Cal (7-14, 1-7 Pac-12) at USC (16-6, 7-2 Pac-12)
The Golden Bears wrap up their series with the SoCal schools on Sunday when California men's basketball heads to Trojan territory to take on USC. Game time is set for 1 p.m. for the Galen Center in Los Angeles, with the action airing on Pac-12 Networks and KGO 810 AM.
This is the Bears' second meeting with the Trojans this season after USC took an 80-62 victory over the Bears earlier this month. Cal is coming off a back-and-forth battle with the Bruins that nearly saw the Bears escape with their first win in Pauley Pavilion since 2011-12.
Justice Sueing once again led the Bears with 24 points on the evening, and
Marcus Lee added 13 points. The Trojans escaped with a 69-64 victory over Stanford on Wednesday evening.
While California's slump has stretched to seven games, California's young core has continued to set the tone for the Bears. Sueing has scored in double figures in every game of league play and has emerged as a strong candidate as one of the conference's top freshmen. Along with leading the Bears in points and rebounds in Pac-12 play, he's also second among Pac-12 freshmen in scoring (18.9 points) and rebounding (7.5). Sueing has knocked down 16 three-pointers in Pac-12 play, tied with fellow freshman
Darius McNeill for the most among the Bears.
Marcus Lee has been a crucial cog in the Bears' offense, shooting a team-high 58.8 (47-80) percent in league action, good for third among all Pac-12 hoops players.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE ACTION:
Sunday's game airs live on Pac-12 Network with commentary and color from Don MacLean and JB Long. Watch live on TV, or follow via the Pac-12 Now app or www.Pac-12.com/live. The California Golden Bears Sports Network will offer play-by-play and analysis, as well as post-game interviews, from Todd McKim and
Jay John live on KGO 810 AM. Live stats, full broadcast details and more can be accessed via the Cal men's basketball schedule page on CalBears.com, and fans can follow the Bears on social media via @CalMBball on Twitter and Instagram, and at Facebook.com/CalMBball.
SCOUTING THE TROJANS
Last Meeting: USC topped Cal 80-62 in Haas Pavilion on Jan. 4
• Three Golden Bears scored in double figures --
Justice Sueing (15),
Marcus Lee (10) and
Juhwan Harris-Dyson (10).
• Cal scored just 20 first-haf points, a season-low.
• USC's Chimezie Metu played only in the second half after serving a half-game suspension.
Series Record: Cal leads, 136-124
USC's 2017-18 Record: 16-6, 7-2
USC's Last Game: Topped Stanford, 69-64, in Los Angeles on Wednesday night.
• Chimezie Metu leads with Trojans with 16.4 points.
• Bennie Boatwright, who's averaging 15.1 points on the season, missed USC's last game due to plantar wart issues.
• Jordan McLaughlin leads the Pac-12 in assists per game (7.6) and total assists (167) while averaging 12.8 points per game.
• Metu (14.0 ppg), Boatwright (13.1) and McLaughling (11.7) are all averaging double-figure scoring for the Trojans in league play.
• USC is outscoring its conference opponents 77.6-69.3.
• The Trojans' pair of losses have come against Washington (88-81) and at Stanford (77-76).
CAL RECORDS AGAINST USC
Points: 37, Rickie Hawthorne, Feb. 28, 1976
Rebounds: 20, Leon Powe, March 9, 2006
20, Ansley Truitt, March 4, 1972
FG: 14, Bob Presley, March 1, 1968
3P: 6, Billy Dreher, Feb. 17, 1991
6, Ryan Drew, March 10, 1988
6, Jerome Randle, Feb. 4, 2010
FT: 12, three times, last by Leon Powe, March 9, 2006
SERIES NOTES
Record at USC: 58-86
Last 10 meetings: 7-3
Most points, Cal: 99, 1966-67
Most points, USC: 102, 1971-72
Largest margin, Cal: 37, 1921-22
Largest margin, USC: 33, 1937-38, 1971-72
Longest Cal win streak: 7, 1987-88 to 1990-91
Longest USC win streak: 7, 1968- 69 to 1971-72
Current Streak: 1, USC
LAST TIME OUT
California battled with the Bruins but came up short, 70-57
•
Justice Sueing once again led the Bears with a 22-point night, his fifth time this season with 20 or more points.
• Sueing matched a personal-best four three-pointers.
•
Marcus Lee added 13 points for the Bears.
•
Kingsley Okoroh pulled down 14 rebounds.
