Cal (8-19, 2-12 Pac-12) vs. Washington State (10-16, 2-12 Pac-12)
California meets Washington State with the chance to rise one spot in the Pac-12 standings when the Golden Bears host the Cougars Thursday at 8 p.m. The action airs live on the Pac-12 Networks and on KGO 810 AM.
Cal's defense has steadily improved over the last several games, with three of the Bears' last four home games decided by single digits, and two of Cal's last three losses coming by just four points. The Bears dropped a 77-73 decision to Stanford and a 68-64 loss at Colorado, with the decision in both contests stretching to the final few seconds of the game.
Justice Sueing continues to lead the Bears' battle-tested young squad with 15.5 points in conference play, with classmates
Darius McNeill averaging 9.7 points and
Juhwan Harris-Dyson averaging 7.1.
Marcus Lee (12.4 points per game) and
Don Coleman (10.4 ppg) are also scoring in double figures in league action.
Washington State is also 2-12 in conference, with wins over Cal (78-53) and Colorado (73-69) in league play. The Cougars topped the Bears with 15 three-pointers, including 10 by Robert Franks, in the last meeting on Jan. 13. Washington State is most recently coming off a 77-70 home loss to Utah to split the weekend series with the Mountain schools.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE ACTION:
JB Long and Matt Muehlebach will have play-by-play and color commentary live on the Pac-12 Networks, also available on the Pac-12 Now app and at 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 COUGARS
Last Meeting: Washington State hit 15 three-pointers to top the Bears, 78-53, in Pullman
•
Justice Sueing led the Bears with 14 points.
• Cal shot 31.8 percent and allowed 15 three-pointers, including 10 by Robert Franks
•
Juhwan Harris-Dyson tallied his first collegiate double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Series Record: Cal leads, 80-49
WSU's 2017-18 Record: 10-16, 2-12
WSU's Last Game: The Cougars dropped a 77-70 decision to Utah at home in Pullman, Wash.
• Robert Franks is averaging 17.8 points and 6.9 rebounds, while Malachi Flynn is also averaging in double figures at 15.4 ppg.
• Drick Bernstine leads his squad in rebounding, averaging 7.0 boards.
• Washington State is averaging a conference-best 11.3 three-pointers per game, a total that rankes fifth in the nation. The Cougars lead the league with 293 three-point makes this season, setting the single-season team record on Jan. 31.
• The Cougs lead the Pac-12 and rank 13th in the nation in three-point field goal attempts (785).
• Washington State's two Pac-12 wins this season came against Cal and against Colorado on Feb. 15, 73-69.
• Washington State last swept the Bears in the regular season in 2006-07, winning 73-56 in Berkeley and 59-46 in Pullman.
CAL RECORDS AGAINST WASHINGTON STATE
Points: 48, Ed Gray, Feb. 22, 1997
Rebounds: 20, Bob Presley, Jan. 10, 1968
FG: 14, Ed Gray, Feb. 22, 1997
3P: 7, Jason Kidd, March 12, 1994
7, Jerome Randle, Jan. 14, 2010
FT: 16, Ed Gray, Feb. 22, 1997
SERIES NOTES
Record at Cal: 44-17
Last 10 meetings: 7-3
Most points, Cal: 102, 1970-71
Most points, WSU: 101, 1991-92
Largest margin, Cal: 41, 1972-73
Largest margin, WSU: 22, 1987-88
Longest Cal win streak: 13, 1921-22 to 1959-60
Longest WSU win streak: 5, 1990-91 to 1992-93
Current Streak: 1, WSU
LAST TIME OUT
Cal suffered a close loss to Stanford, 77-73, that stretched to the final seconds
• Four Golden Bears scored in double figures –
Marcus Lee (15),
Don Coleman (17),
Justice Sueing (15) and
Juhwan Harris-Dyson (13).
• Harris-Dyson scored a career-high 13 points, 10 of which came in the first half.
• Cal scored 21 points off 16 Stanford turnovers. Cal, meanwhile, had only 9 turnovers, the Bears' lowest since also having 9 vs. Arizona State on Jan. 20.
• The game featured 12 lead changes and 7 ties.
IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
As a team, Cal ranks in the nation's top 25 for:
• Offensive Rebounds per Game -- 10th, 13.56
Individually, Cal student-athletes rank in the Top 50 for:
• Blocked Shots Per Game --
Kingsley Okoroh (41st, 2.04)
• Free Throw Attempts --
Don Coleman (42nd, 175)
• Free Throws Made --
Don Coleman (52nd, 131)
• Offensive Rebounds Per Game --
Marcus Lee (19th, 3.37)
• Total Blocks --
Kingsley Okoroh (39th, 55)
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.
Darius McNeill (2018) 53
5. Shantay Legans (2000) 47
6.
Charlie Moore (2017) 45
...
Justice Sueing 36
STEALS
1. Jason Kidd (1993) 110
2. Shareef Abdur-Rahim (1996) 52
3. Shantay Legans (2000) 51
4.
Justice Sueing (2018) 43
5. Butch Hays (1981) 42
Michael Chavez (1980) 42
FREE THROWS MADE
1. Shareef Abdur-Rahim (1996) 170
2. Jaylen Brown (2016) 142
3. Brian Hendrick (1990) 128
...
9. Tremaine Fowlkes (1995) 94
10. Jason Kidd (1993) 88
..
Justice Sueing (2018) 77
POINTS
1. Shareef Abdur-Rahim (1996) 590
2. Ryan Anderson (2007) 539
3. Jaylen Brown (2016) 498
...
9. Lamond Murray (1992) 387
10. Jason Kidd (1993) 378
...
Justice Sueing (2018) 367
MADE OF STEAL
California men's basketball is on pace to finish with its best steals per game mark in more than a decade, with the Bears currently 93rd in the country with 6.9 spg. Cal last finished a season averaging 6.0 or more steals per game in 2003-04 (6.2), capping off the year with 173 steals. The Bears haven't racked up more than 200 steals in a single season since 2003-04, when Cal tallied 203. Prior to the currently running 15-season drought, Cal tallied 200 or more steals for 12 consecutive seasons, a span which included three head coaches -- Lou Campanelli, Todd Bozeman and Ben Braun.
NEXT UP
The last weekend of the regular season concludes in the Grand Canyon State. The Bears head to Tempe, Ariz. for a tilt with the Arizona State Sun Devils on Thursday, March 1 at 6 p.m. PT, airing live on ESPNU. Cal takes on Arizona in the regular-season finale on Saturday, March 3 at 3:30 p.m. The game airs live on the Pac-12 Networks.
