Washington @ California preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 19, 2019 ) California 52, Washington 71

Long known as one of the top defensive players in the country, Washington senior guard Matisse Thybulle has quietly emerged as a leading candidate for Pac-12 player of the year. Thybulle has started 126 straight games for the 25th-ranked Huskies, who can clinch the Pac-12 regular-season title with a win over host California on Thursday night.

Thybulle was named Pac-12 player of the week after averaging 13.5 points, six steals, five rebounds and 4.5 blocks in wins over Utah and Colorado as the Huskies moved closer to their first NCAA tournament berth since 2011. Named after French impressionist painter Henri Matisse, Thybulle added to his portfolio with 17 points, six steals and five blocked shots in last Saturday’s 64-55 win over the Buffaloes. "The one thing you can’t do with Matisse Thybulle, is you cannot simulate him in practice. You just can’t,” Colorado coach Tad Boyle told reporters. “We work against the zone in practice, and we get great ball movement. You know, it looks really good, and then you get out here and it’s a little different animal that is in the Washington Huskies uniform than what we’ve got in practice.” Washington’s league-leading defense figures to wreak havoc on Cal, which has lost a program-record 16 straight games and ranks last in the Pac-12 in scoring at 68.7 points per game.

TV: 11 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1

ABOUT WASHINGTON (22-5, 13-1 Pac-12): Sophomore guard Jaylen Nowell averages a team-high 16.1 points on 50.6 percent shooting for the Huskies, who have held every conference opponent except Arizona State to 70 points or fewer. Starting forward Hameir Wright missed last Saturday’s game due to a personal matter and was replaced by senior Dominic Green, who had 17 points in last month’s 71-52 win over Cal but has not scored in double figures in his last nine games. Senior forward Noah Dickerson ranks second on the team in scoring at 12.7 points and grabbed 11 boards in the previous meeting against Cal.

ABOUT CAL (5-22, 0-15): The Bears faltered in the second half of last Saturday’s 69-59 loss to Arizona State but received a strong outing from freshman guard Matt Bradley, who recorded his first double-double with a career-high 23 points and 10 rebounds. Bradley ranks second on the team in scoring in conference play at 11.3 points per game while shooting 43.3 percent from beyond the arc. Leading scorer Justice Sueing was held to nine points in the loss to Arizona State, but forward Grant Anticevich provided a spark off the bench with six points and a career-high seven rebounds.

TIP-INS

1. Cal holds an 84-81 lead in the series, but Washington has won the last three meetings.

2. Washington is shooting 50.6 percent from the field and 39.7 percent from 3-point range in its six Pac-12 road victories.

3. Cal is in danger of becoming just the second team to go winless in conference play since 1978-79.

PREDICTION: Washington 78, Cal 57