Cal Basketball: Saint Mary's Game Preview
CAL (6-4) vs. SAINT MARY’S (9-2)
WHERE: Haas Pavilion, Berkeley
WHEN: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
TV/RADIO: Pac-12 Network/810-AM
CAL-SAINT MARY’S HISTORY: Cal leads 62-18 in a series that began during the 1914-15 season. But Saint Mary’s has won the past two seasons and four of the past five. From 1956-57 through ’86-87, Cal was 20-1 against the Gaels.
CAL STORYLINES: The Bears beat Fresno State 69-63 on Wednesday night to win for just the second time in six games. But they lost at USF and Santa Clara in their two previous games and a loss to Saint Mary’s would mark the firs time since 1934-35 that Cal has lost to the West Coast Conference’s three Bay Area teams in the same season. . . . Cal is 6-0 this season at Haas but is facing its toughest opponent in Berkeley so far. The Bears have won eight straight games at Haas, dating back to last season. . . . The six teams Cal defeated this season have a combined record of 22-37. . . . The Bears were outrebounded 38-28 by Fresno State and rank 243rd nationally at minus-1.0 rebounds per game. . . . Matt Bradley (17.9 points) and Kareem South (12.0) are the Bears’ only double-digit scorers.
SAINT MARY’S STORYLINES: The Gaels are coming off a 78-68 loss to Dayton at Phoenix last Sunday that snapped an eight-game winning streak. SMC has beaten then-15th-ranked Utah State, but also lost at home to Winthrop back on Nov. 11. . . . Saint Mary’s is ranked 14th in Ken Pomeroy's offensive efficiency ratings at 110.9 points per 100 possessions. Cal is 200th in the same category at 98.9 points per 100 possessions. It doesn’t hurt that the Gaels lead the nation in 3-point accuracy at 44.0%. . . . Senior guard Jordan Ford is perhaps the Bay Area’s best player. He averages 19.4 points after scoring at a 21.1 clip a year ago. For his career, the 6-foot-1 native of Folsom has scored 1,399 points and converted better than 41% of his 3-point attempts. . . . Forward Malik Fitts averages 14.7 points and 7.9 rebounds and Tanner Krebs scores 12.4 points per game and is shooting 54% percent on threes. . . . The Gaels have won at least 20 games for the past 12 seasons and have advanced to the NCAA tournament in seven of those years.
CAL GAME NOTES: Click here
SAINT MARY’S GAME NOTES: Click here
