Cal Hopes to End 8-Game Slide When It Hosts Washington Thursday

Bears lost to the Huskies earlier this season, and Andre Kelly is questionable for Thursday's game. But Cal is favored this time.

WASHINGTON (11-8, 6-3 Pac-12) at CAL (9-13, 2-9 Pac-12)

WHERE: Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, Calif.

WHEN: Thursday, 8 p.m.

TV: Pac-12 Networks -- Guy Haberman (play-by-play), Ben Braun (analyst)

RADIO: 810-AM

BETTING LINE: Cal is favored by 2 points. (Yes, Cal is the favorite.) Over/Under is 131.5 points.

CAL-WASHINGTON HISTORY: Cal leads the alltime series 87-84, but Washington beat the Golden Bears 64-55 earlier this season on January 12 in Seattle. Joel Brown played just one minute in that game and arriving at the game just before halftime. The Bears and Huskies split their two games last season, with Cal winning at home 84-78, and Washington winning in Seattle 62-51. Cal has defeated the Huskies the last three times they met in Berkeley.

CAL STORYLINES: The Bears are coming off a 57-50 loss to Stanford on Tuesday, which was Cal’s eighth straight defeat. The Golden Bears’ most recent victory was a January 2 win over Arizona State . . . The Bears’ 50-point total on Tuesday was their lowest scoring output of the season, and they have failed to reach 60 points in five of their past seven games . . . Andre Kelly (13.7 points, 8.4 rebounds) did not play Tuesday because of a sprained ankle and he is questionable for Thursday’s game as well. . . . Lars Thiemann made his first start of the season in place of Kelly and had perhaps his best game since arriving at Cal. He had 11 points on 3-for-3 shooting from the field and 5-for-5 shooting from the foul like to go along with six rebounds . . . The Bears are 0-9 in game away from home, but they are 9-4 in games played at Haas Pavilion, site of Thursday’s game . . . Jordan Shepherd is Cal’s leading scorer at 14.3 points per game and he had 15 points on Tuesday, although he was just 5-for-17 from the floor. Shepherd was Cal’s top scorer in the earlier game against Washington, but he had just 12 points . . . Grant Anticevich is averaging 10.2 points, but he has not scored more than eight points in any of his last seven games . . . Jalen Celestine, who has become a starter, has been Cal’s best perimeter threat lately. He is 7-for-11 on 3-point shots over the past four games. . . . , Cal has had a difficult Pac-12 schedule so far, having already played five games against the top three teams (UCLA, USC and Arizona).

WASHINGTON STORYLINES: The Huskies have won five of their past six games and are tied with Oregon for fourth place in the Pac-12 . . . Huskies guard Terrell Brown Jr., who played for Arizona last season, leads the league in scoring at 21.7 points per game, which is the sixth-best scoring average in the country. Brown also leads the Pac-12 in steals (2.4 per game). He is the reigning Pac-12 player of the week, averaging 28 points in wins over Colorado and Utah last week. Brown scored 21 points when Washington beat Cal last month . . . The Huskies have played an easier Pac-12 schedule than Cal. While Cal has played No. 19 USC and No. 3 UCLA twice each and No. 7 Arizona once, Washington has played only one game against those three teams, losing to Arizona 95-79 back on January 3. The next-best Pac-12 team Washington has faced is Oregon, and the Huskies lost to the Ducks 84-56 on January 23. . . . When Washington beat Cal last month, the Huskies outrebounded Cal 32-23 and forced the Bears into 17 turnovers. . . The Huskies rank 11th in the Pac-12 in field-goal percentage, making just 39.9 percent of their shots for the season. They are 10th in field-goal percentage defense, allowing opponents to shoot 44.1 percent. Washington is not a good 3-point shooting team, hitting 30.3 percent of its long-range shots, which ranks 11th in the conference.

HEALTH REQUIREMENTS TO ATTEND GAMES AT HAAS PAVILION: In order to attend events at Haas Pavilion this season, all fans 3 and older must either show proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test to gain entry into the facility.

The current health order requires patrons with access to indoor spaces for mega events, such as at Haas Pavilion, to show proof of full vaccination or test results - within one day for an antigen test or within two days for a PCR test. Everyone 18 and older must also show a photo ID. Accommodations will be made for those with a valid medical or religious exemption. Attendees cannot self-attest to verify vaccination status or a negative test result.

Full vaccination is defined as 14 days after receiving the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine or 14 days after the second shot of the two-dose Moderna or Pfizer vaccines.

Acceptable forms of proof of full vaccination include:

--A government-issued vaccination card

--A photo or copy of a vaccination card either as a hardcopy or stored on a phone or electronic device

--A personal digital COVID-19 vaccine record issued by the State of California or similar documentation issued by another government entity --An authentic digital record that includes a QR code and accurately displays name, date of birth, vaccine dates and vaccine type 

--UC Berkeley students and staff may use their campus access badge for proof of full vaccination status

Individuals who are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms or are under a quarantine or isolation order should not attend.

Facial coverings are required at all times inside Haas Pavilion for guests ages 2 and up, unless actively eating or drinking.

CAL GAME NOTES: Click here

WASHINGTON GAME NOTES: Click here

.

Cover photo of Cal's Lars Thiemann by Kyle Terada, USA TODAY Sports

.

Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53

Find Cal Sports Report on Facebook by searching: @si.calsportsreport or going to https://www.facebook.com/si.calsportsreport