South Central Madness: Cal vs Mississippi State
Bears. Bulldogs. Big Dance.
It’s Game Day, Bears!
The California Golden Bears take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs at 2:30pm today on ESPN2. The Bears traveled to LA on Thursday, then practiced at the Galen Center and participated in media sessions on Friday. Here are a few things to know heading into this afternoon’s matchup.
Sights and Sounds
Charmin Smith on her experiences in this tournament from player to assistant coach to head coach.
”As a player you are so clueless to everything that stresses out a coach....as an assistant, its still not all on you. It’s a different type of pressure with your scout. As a head coach this is completely different, I’m just so proud of this team for getting us here.”
Lulu and Marta preview the Mississippi State matchup
LT10: “They are obviously a really good team but we trust in the work we put in. We’re confident in what we need to do tomorrow if we come out as our best selves.”
MS7: “We've had a couple SEC matchups that have us ready. We’ll have a good scout and game plan but its going to come down to us playing our game.”
Charmin Smith on Michelle Onyiah’s impact by just being on the floor
“For Michelle, defending without fouling. We need her on the floor. Sometimes it doesn't mean she has to score, she commands attention that frees up shooters. She’s great when in ball screen coverage, she has to be on the floor. I’m just happy when #0 is in the game for Cal.”
What To Watch For
Nick broke down the matchup earlier this week. The primary keys to the game revolve around the interior matchup between 6’ 6” MSU C Madina Okot and Michelle Onyiah, Cal’s guard play versus MSU’s do-it-all G Jerkaila Jordan, and the ‘Rule of 15’ for Cal (less than 15 turnovers, more than 15 assists). Here’s a few trends to watch for as the game unfolds;
Transition Defense
Both teams like to push the ball up the court and look for transition scoring. Mississippi State’s actions tends toward going to the basket, while Cal is looking for drives that lead to open spot-up shooting opportunities. Each team’s ability to slow down their opponent in transition will go a long way towards victory.
Cal’s ability to drive towards the basket
In several games this year, Cal made an early intentional effort to drive the lane to loosen up the defense and open up outside shooting opportunities. Look for Michelle Onyiah to try to pull Madina Okot away from the basket, leaving driving lanes for Marta Suarez and Cal’s backcourt. The more the defense wants to collapse on those drives, the more open the kick out looks will be.
Home state advantage?
Cal’s game follows the noon game between #1 USC seed and #16 UNC Greensboro. Cal sold out their allotment of tickets for the session. Does the USC fan base stick around to watch the second game? Will they be rooting for former Trojan Kayla Williams and the Golden Bears against their SEC opponent? Ideally, this will feel like a home game for the Bears.
TD_24 and BentPawn are onsite at the Galen Center and will be providing updates throughout the day. Follow @TD_24 on twitter, and bentpawn on bluesky.
Go Bears!
We out here in LA