After dominating Stanford, No. 3 Arizona Basketball (15-1, 5-0) returns to action to take on the Cal Golden Bears (9-9, 2-5) in this Sunday showdown!
No. 3 Arizona Basketball is back in the swing of things after returning to action following a brief layoff. And since resuming their season over a week ago, the Wildcats have been rolling, having won three-straight games.
Arizona looked sharp on Thursday evening as they dismantled Stanford, despite losing Azuolas Tubelis early in the game, Christian Koloko being in foul trouble, and Kerr Kriisa and Dalen Terry not shooting well.
Coming in, Arizona is the clear favorite here as the Wildcats have the athletic and depth advantage to overpower a Cal team that has lost four straight.
While Arizona is the favorite in this one, the Cats need to be sharp from the start if they are going to win, especially if it means they will be without Azuolas.
Hopefully, the Wildcats don’t overlook Cal here and that Tommy Lloyd has his boys ready to go and ready to roll.
Getting to Know the details of Arizona Basketball’s opponent, the California Golden Bears.
Team: California Golden Bears
Conference: Pac-12 Conference
2020-21 Record: Finishing the year with an 8-20 (3-17) record in 2020-21, the Golden Bears finished in last place in the conference, ending their season with a win over rival Stanford in the first round of the Conference Tournament, before falling to Colorado in the quarter-finals.
Head Coach: Mark Fox enters his 3rd season with the Golden Bears, having compiled a 31-47 (12-33) record so far. Mark has coached 17 seasons in the NCAA, making previous stints with Nevada and Georgia, compiling a 317-223 record overall as a head coach.
Keys to the Game:
Contain Cal’s Seniors – The Golden Bears may not be a strong team; however, this is a group that is largely led by the trio of Jordan Shepherd, Andre Kelly, and Grant Anticevich. And together, they account for over 60 percent of Cal’s offensive production.
While Arizona will have a clear advantage here, the Wildcats will need to contain the Golden Bears’ seniors if they are to win. If they slow down their seniors, Cal won’t have much of a chance of winning.
Limit the Opposing Offensive Rebounds – The Cardinal outrebounded the Wildcats on Thursday evening by a 21-6 margin on offensive rebounds, and 42-38 overall. That is a number that is gravely concerning if you’re Arizona.
The Wildcats cannot afford to have similar results on the glass if they continue their winning ways. They might have gotten away with it against Stanford since the Cardinal are not a great basketball team; however, this is an area Arizona needs to improve in and quickly.
Bench Production – After Azuolas Tubelis went down to injury on Thursday evening against Stanford, the Wildcats’ bench did a nice job in stepping up to pick up the production.
Now, while Arizona will be the favorites over Cal in this one, if Tubelis doesn’t play here, once again the bench production will have to be there for the Cats if they are to come away with the win.
If Arizona can replicate that level of production against Cal, then this one should be an easy win for Arizona.
Arizona Basketball versus the California Golden Bears game information and details:
Date: Sunday, Jan. 23, 2022
Time: 1:00 P.M. MST / 12:00 P.M. PST
Location: Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, Calif. (11,877)
Spread: -10.5 Arizona (Also, don’t forget to use WynnBet to enhance your overall betting experience)
Television: Pac-12 Network
Radio: 107.5 FM (Tucson) / 1290AM (Tucson) | Arizona IMG Sports Network
Team Records:
No. 3 Arizona Wildcats (15-1, 5-0): After throttling Stanford on Thursday evening, Arizona returns to action to take on Cal in another Pac-12 showdown in which the Wildcats should win.
California Golden Bears (9-9, 2-5): Riding a current, four-game losing streak to USC, UCLA, and the Washington schools, Cal will have a huge challenge on their hands as they welcome No. 3 Arizona to town.
Head-to-Head Record (since 1949-50): Since 1949-50, Arizona has dominated this matchup, owning a 67-28 record against Cal, having won 16 of the last 20 matchups.
Last Meeting vs. Arizona: The last time the Wildcats played the Golden Bears was at home in McKale. Arizona came away with the big win, defeating Cal 71-50.
My Prediction: Arizona 84 Cal 59 – Arizona looked sharp against Stanford despite some poor shooting and also an injury to Azuolas Tubelis. Against Cal, Arizona will be the heavy favorites here and should dominate this game so long as the Wildcats take care of their business.