Cal vs. Washington State

Saturday, March 1 | 1 PM PT | Haas Pavilion | Berkeley, Calif.
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Fresh off an upset of the No. 25 team in the country, California men's basketball looks to continue its momentum swing to the regular-season home finale against Washington State. The Golden Bears wrap up their series with the Cougars on Saturday at 4 p.m. in Haas Pavilion, live on the Pac-12 Networks.

The Bears enter Saturday's matchup led by Justice Sueing's 14.8 points per game. Paris Austin (11.6 ppg), Darius McNeill (11.4 ppg) and Matt Bradley (10.5 ppg) are also helping to lead the charge. Cal broke a 16-game losing streak by taking down 25th-ranked Washington, 76-73, Thursday night in Haas behind a total-team effort by the Bears. The Bears converted 30 field goals with a season-best 22 assists. With the win, Cal claimed its first conference victory of the season, and first Pac-12 win since Feb. 3, 2018. 

As March Madness approaches, Cal will honor its 1999 NIT Championship team during the game, with more than a dozen players and former staff members from the championship-winning squad expected in attendance at Haas. The group will be recognized in the first half.

HOW TO FOLLOW THE ACTION: 
Saturday's home finale airs on the Pac-12 Networks, with play-by-play and commentary from Ted Robinson and Don MacLean. In addition to the television broadcast, fans can follow online at www.Pac-12.com/live or by using the Pac-12 Now app. Todd McKim and Rich Cellini have the action for the  California Golden Bears Sports Network on KGO 810 AM and via TuneIn. Live stats, broadcast info and more can be accessed via the Cal men's basketball schedule page. Fans can follow the Bears on social media via @CalMBball on Twitter and Instagram, and at Facebook.com/CalMBball.
 

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BY THE NUMBERS

22 -- Cal's 22 assists against No. 25 Washington are the most by the Bears since Nov. 14, 2015, when they dished out 26 against Alcorn State. It was Cal's second 20-assist game of the season, with the Bears recording 20 assists against San Jose State on Dec. 21.

14-8-6 -- A complete effort from the floor by Justice Sueing against Washington saw the sophomore leader record 14 points, 8 rebounds and a career-high 6 assists. He also added 3 steals and 2 crucial blocks.

64 -- Darius McNeill went 4-7 from beyond the arc against Washington, bringing his season total to 64. With the total, McNeill is tied at 10th among Cal's single-season record holders. He is also three 3-pointers away from tying his freshman record and single-season best of 67 from last year. 

18 -- Connor Vanover set a career-high 18 points against the Huskies, matching a Cal season-high 8 field goals. Vanover went 8-15, including 4 dunks, and added 7 rebounds in the win.

1.68 -- Justice Sueing is averaging 1.68 steals per game, a mark that ranks second in the Pac-12 and top 100 nationally (94th). Sueing is also 93rd nationally and second in league play in total steals with 47. He needs 5 more to rank among Cal's single-season top 10.
 

SCOUTING THE HUSKIES

• Series Record: Cal leads, 80-51
• Last Meeting: The Cougs captured an 82-59 victory in Pullman, Wash. on Jan. 17. Robert Franks went 10-18 for 24 points to lead five Cougars in double figures. Justice Sueing (15) and Matt Bradley (14) were the only Bears to score in double figures.
• Washington State's 2018-19 Record: 11-17, 4-11 Pac-12
• Washington State's Last Game: Stanford surged past Washington State, 98-50, on Thursday at Maples Pavilion. CJ Elleby had 16 points and 8 rebounds for the Cougs in the loss.
• Robert Franks' 21.9 points per game ranks 20th nationally. He is averaging 21.8 points in Pac-12 play.
• CJ Elleby, whose father Bill played at Cal from 1988-92, is second among the Cougars with 14.9 ppg in league action. He is averaging 6.1 rebounds.
• Wazzu leads the Pac-12 in 3-point FG attempts (719) and 3-pointers made (263, 45th nationally).
• The Cougs are 23rd in the country for free throw percentage (75.7 percent), led by Marvin Cannon's 89.1 percent clip at the stripe (14th nationally).
• Cannon is averaging 10.6 points in the last five outings, which has also seen the Cougs post a  2-3 record.

SERIES NOTES
Record at Cal: 44-18
Last 10 meetings: 6-4
Most points, Cal: 102, 1970-71
Most points, WSU: 101, 1991-92
Largest margin, Cal: 41, 1972-73
Largest margin, WSU: 25, 2017-18
Longest Cal win streak: 13, 1921-22 to 1959-60
Longest WSU win streak: 5, 1990-91
Current Streak: 3, Washington State

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
 

LAST TIME OUT

• The Result: Cal broke a 16-game losing streak by upending No. 25 Washington, 76-73
• The Bears defeated a top 25 program for the first time since a Jan. 8, 2017 win at No. 25 USC (74-73). It was Cal's first home win over a ranked opponent since a Feb. 11, 2016 victory against No. 5 Oregon (83-63).
• The win was Cal's first Pac-12 win since defeating Oregon State on February 3rd, 2018.
• California set a season-high assist total with 22.
• Three Golden Bears scored in figures - Darius McNeill (19), Connor Vanover (18) and Justice Sueing (14).
• Sueing set a new career-best assists total with 6. Sueing had already matched his previous career-high of 4 assists by the end of the first half.
• Vanover finished with a career-best 18 points. He went 8-15 from the floor.
• McNeill extended his streak of at least one 3-pointer made to 18 consecutive games, going 4-7 from behind the arc.
• Cal shot 55.6 percent (30-54), its second-best clip of the season behind a 56.9 percent (29-51) clip against St. John's.
• Washington, who normally averages 9.0 steals per game, was held to just five steals. Meanwhile, Cal tallied 8 steals.
 

RANKING ROUNDUP

As a team, Cal ranks Top 50 nationally in:
• Fewest Turnovers: 48th, 322
• Turnovers Per Game: 46th, 11.5

Individually, Cal players rank in the Top 100 nationally in:
• Assists Per Game: Paris Austin (95th, 4.5)
• Free Throws Made: Justice Sueing (81st, 124)
• Steals Per Game: Justice Sueing (94th, 168)
• Total Steals: Justice Sueing (93rd, 47)
 

EYE ON THE RECORDS

Approaching the end of the regular season, Cal players are closing in on the following records:

SINGLE-SEASON RECORDS
3-POINT FG MADE
1. Jerome Randle (2010) - 92
2. Jordan Mathews (2016) - 89
3. Allen Crabbe (2012) - 83
...
6. Jordan Mathews (2015) -- 70
7. Ryan Drew (1990) -- 68
8. Darius McNeill (2018) -- 67
9. Jabari Bird (2017) -- 65
T10. Darius McNeill - 64 
T10. Allen Crabbe (2013) - 64
T10. Ryan Anderson (2008) - 64
T10. Bill Elleby (1992) - 64

STEALS
1. Jason Kidd (1993) -- 110
2. Jason Kidd (1994) -- 94
3. Gene Ranson (1978) -- 63
...
T9. Anwar McQueen (1997) -- 52
T9. Shareef Abdur-Rahim (1996) -- 52
...
Justice Sueing -- 47

FRESHMAN RECORDS
3-POINT FG MADE
1. Darius McNeill (2018) -- 67
2. Allen Crabbe (2011) -- 62
3. Ryan Drew (1988) -- 60
4. Ryan Anderson (2007) -- 58
5. Shantay Legans (2000) -- 47
...
Matt Bradley - 45
 

NEXT UP

Cal's regular-season finale is set at Stanford on Thursday, March 7 at 8 p.m. The action airs live on ESPNU.