Seung Y. Lee, Daily Cal sports editor
Cal 65, UCLA 62
Both Cal and UCLA are not the same teams that faced each other at Pauley Pavilion on Jan. 3. The Bruins were in a midst of a 10-game winning streak, while the Bears were licking their wounds after a humiliating loss against Harvard.
Forty-two days later, the tables have turned. Cal is on its way up, upsetting top-10 teams Oregon and Arizona. Now, according to ESPN, Cal is on the “Next Four Out” on the March Madness bubble.
For the Bears to slay another Pac-12 giant in its ascent to the Big Dance, they need another solid defensive play. It doesn’t necessarily mean a zone defense, as masterfully displayed in the second half of the Arizona game. Whatever defensive scheme Cal coach Mike Montgomery pulls out of the hat, it needs to contain the freshman trio of Jordan Adams, Kyle Anderson and Shabazz Muhammad.
Ryan Menezes, Daily Bruin beat writer
Cal 70, UCLA 69
If we’ve learned one thing over the years, it’s that our intrauniversity rivalry basketball game has the potential to be a classic. Something about this matchup seems to produce memorable games. Don’t be surprised to see another this time.
The Bruins may have steadied their rocking ship momentarily with a two-game sweep last week, but they still came out of it looking like a team that has regressed over the last month. Their rebounding issues are getting worse and that has stopped their up-tempo offense from running smoothly.
The Bears let the Bruins dictate the pace of the game the last time they played, a major reason UCLA won by 14. Cal can learn from the Pac-12 teams before them and control the rebounding game to avoid a repeat. Couple that with Allen Crabbe, the best scorer on the court, and the Bears have the slight edge.
Contact Seung Y. Lee at [email protected]