Mississippi State (21-11) earned a No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament and will face No. 8 seed California on Saturday in Los Angeles for a 4:30 p.m. CT tip-off (2:30 p.m. local time) on ESPN2.
The Golden Bears (25-8) outperformed expectations in their first year in the Atlantic Coast Conference, earning marquee wins over Alabama, North Carolina State and Florida State. To learn more about this Cal team, The Commercial Dispatch chatted with Michelle Moshkovoy, who covers the Golden Bears for The Daily Californian.
Editor’s note: This conversation has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity and brevity.
The Commercial Dispatch: Cal took a huge step forward this season in its first year in the ACC. What were the biggest keys that led to the Golden Bears’ dramatic improvement?
Michelle Moshkovoy: They really did take a huge leap. In the preseason, this team was picked to finish 14th in the ACC. The biggest keys are frankly all of Cal’s starting five, who each average double-digit points, and play a fast brand of basketball that catches others off guard on the perimeter and inside the paint. Guard Ioanna Krimili is one of the NCAA’s active leading scorers, and is a threat from even 40 feet back. Marta Suárez is a 6-foot, 3-inch point forward who is a three-level scorer. Sophomore Lulu Twidale, the youngest of the bunch, is a phenomenal shooter as well and more than doubled her scoring average this season. Finally, Michelle Onyiah and Kayla Williams are just as important. Onyiah is an incredibly athletic presence down low, and Cal tends to have a great showing when she’s on. Williams, who is the only newcomer in the starting five, has been a steady, but also sometimes flashy point guard a program needs as its anchor. She puts defenders on skates, while having the ball on a string. That all goes to say, opposing teams have struggled to pick their poison with the 25-8 Bears.
The Dispatch: What are the Bears’ biggest strengths and weaknesses on offense?
Moshkovoy: On paper, Cal’s biggest strength is almost certainly its 3-point shooting. It leads the ACC with 294 makes on the season, with the next highest team, Florida State, trailing by more than 25. The Cal faithful have dubbed Krimili and Twidale the “Splash Sisters,” given they often lead that charge. That potent recipe from the perimeter also opens up opportunities to feed Onyiah, Suárez and more near the basket, when defenses overplay the shooters. As for weaknesses, Cal head coach Charmin Smith has called turnovers the Bears’ Achilles heel all season. Against a press or more disruptive, physical teams in general, Cal sometimes gets frantic and stops playing at its own pace. It can’t afford to do that here in March.
The Dispatch: What are the Bears’ biggest strengths and weaknesses on defense?
Moshkovoy: The Bears are a pretty good defensive team that makes others work for their shots. If I had to pinpoint a specific strength, though, it would be Onyiah’s athletic, high-flying presence on that side of the ball. She leads the team far and away in blocks with 43. However, she sometimes falls victim to foul trouble, which becomes a big liability for the Bears. She’s ultimately a huge X-factor for Cal, in that it tends to sink or succeed pending whether she can stay in the game.
The Dispatch: Cal will win if…
Moshkovoy: It knocks down its 3-pointers and Onyiah can stay in the game. If the Bears also win the turnover battle against another turnover-prone team in Mississippi State, the score will likely be in their favor.
The Dispatch: Cal will lose if…
Moshkovoy: The very opposite happens, which may seem like a copout answer. However, when Cal is cold from beyond the arc and without Onyiah, the Bears tend to flounder. Against Louisville in ACC play, for example, they knocked down just 21.4% of their 3-pointers and would narrowly drop a critical conference matchup. In other words, the Bears tend to live and die by the 3. I still wouldn’t bet against them. In most cases this season, they’ve survived and held their own on that front.
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 42 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
