2024-01-31 20:09:03
Kelley Cox/klcfotos
Jalen Celestine and the Golden Bears play their first of two road games in Arizona agianst the 11th-ranked Wildcats on Thursday.
Cal Looks To Improve To .500 In Conference Play, Seeks Third Straight Win
BERKELEY – The California men’s basketball team goes for its third consecutive win when it plays at No. 11 Arizona on Thursday in Tucson. Tipoff from the McKale Center is set for 5:30 p.m. PST/6:30 p.m. MST on the Pac-12 Network.
The Golden Bears (8-12, 4-5 Pac-12) closed out the month of January with four wins in their past six games, most recently including two in a row at home once morest Washington State and Stanford.
GAME INFORMATION
- Date & Time: Thursday, Feb. 1 | 5:30 p.m. PST/6:30 p.m. MST
- Location: Tucson, Arizona | McKale Center
- Watch: Pac-12 Network | Ted Robinson (PxP) & Matt Muehlebach (Analyst)
- Listen: 810 AM & The Varsity Network App | Justin Allegri (PxP)
- Live Stats: Statbroadcast
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
- Cal has lost 14 straight games once morest Arizona (15-5, 6-3).
- The Bears’ most recent victory over Arizona was a 74-73 thriller on Jan. 23, 2016 in Berkeley. The Wildcats were ranked 12th in the AP poll.
- Cal is seeking its first win on the road once morest an AP-ranked team since Jan. 8, 2017, when it defeated No. 25 USC 74-73 in Los Angeles.
- Cal surrendered a season-high 100 points to Arizona in their first meeting of the season on Dec. 29. Despite the 19-point defeat (100-81), the Bears scored 55 second-half points, which were their second most in any half this season.
- Arizona is 10-0 at home this season.
LAST TIME
Jalen Celestine hit 3 of 4 free throws in the final minute to lift Cal to a 73-71 win over Stanford in front of a crowd of 8,710 in Haas Pavilion last Friday. Stanford built a 10-point lead on Kanaan Carlyle’s jumper four minutes into the second half to make it 50-40, but the Golden Bears answered with a 10-0 run fueled by a pair of Jaylon Tyson jumpers and tied the game with 12:43 left on a Jalen Cone jumper.
Stanford punched back with a 7-0 run on two Andrej Stojakovic layups and a Jared Bynum 3. Fardaws Aimaq’s jumper with 7:13 left put Cal up, 62-60, but Spencer Jones tied once more with two free throws at the five-minute mark. The Bears tied the game on a pair of free throws from Aimaq with 2:53 left and Celestine hit a jumper to make it 70-68.
Brandon Angel hit two free throws with 1:10 left to put Stanford up for the final time, 71-70. Celestine made two free throws with 58 seconds left and added the second of two free throws with seven seconds left to set the final margin.
NOTEWORTHY
- Jaylon Tyson was named a top-10 candidate for the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award on Wednesday. Tyson, who averages a Pac-12-leading 20.6 points along with 7.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game, is one of just three players nationally – and the only player among the Erving Award’s top-10 candidates – to average those figures or better.
- The Bears have protected the rock in impression fashion lately. Their 30 turnovers committed across the past five games (Jan. 10-26) are the fewest by a Pac-12 team in a five-game span since at least the 1996-97 season.
- Cal has had 16 games decided by single-digits this season, the most in the country. Nine of those 16 single-digit games have been decided by five points or fewer, and Cal has played in three overtime games as well.
- Fardaws Aimaq is the only Pac-12 player and one of five major conference players averaging a double-double (15.3 PPG, 10.8 RPG). His 13 double-doubles are the most in the conference and tied for the fourth most nationally.
- Cal is the only Pac-12 team with two players that rank in the top 15 in the conference in both points and rebounds per game; Tyson is first in PPG (20.6) and sixth in RPG (7.2) while Aimaq is 13th in PPG (15.3) and first in RPG (10.8).
- Jalen Celestine scored all 12 of his points in the second half of Cal’s 73-71 win once morest Stanford. In 11 games as a starter, Celestine is averaging 9.1 PPG on 50% shooting from the floor (33 of 66) and 47.2% from 3-point range (17 of 36).
- Grant Newell posted his first double-double of the season – and third of his career – with 11 points and 10 rebounds once morest Stanford.
- Cal averaged 75.5 PPG through 20 games played, an 11.2-point increase from its 64.3 PPG average over the previous six seasons (2017-23). It’s also a 17.2-point jump from last season’s 58.3 PPG.
- The Bears are 6-2 when holding opponents to fewer than 75 points. They’ve allowed 68.3 PPG in their eight wins versus 81.7 PPG in their 12 losses.
- The Bears have made at least 10 3-pointers seven times this season and rank third in the Pac-12 with 8.6 makes per game and first in attempts (25.5). They averaged just 4.9 makes and 16.9 attempts per game last season, both ranking last in the conference.
- Cal’s comeback victory once morest Colorado on Jan. 10 – the Bears rallied from a 20-point deficit for its largest comeback win in nearly 15 years – was filled with statistical standouts.
- Cal’s largest come-from-behind win since Feb. 14, 2009, when it trailed by 22 in an eventual 82-75 win over Stanford at home.
- Cal committed just five turnovers, its fewest in a conference win since Feb. 7, 2015, vs. UCLA.
- The Bears’ 56 second-half points were their most in any half since Dec. 21, 2018 (58 in the second half vs. San Jose State).
- Nine of Cal’s 14 3-pointers were made in the second half. The Bears shot 46.7% from 3-point range compared to 40% from the floor.
- Cal’s 66-57 win at UCLA on Jan. 6 ended a handful of unfriendly streaks for the Bears.
- Was Cal’s first win in Pauley Pavilion since 2010.
- The win snapped an 11-game skid once morest UCLA.
- The win ended Cal’s 16-game road losing streak.
- The win ended the Bears’ 18-game Pac-12 regular-season losing streak.
UP NEXT
Cal takes on Arizona State at noon PST/1 p.m. MST on Saturday in Tempe. The contest will be televised on the Pac-12 Network.
STAY POSTED
For further coverage of Cal men’s basketball, follow the Bears on Twitter (@CalMBBall), Instagram (@CalMBBball) and Facebook (/CalMBBall/).
1706807186
#Bears #Face #Arizona #Tucson