• Cal's 41 total rebounds were the most by the Bears in any conference game this year.
• The Bears limited UCLA to only five three-pointers, compared to 17 in the first meeting this season.
IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
As a team, Cal ranks in the nation's top 25 for:
• Free Throw Attempts -- 19th, 505
• Offensive Rebounds per Game -- 24th, 13.00
Individually, Cal student-athletes rank in the Top 50 for:
• Blocked Shots Per Game --
Kingsley Okoroh (45th, 2.05)
• Field Goal Percentage --
Marcus Lee (39th, 57.5)
• Free Throw Attempts --
Don Coleman (17th, 152)
• Free Throws Made --
Don Coleman (19th, 116)
• Offensive Rebounds Per Game --
Marcus Lee (26th, 3.29)
• Total Blocks --
Kingsley Okoroh (334th, 43),
Marcus Lee (47th, 40)
ROOKIES IN THE RECORD BOOK
California's rookies are fast approaching some of the program's freshman-record totals. Among them:
THREE-POINT FG MADE
1. Allen Crabbe (2011) 62
2. Ryan Drew (1968) 60
3. Ryan Anderson (2007) 58
4. Shantay Legans (2000) 47
5.
Charlie Moore (2017) 45
...
Darius McNeill (2018) 44
STEALS
1. Jason Kidd (1993) 110
2. Shareef Abdur-Rahim (1996) 52
3. Shantay Legans (2000) 51
T4. Butch Hays (1981) 42
Michael Chavez (1980) 42
..
Justice Sueing (2018) 35
SUEING HITTING HIS STRIDE IN PAC-12 PLAY
Justice Sueing has hit his stride Pac-12 play as one of the conference's leading producers. Along with leading the Bears in scoring and rebounding, he ranks second among all freshmen and third overall for scoring average in conference play, averaging 18.9 points through eight league games. Among Pac-12 freshmen, he ranks second in rebounding (7.5 rpg) and third steals (1.5 spg).
Sueing has been especially superior down the stretch for Cal. In back-to-back games against Stanford and USC, Sueing tallied a combined 13 points in the final minutes. Against the Trojans, he scored five points in the final minute, plus 13 of 15 in the second half. Previously, he turned in eight points in the final three minutes at Stanford, and 14 of his 18 in the game in the second half. In Cal's outing against UCLA, he scored 15 of 22 in the second half. He added 13 second-half points in his career-high 27-point outing at Washington.
HARRIS-DYSON HEATING UP
After losing 20 pounds early in the season due to illness, freshman
Juhwan Harris-Dyson is returning to full strength and the Bears are seeing the benefits. In league play, Harris-Dyson is averaging 7.1 points with six starts and leads the Bears in steals. His 14 steals are the most among the conference's freshmen, and the fourth-highest total overall. He tallied a career-best five steals at Washington and has matched his career-high 10 points four times in league action. Harris-Dyson became the first Golden Bear freshman to notch a double-double this season with career-best point (10) and rebound (11) totals against Washington State. He is the only Bear besides
Marcus Lee to record a double-double this season.
BIG KIDS ON THE BLOCK
California's senior big men are among the country's best players on the block, with
Kingsley Okoroh and
Marcus Lee combining for 83 blocks so far this season. The Bears rank 26th in the nation in total blocks with 106, and 32nd in blocked shots per game with a 5.0 average.
Individually, Okoroh is 34th in the nation with 43 total blocks, and 45th with 2.05 blocked shots per game. Lee is 47th for his 40 total blocks and 59th with 1.90 blocks per game.
The 7-1 Okoroh has tied the Cal single-game record for blocked shots twice this season, recording 7 blocks against UC Riverside and against Portland State. He tied the number set by Michael Stewart (1994-97), which Stewart recorded thrice in his Golden Bear career. Okoroh has 178 career blocks, currently ranked third among Cal's career leaders. Stewart ranks second with 207 blocks, and David Kravish (2012-15) leads with 226 career blocked shots.
The Cal team record for blocked shots in a season is 161 blocks through 33 games in 2013, an average of 4.9 per game. The Bears are currently swatting shots at a pace of 5.0 blocks per game, with 106 total blocks.
NEXT UP
The Bears return home for their lone meetings with the Oregon schools this season. Cal opens the weekend by hosting Oregon on Thursday, Feb. 1 at 6 p.m., and then Oregon State on Saturday, Feb. 3 at 5 p.m. Both games air live on the Pac-12 Network.
