No. 2 Arizona Basketball ends regular-season against Cal

After eking out a win against Stanford, No. 2 Arizona Basketball (27-3, 17-2) returns to action to take on the Cal Golden Bears (12-18, 5-14), closing out the regular season. 

Well, the regular-season finale is finally here for No. 2 Arizona Basketball as the Wildcats will look to end the 2021-22 season on a high note as they welcome a struggling Cal team to town.

Coming in, Arizona has been rolling! The Wildcats are winners in 11 of their last 12 games, they have secured the Pac-12 regular-season title, and are looking to strengthen their bid at becoming a No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.

Unfortunately, they are coming off a battle in which Stanford pressed Arizona, forcing some late-game dramatics for the Wildcats in order to come away with the win.

Coming into this matchup, Arizona is the clear favorite here as the Wildcats have the athletic and depth advantage to overpower a Cal team that is coming off a big loss to Arizona State. And while Arizona is the favorite in this one, the Cats need to be sharp from the start if they are going to win.

Hopefully, the Wildcats don’t overlook Cal here and that Tommy Lloyd has his boys ready to go and ready to roll to close out the regular-season strong!

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 34-56 (15-42) record so far. Mark has coached 17 seasons in the NCAA, making previous stints with Nevada and Georgia, compiling a 320-232 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 a large contingency 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 them down, Cal won’t have much of a chance of winning.

Limit the Opposing Offensive Rebounds – Once again, the Cardinal outrebounded the Wildcats on Thursday evening by an 11-4 margin on offensive rebounds, and 35-28 overall. That is a number that is gravely concerning if you’re in Arizona.

The Wildcats cannot afford to have similar results on the glass if they wish to continue their winning ways. If Arizona is to beat Cal, this is an area where they need to have to have a better output.

No Slow Starts – Arizona is notorious for having slow starts, and against weaker opponents, that might be okay, but with the Wildcats closing out the regular season, they are going to need to play with a sense of urgency in this one.

Once again, Arizona will need to be ready from the tip and avoid yet another slow start. Should the Wildcats take care of business from the tip, they are going to run away with the victory against Cal.

Arizona Basketball versus the California Golden Bears game information and details:

Date: Saturday, March 5, 2022

Time: 3:00 P.M. MST / 2:00 P.M. PST

Location: McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz. (14,655)

Spread: -21.0 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. 2 Arizona Wildcats (27-3, 17-2): Surviving in a closer game against Stanford on Thursday evening, Arizona returns to action to take on Cal to close out the regular season as well as play their final game in McKale for 2021-22.

California Golden Bears (12-18, 5-14): The Golden Bears are coming off a big loss to ASU. And despite getting the big win against Stanford last weekend, Cal should have a massive challenge as they take on No. 2 Arizona on the road.

Head-to-Head Record (since 1949-50): Since 1949-50, Arizona has dominated this matchup, owning a 68-28 record against Cal, having won 17 of the last 21 matchups.

Last Meeting vs. Arizona: The last time the Wildcats played the Golden Bears was in Berkeley earlier this season. Arizona came away with the big win, defeating Cal 96-71.

My Prediction: Arizona 85 Cal 63 – Arizona faced a battle on Thursday against Stanford, and despite taking their best shot, the Wildcats still came away with the win. Against an even weaker Cal team, Arizona should be ready to roll, especially as it is senior day inside McKale!