Cal State Fullerton Vs UCLA: Game Information And Preview

There is no place like home. Home sweet home. Home is where the heart is. I’m coming home. She is a very freaky girl, the kind you don’t take home to mother. Okay, that last reference got out of hand, but you can see theme. The UCLA Bruin basketball team is back home after a less than pleasant visit to the Bahamas. UCLA went 1-2 in the Battle 4 Atlantis with losses to Oklahoma and North Carolina and their only win was against downtrodden UAB. First off, R.I.P. UAB Football. Secondly, UCLA smoked the Blazers which ended this horrible trip on a high note . But now they are back in good ol’ Westwood.

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Records: Cal State Fullerton (3-4), UCLA (5-2)

Tip-Off: 9 p.m. PT

Location: Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, CA

TV: Pac-12 Network

Radio: KLAC AM 570 (Los Angeles)

On-line:ï¿½TuneIn

Preview: Let us put it this way, the Bruins have bolstered their pre-season with quality opponents, but they also have a plethora of cupcakes that might be softer than advertised. Enter Cal State Fullerton, a team that has not exactly, been blown out, but at the same time has not blown teams out themselves. Their worst loss was to Santa Clara who is 3-4 themselves and lost by 17 points, but then had their closest defeat at the hands of USC as they only lost by four points. Now that says a lot. If you want to play slow…

The Titans have three guys that can get points on the board with Lanerryl Johnson leading the charge with 18.1 points per game. He also leads the Titans in 3-point shooting percentage with a 43.9% average. The other offensive threats are seniors Alex Harris and Moses Morgan who are averaging 12.9 and 10.0 points per game, respectively. Down low, the Bruins have to worry about 6’9″ forward Joe Boyd who is leading the team in rebounds (7.1) and shooting percentage (51.6%).

As much as numbers can be representative in identifying a team, it cannot hide the lack of talent Cal State Fullerton has in comparison to the Bruins. Though they have some scorers, their defense is atrocious. It is worse than UCLA’s if you can believe it. That is why UCLA needs to approach this game with an effort to solve their biggest problems.

Nov 26, 2014; Paradise Island, BAHAMAS; UCLA Bruins guard Isaac Hamilton (10) dribbles as Oklahoma Sooners guard Isaiah Cousins (11) defends during the game at Atlantis Resort Imperial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

The Bruins need to be more aggressive on defense, they need to be focused on free throws and point guards Isaac Hamilton and Bryce Alford need to be more diligent running the offense. But because of the talent of their opponent, UCLA should have no problem on the offensive side of the ball, especially with freshman phenom Kevon Looney who is averaging a double-double per game with 14.1 points and 11.0 rebounds per game. If anything, I would not doubt if Looney gets nearly 30 points in the game against CS Fullerton.

Prediction: Cal State Fullerton 69 – UCLA 101