Looking at the record, we have been 1-7 in our last eight regular season games against ASU, with one other victory against them in the 2016 PAC-12 Tournament. Most have been low scoring contests, in which we have averaged only 55 points. Hope that we can come up with something different to try against them this year. I know that they do pack it in inside against us and have challenged us to make outside shots, which has not been our strength.

I have looked back on some of these losses and have four keys for the upcoming ASU game:

1. Take some threes and make them - don't go back to just looking inside.
2. Box out, since ASU goes a great job of nudging rebounders out of position who go straight up.
3. Focus on defense throughout the entire shot clock - ASU will run you through a number of screens and try to get you to turn your head and lose sight of the ball when you start to lose focus.
4. LG - insist on these things; don't just ask nicely.

annarborbear said:

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I have looked back on some of these losses and have four keys for the upcoming ASU game:

1. Take some threes and make them - don't go back to just looking inside.
2. Box out, since ASU goes a great job of nudging rebounders out of position who go straight up.
3. Focus on defense throughout the entire shot clock - ASU will run you through a number of screens and try to get you to turn your head and lose sight of the ball when you start to lose focus.
4. LG - insist on these things; don't just ask nicely.

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I agree. ASU is really known for defense, of course, where they play physical and bump you off of your position as well as really harass every passer. Anigwe will need to fight through defenders without picking up offensive fouls. Bears will have to decisive with using their screens and then taking a shot when it's available (bc ASU will close) without rushing.

This will be a good test of Cal's discipline and poise. Cal has been in every game this year, whatever their own level of play. Some of that seems to come from higher belief in themselves--if they fall behind, they believe they can do better and come back. But against ASU, can the Bears sustain their focus (which is what they worked on against USC, but USC was only Mariya Moore in that game)?

It's likely to be a low-scoring, close game, as you mentioned. So then it's about execution down the stretch. Can Cal do it consistently? They did it against St. Mary's, but did not do so against Harvard and UCLA.

And of course, they can't overlook Arizona before even getting to ASU.

GO BEARS!

ASU was not a good defensive team last year. They were near the bottom in opposition FG %. And they finished behind us in the conference despite beating us twice.

Watch Arizona. They blasted ASU when they met. Neither game will be a gimme.

Arizona and ASU lead the conference in defense, allowing 52.6 ppg & 54.1 ppg, respectively. Last season the Bears nipped the Wildcats 53-51 in Tucson while the Sun Devils shutdown the Bears in Berkeley, 57-42. The forty-two points was Cal's season low.

One other thing-Cal does not seem to have a defender that can "hold down" an opponents leading scorer this season. Anigwe is the most athletic Bear defender but she reaches constantly plus triggers two offensive fouls
per game, too.

UCLA's soph Michaela Onyenwere went off for 29 last Friday night while SC's senior Mariya Moore scored 61% of the Trojan's points (36) last Sunday afternoon. On Friday night, Cal will attempt to defend the top scorer in the Pac 12 in soph Aari McDonald (25.4 ppg average). Last weekend she exploded for 37 points on the road in the Rocky Mountains. On Sunday, Cal faces Arizona State and senior Kianna Ibis. She single-handedly dominated the Bears in Tempe with 26 points last season.

Bottomline: these are the two best defensive teams in the conference. Cal cannot allow McDonald and/or Ibis to go off offensively against them or it will be extremely difficult to register a victory. The Bears also need to take care of the basketball and limit their turnovers if they expect to have a chance this weekend. GO BEARS!

Or, Cal can let Ibis and McDonald go off but under 30 points each so long as Cal stops the rest of UofA and ASU. Moore went off - and USC still lost.

Leading in points scored means nothing. You can slow the game down and get less points. More important is how hard is it for you to score a basket. That is what opposition FG % is about. Actually, defensive efficiency is the best but I don't know how to figure it out.

1-7 says it all. They know how to beat us. We had better come up with a more effective strategy this time around.

In our first loss last year, we had a higher shooting percentage, but eight fewer shots. In the second loss, we totally imploded and shot 28% from the field and 11% on threes.

