California @ San Francisco preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 5, 2018 ) San Francisco 79, California 60

After recording a surprising five wins in its first seven games, California looks to start December on a high note when the Bears visit San Francisco on Wednesday. The Bears averaged just 48.5 points in back-to-back losses to Duke and Texas at the 2K Empire Classic in New York before bouncing back with last Tuesday’s 72-66 win over UC Davis.

Guard Matt Bradley scored 19 points in the win over UC Davis, which trailed by 18 points late in the first half before battling back to make things interesting in the final minutes. “I thought that was a really good game for us. We started well offensively, finished well, and I was overall pleased with how we started the game on both ends,” Bears coach Mark Fox told reporters. “In hindsight, we got more out of the finish of that game than we would have if we had kept a double-figure lead the whole time.” Guard Kareem South added 14 points in the win for Cal, which was picked to finish last in the Pac-12 preseason media poll. Fox has used the same starting five of Grant Anticevich, Lars Thiemann, Joel Brown, South and Bradley in all seven games.

TV: 11 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network

ABOUT CAL (5-2): Bradley is averaging 18.3 points while shooting 52 percent from the field and 16-of-32 from 3-point range to lead the Bears, who won eight games in each of the past two seasons. Bradley was one of the few bright spots during the team’s trip to New York, scoring 22 points while shooting 11-of-11 from the foul line in a 62-45 loss to Texas. Senior guard Paris Austin started 29 games last season under coach Wyking Jones but is now serving as the team’s sixth man and averaging 7.4 points on 47.6 percent shooting.

ABOUT SAN FRANCISCO (7-1): Five players are scoring in double figures for the Dons, who are facing their second Pac-12 opponent in as many days after hosting Arizona State on Tuesday. The Dons saw their seven-game season-opening winning streak come to an end with last Sunday’s 85-75 loss to Hawaii despite the effort from senior center Jimbo Lull, who scored a career-high 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Jamaree Bouyea added 18 points while Charles Minlend added 14 points and seven rebounds in the loss.

TIP-INS

1. Cal has won seven of the last 10 meetings against USF, but the Dons posted a 79-60 victory in last season’s matchup.

2. San Francisco entered Tuesday’s action averaging 87.1 points per game.

3. Cal is fifth in the nation in 3-point shooting percentage (43.4).

PREDICTION: Cal 73, San Francisco 66