DIRECTV CLASSIC

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Drake vs. California

ABOUT THE BULLDOGS: Likely will insert senior guard Chris Hines into the starting lineup after he returned from a knee injury and scored 14 points Saturday at Detroit. Hines and Simons are Drake?s two best perimeter defenders, and will take on the primary responsibility of guarding the Golden Bears? top two scorers.

ABOUT THE GOLDEN BEARS: Have two terrific scorers on the wing in Allen Crabbe (26.7 ppg) and Justin Cobbs (20.7), and they know how to find them. Their depth is limited, though, which may be something Drake can exploit.

 

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http://directvclassic.com/images/stories/pdfs/2012dtvcbracket.pdf



Oh, the delicious irony in a Pac-12 team being the favorite in something called the DirecTV Classic. Cal?s not a huge favorite by any means, but maybe a win will put a little more pressure on the satellite provider to reach a deal with the Pac-12 Network. Drexel is sadly without senior two-guard Chris Fouch for the rest of the season, so mentally adjust their chances accordingly.

Semis Final Champ
Cal 85.4 62.0 36.7
Saint Mary's 54.5 37.2 20.9
Drexel 45.5 29.2 15.1
Xavier 74.6 29.0 12.6
Georgia Tech 77.6 29.4 12.0
Drake 14.6 4.9 1.0
Pacific 25.4 4.5 1.0
Rice 22.4 3.7 0.6

 

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Keys to the game

Get good first shots: The Bulldogs locked down the defensive glass last year, and that was without their 6?11?? monster. With VanDeest back, don?t expect Cal to get 2nd looks often. That means that the first shot needs to be a good one.


Attack Clarke and VanDeest: Cobbs and Crabbe should be plenty quick enough to get around Drake?s perimeter defenders and attack the lane. Drake doesn't have much in terms of interior depth, and getting either of their post starters (or both!) into foul trouble would open up all kinds of opportunities for Cal. Last year, the Bulldogs also had excellent 3 point defense, which only increases the benefit of driving the ball initially rather than working for 3 point looks that aren't likely to materialize.


Perimeter defense: Drake doesn?t shoot a ton of 3s, but they have a couple guys that could really make Cal pay. Staying close with Carter and Simons (amongst others) is absolutely necessary. Particularly Simons, since he?s unlikely to hurt Cal if he isn?t nailing 3s.

 

[johnnyb.]

I went to this tourny for the Pacific and Xavier game, Pacific is a great passing team that can play 10 deep with good defense.

Headed over on Friday as well.