California @ Washington St. preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 14, 2017 ) Washington St. 54, California 58

November was a month to remember for Washington State, but the days of going 6-0 with a Wooden Legacy championship seem like a distant memory now. The Huskies are the only Pac-12 team without a conference victory heading into Saturday’s game against visiting California, which has lost three in a row following a win over Stanford.

Washington State fell for the eighth time in its last 10 games on Thursday as the Cougars shot 29.6 percent in the second half of a 79-70 loss to Stanford. “It’s extremely frustrating and it has nothing to do with the coaches, honestly,” forward Drick Bernstine told reporters. “It’s on us. We’re the people who are out on the floor and they’re giving us good game plans, but we just can’t close games right now.” Cougars forward Robert Franks averages 17.3 points and 7.1 rebounds but was held to eight points and committed six of his team’s 22 turnovers against Stanford. Coach Ernie Kent’s squad will look to get untracked against Cal, which ranks last in the Pac-12 in scoring defense at 80.5 points per game but challenged Washington on Thursday before losing 66-56.

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

ABOUT CAL (7-10, 1-3 Pac-12): The rebuilding Bears appear to have a core starter in place in freshman forward Justice Sueing, who ranks second on the team in scoring at 13.6 points per game and had a career-high 27 points on 11-of-16 shooting against Washington. The Bears needed Sueing to step up after forward Marcus Lee and guard Don Coleman were held to a combined 12 points and 31 minutes due to foul trouble. First-year coach Wyking Jones often starts three freshmen, including guard Darius McNeill, who averages 12.6 points on 47.5 percent shooting.

ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE (8-8, 0-4): The Cougars held Stanford big man Reid Travis to a season-low six points in Thursday’s loss, but the Cougars again had trouble taking care of the ball and are averaging 17.5 turnovers in Pac-12 play. Guard Malachi Flynn made seven 3-pointers and finished with 24 points against Stanford, while long-range specialist Carter Skaggs finds himself in a mini-shooting slump after going 2-for-11 from 3-point range over the past two games. Guard Viont'e Daniels, who has started all 16 games, left Thursday’s contest due to injury and is listed as day-to-day.

TIP-INS

1. Cal has won the last four meetings and holds a 79-49 lead in the all-time series.

2. Washington State ranks fourth nationally in made 3-pointers at 11.7 per game.

3. Cal is 5-1 when leading at the half.

PREDICTION: Washington State 74, Cal 67