Stanford @ California preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 7, 2018 ) California 58, Stanford 76

California coach Wyking Jones is preaching patience with his young team, which has lost nine straight games and is one loss away from tying the school’s worst-ever streak. The last-place Bears aim for their first Pac-12 victory Sunday in a pre-Super Bowl matinee against rival Stanford, which is beginning a three-game road trip.

Sophomore forward Justice Sueing is averaging a team-high 15.5 points in Pac-12 play for Cal, which has lost 25 of its past 26 conference games and appears destined for its second straight last-place finish. “There’s light at the end of the tunnel,” Jones told reporters. “We’re all optimistic about the future of the program. The main things are: continue to improve, continue to get better every day, stay positive, stay connected and for my players and staff to continue to trust the process.” The Bears have failed to score more than 65 points in their past five games and will need an improved effort against Stanford, which has allowed an average of 64 points over the past two contests. Cal will also need to slow down Stanford wing KZ Okpala, who ranks fourth in the Pac-12 in scoring (17.5) while shooting 44 percent from 3-point range.

TV: 4 p.m. ET, ESPNU

ABOUT STANFORD (10-10, 3-5 Pac-12): Okpala had scored more than 20 points in each of his four previous games before scoring a season-low five points on 2-for-8 shooting in last Saturday’s 75-62 victory over Colorado. Coach Jerod Haase has received a welcome boost from senior center Josh Sharma, who is averaging 11.4 points and eight rebounds over his last eight games after averaging 6.6 points and 3.8 boards in his first 11 contests. Forward Oscar da Silva had 21 points and seven rebounds in last Saturday’s win and could duplicate those numbers against the undersized Bears.

ABOUT CAL (5-15, 0-8): Sophomore guard Darius McNeill is averaging 11.4 points in league play for the Bears, who received a much-needed week off following last Saturday’s 82-64 loss to Utah. Freshman guard Matt Bradley scored 11 points and tied his career-best totals for rebounds and assists at five apiece against the Utes, but junior point guard Paris Austin was held to two points on 1-of-7 shooting with four turnovers and two assists. The Bears are last in the league with a minus-6.8 rebounding margin and used a small lineup in each of their past four games.

TIP-INS

1. Stanford has won three of the last four meetings against Cal, including a 76-58 victory in last season's Pac-12 tournament.

2. Sueing averaged 13.7 points in three games against Stanford last season.

3. Stanford freshman G Cormac Ryan could miss his fifth straight game with an ankle injury.

PREDICTION: Stanford 74, Cal 61