Thybulle leads No. 25 Washington vs. woeful Cal

Matisse Thybulle's sparkling defensive resume continues to grow.

The Washington senior guard looks to become first the Pac-12 player to notch two 100-steal seasons when the No. 25 Huskies (22-5, 13-1 Pac-12) visit hapless California in Thursday's conference contest in Berkeley.

Thybulle is four thefts away from No. 100 after accumulating 101 last season. He also stands second on the conference career steals list with 301, just 20 shy of the mark set by former Oregon State star Gary Payton (1986-90).

The 6-foot-5 Thybulle also has 165 career blocked shots, 21 behind the program mark held by Christian Welp (1983-87).

He was named Pac-12 Player of the Week on Monday after two superb outings, topped by a game in which he had six steals and five blocked shots to go with 17 points during a 64-55 victory over Colorado on Saturday.

"It's kind of like he goes invisible and then he's behind you. You just don't know where he's at," Washington coach Mike Hopkins told reporters. "He's incredible. He's got a gift. He does something better than anybody does in the country.

"He had a great offensive game too. He's a heck of a player. High-character kid, great leader, great player. Defensively, he wears a different cloth out there."

The Naismith Defensive Player of the Year semifinalist is Washington's fourth-leading scorer at 9.9 points per game.

Sophomore guard Jaylen Nowell averages a team-best 16.1 points per game. Senior forward Noah Dickerson contributes 12.7 points and a team-leading 6.6 rebounds. Senior point guard David Crisp averages 12.1 points and has knocked down a team-leading 55 3-pointers.

The balance has aided the Huskies during a stretch in which they have won 15 of their past 16 games. It doesn't hurt that Washington forces an average of 16.3 turnovers per game.

"Whether it's physical, chippy or whatnot, we know that we have enough poise to do what we need to do, whether it's defense or offense," Thybulle told reporters. "I think that's the reason we've had so much success. Regardless of what other teams are doing, we play at our own pace and try to control the game."

That shouldn't be too tough against the Golden Bears (5-22, 0-15), who have lost 16 straight games since posting an 88-80 win over San Jose State on Dec. 21.

Cal lost its 22nd straight Pac-12 regular-season game when it fell 69-59 at Arizona State on Saturday.

The Golden Bears led 34-28 at halftime before the Sun Devils made their first eight shots of the second half to turn the game around.

"We weren't able to put two halves together," Cal coach Wyking Jones told reporters afterward. "I thought we played great in the first half by sharing the ball and getting stops. In the second half we weren't able to."

Freshman guard Matt Bradley established season bests of 23 points, 10 rebounds and five 3-pointers.

"Matt found the hot hand, did some good things, kept us in it, and hit some big shots," Jones said.

Bradley (10.7) is one of four Golden Bears scoring in double digits. The others are sophomore forward Justice Sueing (team-best averages of 14.9 points and 5.9 rebounds), junior guard Paris Austin (11.7) and sophomore guard Darius McNeill (11.1).

Cal's second-lowest scoring effort of the season occurred in the first matchup as Washington posted a 71-52 home win on Jan. 19. Senior forward Dominic Green scored 17 to lead the Huskies.

--Field Level Media