Cal Basketball: Pepperdine Game Preview

CAL (2-3) vs. PEPPERDINE (2-2)

WHERE: Firestone Fieldhouse Malibu, CA

WHEN: Wednesday, 6 p.m.

TV/RADIO: CBS Sports Network/810-AM

CAL-PEPPERDINE HISTORY: Cal has won all three previous meetings, including 87-71 last season in coach Mark Fox’s second game as Matt Bradley scored 25 points. This is the first time the teams have played outside Berkeley.

CAL STORYLINES: The Bears take a break from their Pac-12 schedule after losses to Arizona State and UCLA. Their next three games are non-conference matchups, with USF paying a visit to Haas Pavilion on Sunday before the Bears travel play Boston College on Dec. 22 . . . After a competitive effort against ASU, Cal regressed in its 76-56 loss at UCLA on Sunday, falling behind by 20 points in the first half and getting no closer than 12 the rest of the way . . . The Bears are 0-2 in road games this season after going 1-10 a year ago. Dating back to the 2017-18 campaign, Cal has won just twice in its past 34 games on its opponent’s floor . . . Junior Matt Bradley began the week tied for fourth in the Pac-12 in scoring at 18.0 per game but he was benched the final 11:46 at UCLA after scoring 12 points on 5-for-12 shooting in 23 minutes . . . Grad transfer Makale Foreman topped Cal with 14 points at UCLA before going to the floor hard and suffered what appeared to be a left wrist or hand injury. Fox said afterward he did not believe the injury was significant . . . The Bears have struggled to produce points in the paint in their half-court offense and they are shooting just 31 percent from the 3-point arc. Worse yet, aside from Foreman and fellow transfer Ryan Betley, the Bears have made 13 of 55 attempts from deep, just under 24 percent. . . . And turnovers are stalling the Bears. They rank 234th nationally, surrendering 16.4 per game . . . Cal assistant coach Marty Wilson will enjoy a homecoming of sort as a former head coach at Pepperdine.

PEPPERDINE STORYLINES: The Waves are coming off a disappointing 65-60 loss at San Diego State on Sunday, when they led by 14 points at halftime before the unbeaten Aztecs outscored them 45-26 in the second half . . . Pepperdine’s other loss was a 107-98 triple-overtime neutral-site defeat to UCLA in which senior point guard Colbey Ross played 55 minutes and scored 33 points . . . Like Cal, the Waves have just one victory so far over a Division I opponent . . . Ross is now Pepperdine’s career leader in points (1,845) and assists (674), the only player at any West Coast Conference school with that distinction. Among active Division I players, he is first in assists and third in points. He scored 43 points against Saint Mary’s in the 2020 WCC tournament semifinals. Ross has averaged 27.5 points in his past four games vs. Pac-12 teams, including 38 against USC last season and 19 at Cal . . . Junior forward Kessler Edwards (19.3 points, 6.0 rebounds) has scored at least 17 points in every game this season. He had 18 points vs. Cal a year ago . . . Coach Lorenzo Romar’s Waves are scoring 84.5 points.

CAL GAME NOTES: Click here

PEPPERDINE GAME NOTES: Click here

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo

Click the "follow" button in the top right corner to join the conversation on Cal Sports Report on SI. Access and comment on featured stories and start your own conversations and post external links on our community page