- 49
T7. Michael Stewart (1995) -- 49
BEARS BUILD ON DEFENSIVE PROWESS
With defense as a staple of head coach
Cuonzo Martin's program, California has once again emerged as a force on the floor, where the Bears rank among the nation's elite. Cal is:
• 13th for rebound margin (8.0)
• 18th for scoring defense (62.8ppg)
• 20th in defensive rebounds per game (28.25)
• 20th for total rebounds per game (40.20)Â
• 24th for field goal percentage defense (39.4 percent)
RABBID PLAY
AP Preseason All-American
Ivan Rabb is living up to his billing this season, averaging 15.1 points and 10.6 rebounds. Â He ranks in the top 30 in the country in defensive rebounds per game (11th, 7.67), rebounds per game (14th, 10.6) and double-doubles (25th, 9).
Rabb started Pac-12 play with a string of three double-doubles -- all three coming with 15 or more rebounds -- including a career-best 20 boards at No. 4 UCLA. He became the first Golden Bear with 20+ boards since Leon Powe in March 2006. He has now recorded five double-doubles in eight Pac-12 contests.
In back-to-back games, Rabb scored a then-career-best 25 points in Cal's OT win over Louisiana Tech, then followed it up with a 26-point game against Alcorn State. He scored the 26 points on a 10-12 outing from the floor and 6-7 clip at the charity stripe in just 29 minutes. Rabb upped his career-high rebound total to 16 against 18th-ranked Arizona, and owns a team-best five double-doubles this season.
Rabb made his return to the Cal lineup for the first time this season against San Diego State, where he came off the bench and logged a team-high 30 minutes of action. Though Rabb had just three points in the first half on a 3-5 performance at the charity stripe, he finished the game only two points shy of his career-high total with 19 points. After returning from injury, Rabb posted a career-long four-game double-double streak.
THE KING'S COURTÂ
Okoroh's paint presence ranks among the best in the country, where he is top 20 in two categories. Okoroh is averaging 2.50 blocked shots per game, a total that ranks 17th the nation and 3rd in the Pac-12, and his 50 total blocks this season are 19th in NCAA action.
In a four-game stretch from Nov. 21 to Nov. 30, the Derby, England native set career-highs in each game. He started the string off by setting a personal-best rebound total of 9 against San Diego State, and followed the performance with a career-high 5 blocks against Wyoming. He capped off the week by matching both his career-best point (10) and rebound (9) totals and setting a new personal-best mark for assists with 3 against Southeastern Louisiana. Against Louisiana Tech, Okoroh set new career-high boards (12) and assist (4) totals on top of matching his career-high blocks (5).
GLASS ACT
Ivan Rabb, who broke the Cal freshman rebounding record last season, has continued his stellar play on the glass as a sophomore. Rabb is averaging 10.6 rebounds per game and has been on a hot streak as of late with a 12.4 rebounding average in Pac-12 play. He ranks second in the conference in rebounds per game and defensive rebounds per game (7.67) behind Washington State's Josh Hawkinson (8.47). In four of the eight Pac-12 games this season, Rabb has pulled down 14 or more boards. Â
NEXT UP
Game No. 2 of Cal's three-game homestand features Utah at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 2 live on Pac-12 Network.
