Bears Take on UW in Seattle Wednesday

Having been defeated by two of the best teams in the country, USC and UCLA last weekend, the Cal men’s basketball team steps down in class Wednesday night when the Bears take on the Washington Huskies (6-7, 1-2 Pac 12) in Seattle.

The Huskies sit tied for ninth in the conference standings, and have lost five of their last seven. But the Bears (9-7, 2-3) cannot afford to relax. Washington has enough weapons to make a night difficult for anybody,  especially in Alaska Airlines Arena.

The roster this year has been dramatically overhauled following last season’s 5-21 debacle. Six players hit the transfer portal and bailed while head coach Mike Hopkins, his job probably on the line, brought in eight new players. 

The most impressive of the newcomers is well-traveled Terrell Brown, a 6-3 guard who comes home after a one-year stop at Arizona. Brown began his career at nearby Shoreline CC, played two years at Seattle U., and last season in Tucson.  

Jeffrey Swinger -- USA Today

Brown scores
 

He is having a breakout season. Despite being held to 12 points in the 78-64 loss to Colorado on Sunday, he leads the Pac-12 in scoring at 20.7 per game. And when he is not shooting, he is usually finding an open teammate. He leads the team in assists at 4.32 per game. He  has made or assisted on 51 percent of all Washington field goals over the last three games, accounting for 21 field goals and 19 assists in those games.

“With Terrell, it’s all about mindset and hard work,” Hopkins said. “He’s so determined on being the best he can be and he’s willing to put in the work. That’s why he’s gone from where he started to being one of the elite guards not only in our league but in the country.”

The Huskies backcourt is a family affair. Daejon Davis is Brown’s cousin and running mate at point guard. Davis is another grad transfer, coming to Seattle from Stanford, where he spent four seasons. Davis has not been much of a scorer, averaging just 8.5 points, but he does add leadership and stability, especially on defense.

Junior forward Cole Bajema started the season slowly but has been on fire of late and given the Huskie an outside threat that must be honored. 

He has hit 11 of his 15 3-point field goal tries in the last three games after going 3-for-19. 

"I'm just really happy for him," Hopkins said on Monday. "We knew he was a great shooter. He knew he was a great shooter. It was just a matter of time."

Hopkins played at Syracuse and coached a year there. He brought with him Jim Boeheim’s zone defense. But while the Orange will stay with the zone come hell or high shooting percentage, Hopkins has been known to throw in some man-to-man. It is not necessarily to improve the defense, but rather to shake his team out of one of their periodic lethargic spells.

Roy Chenoy -- USA Today

Mike Hopkins

Washington does not have much of an inside game, either on offense or defense. Colorado outrebounded the Huskies 47-27 and outscored them 38-20 in the paint. 

For the season the Huskies are being outrebounded by an average of 9.54 per game and are giving up 73.3 points per game, last in the conference.

Notes: 

• Cal leads the overall series 87-83, but the Huskies are 55-36 against the Bears at home.
• The Bears’ last victory in Seattle was on Feb. 18, 2016.
• Cal will play on the road in nine of its remaining 16 Pac-12 games,
•  The Bears are seeking their first wins away from home this season, as they’re 0-2 in true road games at UNLV (Nov. 15) & Utah (Dec. 5) & 0-2 in neutral games vs. #23 Florida & #21 Seton Hall (Nov. 22-24).
• Former Cal head coach Wyking Jones is an assistant on Hopkins staff.
• Brown leads the league in steals with 34. As a team, Washington is on top in that category with 119.