Berkeley, CA (Betting Express) - The 17th-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils and California Golden Bears will try to make it two Pac-10 wins in a row tonight, as they clash at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley.
ASU kicked off its Pac-10 slate in a dominating fashion, as it ripped through then undefeated Stanford, 90-60, on Friday. It was the Sun Devil's biggest margin of victory over Stanford in the 65-game series, as they won their Pac-10 opener for the second straight season. Winners of nine straight games, ASU is off to its best start since opening 15-1 in 1974-75.
As for Cal, it too is coming off a solid win in its conference lidlifter, notching a 69-55 victory over Arizona on Friday. It was the sixth win in a row for the Bears, who improved to 12-2 overall and remained perfect at home at 10-0.
Cal and ASU split a pair of meetings last season, leaving ASU with a slight 34-31 edge in the head-to-head series. The visiting team has won the past eight games in the rivalry.
The Sun Devils shot a scorching 59.0 percent from the floor compared to a lackluster 37.5 percent effort by Stanford, as they rolled to victory on Friday. The team also did a solid job from beyond the arc (6-of-13) as well as at the foul line (12-of-15) in the triumph. Jeff Pendergraph led the charge with a double-double that consisted of a career-high 31 points and 11 rebounds. James Harden had a double-double of his own with 17 points and 10 assists, while Derek Glasser added 13 points and six helpers. On the season, Harden tops the roster in scoring with a healthy 23.2 ppg average and he is also grabbing 5.9 rpg and dishing out 4.8 apg. Pendergraph has provided a nice complement to him, as he turns in 14.2 ppg and a team-best 7.4 rpg. Ty Abbott checks in with 10.7 ppg and 4.5 rpg, and Rihards Kuksiks rounds out the double-figure scorers, with 10.2 ppg. ASU as a team, is generating 76.5 ppg behind an efficient 51.5 percent shooting from the field this season.
The Bears made good on 46.7 percent of their attempts from the floor and 7- of-15 from downtown, as they raced past Arizona on Friday. The team also did a nice job dishing out 20 assists and committing a mere six turnovers. Patrick Christopher led the way with 23 points and four assists, while Jerome Randle and Theo Robertson posted 14 and 13 points, respectively. On the season, Randle paces Cal in scoring with a solid 19.1 ppg and he is also dolling out a team-high 4.8 apg and shooting a blistering 55.7 percent from downtown. Christopher has provided the club with another scoring threat, as he contributes 14.6 ppg. Robertson chips in with 12.1 ppg and he has made 61.4 percent of his attempts from three-point range. Cal as a whole, is shooting 49.4 percent from the floor and an even better 50.3 percent from three-point land for an average of 78.1 ppg.