So far this year ASU has lost to Baylor by six points and by only two to Louisville. They never seem to have highly-rated recruiting classes, but they are a pain to play.

wvitbear said:

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Leading in points scored means nothing. You can slow the game down and get less points. More important is how hard is it for you to score a basket. That is what opposition FG % is about. Actually, defensive efficiency is the best but I don't know how to figure it out.

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At this link below you can see their defensive (and offensive) efficiency in conference games thus far, per WBB State.

ASU's 0.9118 D-PPP is good for 5th in the conference (behind Stanford, UCLA, OSU, and USC). 'Zona's 1.0812 D-PPP is dead-worst in the conference

https://imgur.com/a/ang17wv

annarborbear said:

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Looking at the record, we have been 1-7 in our last eight regular season games against ASU

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I'm pretty sure that 1 win was at ASU when Gray fouled out and Davidson came in and won the game with a great offensive rebound and put back in the last second. Great game. The last game at home against ASU was probably the worst game we've played in a long time.

Regarding Arizona, they have decided to clear out for McDonald and let her go one-on-one on many possessions. She took 30 shots in their loss to Utah. What is surprising though, is that this strategy actually works pretty well even though you know it is coming. McDonald is super fast and just blows by people. She also has great body control and avoids charges and draws fouls in the process. It will be important to have Kristine minimize fouling against McDonald when she drives by somebody.. We should probably play a lot of zone to protect Kristine in this one.

Micole Cayton would have likely been Cal's fastest and best defender against someone like McDonald. Nobody
else that starts or plays 15 minutes or more is quick. I do believe a zone defense is the Bear's best defense based upon the limitations of their personnel. When opposing guards blow by Caldwell or Forbes for drives to the
basket, the Bears seldom bring weakside defense to help.

When they do play zone, however, Cal players seldom get out on three points shooters. The defenders are often in a catch 22 situation because they know if they play tight on the shooter, they'll often get beat on the drive. Harvard hit 16 treys against Cal. UCSB brought in a reserve who canned 6 out of 7 threes versus the Bears.

The coaching staff is not doing a good job of teaching fundamentals like "help" defense. Other teams put pressure on the ball or press or trap. Both Houston and UCLA really pressured the ball and outlet passes. Cal used to do all of these things when Eliza Pierre, Gabby Green, Courtney Range, Mikayla Cowling, etc. were members of the team.

This year's team is also not physically aggressive other than KA and Jaelyn Brown. Minyon
and Mariya Moore, both sisters from Salesian HS, displayed aggressive guard/wing play last Sunday on getting loose balls as well as on drives to the basket.

All of these reasons are why I call this Cal team the worst defensive team that I can recall...Gottlieb has to recruit more good all-around players that are not simply one dimensional. GO BEARS!

GO BEARS!

The good news is that Arizona is not a great three-point shooting team. McDonald is at 29% and Thomas 30%. But you do have to guard their highest volume three-point shooter, Alonso, who is at 42%

Schroeder71 said:

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Micole Cayton would have likely been Cal's fastest and best defender against someone like McDonald. Nobody
else that starts or plays 15 minutes or more is quick. I do believe a zone defense is the Bear's best defense based upon the limitations of their personnel. When opposing guards blow by Caldwell or Forbes for drives to the
basket, the Bears seldom bring weakside defense to help.

When they do play zone, however, Cal players seldom get out on three points shooters. The defenders are often in a catch 22 situation because they know if they play tight on the shooter, they'll often get beat on the drive. Harvard hit 16 treys against Cal. UCSB brought in a reserve who canned 6 out of 7 threes versus the Bears.

The coaching staff is not doing a good job of teaching fundamentals like "help" defense. Other teams put pressure on the ball or press or trap. Both Houston and UCLA really pressured the ball and outlet passes. Cal used to do all of these things when Eliza Pierre, Gabby Green, Courtney Range, Mikayla Cowling, etc. were members of the team.

This year's team is also not physically aggressive other than KA and Jaelyn Brown. Minyon
and Mariya Moore, both sisters from Salesian HS, displayed aggressive guard/wing play last Sunday on getting loose balls as well as on drives to the basket.

All of these reasons are why I call this Cal team the worst defensive team that I can recall...Gottlieb has to recruit more good all-around players that are not simply one dimensional. GO BEARS!

GO BEARS!

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agree we miss Cayton, and it's a good observation about our perimeter defense. we also don't have length besides KA