Cal (7-10, 2-9) vs. Arizona State (4-8, 1-5)
Desert Financial Arena, Tempe, Arizona; Thursday, 11 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Arizona State looks for its seventh straight win in the head-to-head series over Cal. In its last six wins against the Golden Bears, Arizona State has won by an average of 13 points. Cal’s last win in the series came on Feb. 8, 2017, a 68-43 victory.
SAVVY VETERANS: Senior leadership could play a big role in the outcome of this game. Josh Christopher, Remy Martin, Alonzo Verge Jr. and Holland Woods have combined to account for 64 percent of Arizona State’s scoring this season. For Cal, Ryan Betley, Makale Foreman and Grant Anticevich have collectively scored 42 percent of the team’s points this season, including 47 percent of all Golden Bears points over their last five.
SPARKING THE OFFENSE: Martin has either made or assisted on 41 percent of all Arizona State field goals over the last three games. Martin has accounted for 15 field goals and 17 assists in those games.
COLD SPELL: Arizona State has lost its last five home games, scoring an average of 70.4 points while giving up 78.8.
ACCOUNTING FOR ASSISTS: The Sun Devils have recently used assists to create buckets more often than the Golden Bears. Arizona State has 49 assists on 78 field goals (62.8 percent) over its past three matchups while Cal has assists on 34 of 70 field goals (48.6 percent) during its past three games.
DID YOU KNOW: Arizona State has made 7.8 3-pointers per game this season, which is second-best among Pac-12 teams.
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