Washington St. @ California preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 2, 2019 ) Washington St. 69, California 76

Washington State plays its first road game in over a month on Thursday when the Cougars visit California, which has struggled since opening the season with four straight wins. Washington State bounced back from a nine-point loss to USC in its Pac-12 opener with an impressive 79-71 overtime win over UCLA last Saturday.

Forward CJ Elleby averages 19 points to lead Washington State, which trailed UCLA by as many as 11 points in the second half before guard Isaac Bonton scored eight points in overtime to secure the victory. Bonton entered the contest in a prolonged shooting slump but was 7-of-14 from the field against the Bruins and finished with 17 points, five rebounds and five assists. “I’m really proud of our guys,” Cougars coach Kyle Smith told reporters. “These guys deserve the win. They’re a good group, they’re fun to coach, they’re going to try hard and they give their best effort.” Washington State begins its Bay Area swing against a rebuilding Cal team that is 0-6 in games away from Haas Pavilion but has been much better (6-2) at home.

TIME: 10:30 p.m. ET. TV: Pac-12 Network

ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE (10-5, 1-1 Pac-12): Smith has been pleased by the development of junior forward Tony Miller, who is making a case for a starting spot after averaging 9.7 points and 4.2 rebounds over the last nine games. The team’s deep bench also features guard Noah Williams, a 6-5 freshman who has emerged as a defensive stopper late in games. “The defensive potential for him, it could be the top in the Pac-12,” Bonton told reporters. “He’s been big for us, stepping up and being locked in every game. His length and quickness and athleticism is out the roof.”

ABOUT CAL (6-8, 0-1): Picked to finish last in the Pac-12, the Bears took another step back when they opened conference play by committing 18 turnovers in last Thursday’s 68-52 loss at Stanford. Leading scorer Matt Bradley finished with 13 points and eight rebounds against the Cardinal but is shooting 38 percent from the field and 21 percent from 3-point range over the past six games. Junior forward Grant Anticevich recorded his second career double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds against Stanford, but fellow big men Andre Kelly and Lars Thiemann each committed six turnovers.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Washington State has won three of the last five meetings against the Bears.

2. Cal is averaging 13.6 turnovers per game.

3. Washington State began the week ranked fifth nationally in turnover margin (plus-6.1).

PREDICTION: Washington State 76, Cal 69