GW vs. No. 10/11 Cal

Where? Smith Center
When? Friday, 7 p.m.

Case for Cal:

The Bears are a tough, nationally ranked team at No. 10/11 and will come to the Smith Center less than a year after dominating the Colonials 70-43 last December in Berkeley.

Cal was ranked ninth in a USA Today preseason poll, matching the highest in team history after making it to the NCAA Final Four last season.

Cal is 2-1 on the season after beating Vanguard 91-62 and Long Beach State 70-51, but falling to No. 2 Duke 70-58.

The Golden Bears returned three starters and seven of last years letterwinners this year, including powerhouses Brittany Boyd and Gennifer Brandon, who were both preseason national player of the year candidates. Boyd is an all-around guard who impressed in the season opener against Vanguard with 17 points and nine rebounds.

Cal’s senior forward Gennifer Brandon comes into the matchup with GW just four points shy of the 1,000-point mark (996) in her career. She is looking to become the 24th Golden Bear to hit the 1,000-point mark.

Case for GW:

In one of its toughest matchup of the season, at least GW is riding momentum.

GW is coming off a 101-73 win against Jackson State, the first time the Colonials have passed the century mark in scoring since 2000.

The nationally recognized Bears present a huge challenge for the Colonials. However, if GW can get another strong performance from graduate student Megan Nipe, who tied a team-high 9 points scored against Cal last season and led the team in this year’s season opener with 20 points, GW may stand a fighting chance.

Additionally, this will be the first time this season that Cal has gone on the road – something GW can hope to exploit with its home court advantage.

There’s no shame in losing to the second ranked team in the country, but in that game against Duke, the Bears shot a lackluster 32 percent from the field. If the Colonials can pull off a similar feat with their high speed defense, Friday’s game could get interesting.