Sun Devils  46    Golden Bears  62

Arizona State (20-8) at California (19-9)

Sports Network | February 27, 2010

GAME NOTES: First place in the Pac-10 Conference is on the line today in Berkeley, as the California Golden Bears play host to the Arizona State Sun Devils.

Arizona State has put itself in contention for the conference's regular-season title and an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament with wins in six of its last seven games. The Sun Devils, who are coming off back-to-back road wins, including a 68-60 decision over Stanford on Thursday, are now 20-8 overall and 10-5 in league play, a game back of Cal in the win column.

Speaking of the Golden Bears, who are 11-5 in the conference, they have improved to 19-9 overall with victories in five of the last six outings. On Thursday, California treated the home crowd to a 95-71 decision over Arizona, and the last five wins have all come by double figures. The Golden Bears are 14-1 at home this season, an obvious reason for optimism today.

Cal beat Arizona State in a 78-70 final on January 28th, but the Sun Devils still own a 35-33 edge in the all-time series.

Arizona State is not an explosive offensive team (68.4 ppg), but it has excelled at the defensive end, limiting opponents to 58.5 ppg on 39.6 percent field goal efficiency. Ty Abbott is scoring 12.4 ppg to pace ASU, and Rihards Kuksiks provides 11.7 ppg. As for Derek Glasser, he rounds out a solid trio with 10.5 ppg and 140 assists. Taking a look at the eight-point victory over Stanford two nights ago, Eric Boateng was sensational, as the center knocked down all 11 of his shots from the floor en route to 24 points. Glasser added 20 points, and Abbott scored 10 points. The Sun Devils only committed five turnovers in the tilt and earned a 13-6 edge in points from the foul line.

Jerome Randle figures to get some consideration for Pac-10 Player of the Year honors, as the Cal standout is scoring 19.4 ppg to go along with 127 assists. Randle shoots 40.8 percent from three-point range and a stellar 92.3 percent from the foul line. Patrick Christopher checks in with 15.8 ppg, and Theo Robertson adds 14.0 ppg. Jamal Boykin rounds out a foursome of double-digit scorers with 11.5 ppg, and he is tops with 6.6 rpg. The Golden Bears are generating 78.2 ppg while holding foes to 68.8 ppg. Randle came through with 24 points against Arizona last time out, and Boykin added 20 points and 10 rebounds. Robertson tallied 18 points for the Golden Bears, who shot 56.7 percent from the field and outrebounded the Wildcats, 34-23.

Considering the fact that Cal has already beaten Arizona State on the road, it is hard to bet against the Golden Bears today. The combination of Randle and Christopher will be too much for the Sun Devils to handle, and the Golden Bears will claim the Pac-10 regular season crown.

GAME NOTES: First place in the Pac-10 Conference is on the line today in Berkeley, as the California Golden Bears play host to the Arizona State Sun Devils.

FACTS & STATS: Site: Haas Pavilion (12,000) -- Berkeley, California. Television: FSN. Home Record: Arizona St. 14-3, Cal 14-1. Away Record: Arizona St. 5-4, Cal 5-6. Neutral Record: Arizona St. 1-1, Cal 0-2. Conference Record: Arizona St. 10-5, Cal 11-5. Series Record: Arizona State leads, 35-33.

Saturday, February 27th, 3:00 p.m. (et)

California 75, Arizona State 63