Time: 1:00 PM PST/4:00 PM EST
TV: CBS
Radio: KFRC 1550 AM
Streams: Post links in comments
The Cal men will take the floor at Pauley Pavilion with a chance to turn their season around. Despite painful losses to UCLA at Haas, to Arizona last Saturday, and to USC on Thursday, the Bears are in 1st place in the Pac-10. Wait, what? First? Yes, the Pac-10's continual mediocrity means that Arizona, Cal, UCLA and Arizona St. all sit at 6-4. If the Bears win today they will take the first steps toward atoning for both their ugly performance against UCLA earlier in the season and their recent two game losing streak. So, how do the Bears match up?
| Oeff | Deff | Tempo | eFG% | TO% | Off Reb% | FTA/FGA | |
| Cal | 117.6 (6) | 93.6 (70) | 71.2 (43) | 52.1 (54) | 18 (46) | 34.7 (108) | 35.4 (223) |
| UCLA | 103.8 (131) | 97.8 (119) | 65.5 (266) | 52.2 (52) | 21.2 (190) | 30.3 (260) | 37.3 (179) |
Just like the last time Cal faced the Bruins, Cal has the advantage in most every category, with the notable exception in the ability to get to the line. Surely the Bears would have beaten an overmatched Bruins team in the friendly confines of Haas, right? So why did the Bears lose last time? Well, Cal shooting 2-18 from 3 while UCLA shot 9-20 might have had something to do with it. We Cal fans chalked up the game to bad luck and moved on, but perhaps, considering Cal's recent performance, losing to UCLA wasn't as flukey as well all thought. UCLA has taken advantage of good fortune and steadily improved while Cal appears to have regressed. Hit the jump for more UCLA analysis and the game thread.
Alpha Dog: Reeves Nelson - Yup, UCLA is being led by an unheralded freshman. Cal fans will remember Nelson because the Bears were completely unable to defend him without committing a foul at the end of UCLA's overtime triumph. Nelson doesn't really use any more possessions than Malcolm Lee or Nikola Dragovic, but he has the best offensive efficiency of the bunch and he's UCLA's best defensive rebounder and he gets to the line. Cal absoltely must do a better job on Nelson if they want to pay back UCLA.
Key to the game - don't let Roll, Keefe and Dragovic get open 3's. Please? I'm begging you Bears, I can't handle losing this game. Comment away and GO BEARS!