We’ve made it to the final game of 2023. Arizona State has a chance to win back-to-back road games to start Pac-12 play. They have to beat 4-8 Cal to do so. The Sun Devils are sitting at 7-5 and need to continue feasting on weaker Pac-12 teams to have a chance at making the tournament. That starts here versus Cal on the road in Berkeley.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Arizona State finally got its offense in check in the second half of its game versus Stanford. They scored 48 points while shooting 37% from three in the second half. The issue is the Sun Devils have been one of the worst first-half teams in the country this year. The Sun Devils are ranked 334th out of 362 teams in first-half points per game. They average 28.8 points in the first period. In comparison, Cal averages 36.7, so for Arizona State to have a chance, they must score in the first half.
Preview:
Cal comes into this game ranked in the top half in points per game. That is possible when they have a guard like Jaylon Tyson, who averages 19.6 a game and just had 22 versus #4 Arizona. Not to mention, Cal also has 6’11 Fardaws Aimaq, who averages 16.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks. Jalen Cone averages 15.2 per game, and Keonte Kennedy averages 11.2. They don’t get much production from anyone else.
The issue is Cal hasn’t beaten anyone. Their best win is versus Santa Clara, who is 9-6 and in a weak conference but has beaten numerous Pac-12 teams this year. Cal also has losses to UTEP, Tulane, and Montana State, low-level teams. So, it makes it hard to trust any of the numbers Cal outs up. Cal isn’t ranked that highly in any statistical category, but they are definitely better at offense than defense. KenPom fully agrees. They have Cal as the 99th-ranked offense. However, they have them also ranked as the 245th-ranked defense, meaning if ASU can get their shooting percentages up, they should be able to score a lot. Overall, KenPom has Cal ranked as the #159th team in the country, which is 40 behind ASU.
Prediction
I predict Arizona State will win simply because of their defense’s ability to stall Cal. I think ASU has a nice scoring night and can slow Cal’s hot shooters. I think Arizona State beats Cal 78-70.
Arizona State’s Bobby Hurley has an Impressive Resume In Close Games
