Take down Thunderbirds: Cal aims for 2-2 start against Southern Utah
“We made enough shots to win, so that was good to see,” said coach Mark Fox following the first win of the season.
Indeed, it was good to see. If the Bears want to stabilize their season and reach the .500 mark against Southern Utah, it would bode well for them to repeat Monday’s strategy.
Like Cal, Southern Utah also stands at 1-2 on the season. The Thunderbirds are reeling from a two-game losing streak, so they will surely be looking to get back on track against the Bears on Thursday.
If the blue and gold want to prolong the Thunderbirds’ struggles, forcing them to shoot from distance would be a good place to start, as Southern Utah is shooting a paltry 31% from distance on 87 attempts. While this is the case, the Thunderbirds have shown they are no slouches at shooting, as they are sinking their free throws at a respectable 72.7% clip.
Cal has not shown any signs of being a defensive powerhouse, so Southern Utah’s free throw percentage should be reason enough for the Bears to want to stay disciplined defensively. The blue and gold are simply not talented enough to save room for error, which is why they cannot afford reckless fouls.
But Cal’s defense is not without its strong points. Following the San Diego win, Fox praised Junior guard Joel Brown’s defensive prowess.
“He impacted the game defensively better than anything. I thought Joel played at both ends very well … He had to guard the, arguably, leading scorer on their team,” Fox said.
The blue and gold must mitigate Southern Utah’s guard attack, as their three leading scorers are all guards. Cal’s team defense will ultimately decide the game, but it all starts with individual effort. Much of the perimeter defense will likely fall on Brown, as he has shown that he is a very capable defender. In order for Cal to come away with the victory, the Bears will need another solid defensive showing from Brown.
The Bears have done a decent job of causing turnovers, as they have forced opponents to cough the ball up 12.3 times a game. However, Cal has not capitalized off of these turnovers, as it has averaged a pedestrian 9.3 points per game when the opponent slips the ball up. The blue and gold don’t have a reliable go-to scorer, so getting points when the defense is on their heels is especially important for this ball club.
Great teams typically use defense as their offense, as it’s easier to build momentum this way. On Monday, the blue and gold displayed how important this flow can be to win games.
“It’s easier being in the flow of things and it’s hard because the defense has to pick their poison on who they want to guard,” said senior forward Andre Kelly.
The Bears must also crash the glass and prevent second chance points. The Thunderbirds have outrebounded opponents by an impressive 12.7 margin, showing that they have the potential to hound opponents down low. Cal doesn’t have much size, so it’s critical that everyone boxes out to make it tough on Southern Utah. But this early in the season, uncertainty reigns.
“It’s too early to really judge what kind of team we have as far as shooting the ball,” Fox said.
Throughout this young season, the blue and gold have hit an impressive 40.4% from distance on 47 attempts. These are elite numbers, but as Fox said, it’s hard to put a label on this team this early. With that being said, the Bears are in no position to solely rely on threes to win games, but they should certainly look to take them, considering how well it’s worked for them thus far.
The blue and gold can only hope some shots go in.
Justin Kim covers men’s basketball. Contact him at justinkim@dailycal.org.