Cal Poly SLO @ California preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 17, 2016 ) Cal Poly SLO 55, California 81

If California’s season opener was any indication, the Bears’ rebuilding effort could require even more patience than originally thought. Cal heads into Sunday’s matchup against visiting Cal Poly looking to bounce back from a lackluster showing against UC Riverside on Friday, when they trailed by as many as 23 points in the first half of a 74-66 loss.

Junior guard Don Coleman had a career-high 31 points on 9-of-28 shooting and freshman forward Justice Sueing added 14 points off the bench to lead the Bears, who shot 30.6 percent from the floor and had seven assists to 11 turnovers. First-year coach Wyking Jones was frustrated with his team’s slow start in the opener after UC Riverside claimed an early 17-3 lead. “We need to do a better job of coming out of the gates ready to go and ready to play,” Jones told reporters. “I think they get it now that from the jump we have to do a better job of coming out and taking care of business.” The Bears hope to get Jones his first career victory against Cal Poly, which opened with a 78-62 loss to Stanford on Friday.

TV: 4 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network

ABOUT CAL POLY (0-1): Picked to finish last in the Big West preseason media poll, the Mustangs forced 16 turnovers and cut a double-digit lead to nine points before fading in the final minutes against the taller Stanford squad. Guards Victor Joseph and Donovan Fields combined for 38 points, but the Mustangs were unable to slow down Stanford star forward Reid Travis, who finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds. Junior forward Josh Martin, who was limited to five games last season due to a foot injury, started the season opener and battled foul trouble while scoring five points in 17 minutes.

ABOUT CAL (0-1): Jones said his young team is going to depend on seniors Kingsley Okoroh and Marcus Lee for scoring early in the season, but the pair was held to a total of 13 points on 4-of-10 shooting in the opener. The 7-foot-1 Okoroh did provide a spark on defense by grabbing 18 rebounds and tying a school record with seven blocked shots. Another bright spot was the play of Sueing, who missed time during the preseason with a stress fracture but made an immediate impact against UC Riverside with five rebounds and three steals in 25 minutes.

TIP-INS

1. Cal shot 53.4 percent from the field in an 81-55 win over visiting Cal Poly on Dec. 17, 2016.

2. Cal Poly has led the Big West in fewest turnovers per game in each of the past five seasons.

3. Cal announced that it will open the 2018-19 season against Yale in China.

PREDICTION: Cal 62, Cal Poly 57