The UCLA Basketball team takes on the Arizona Wildcats in Tucson for the second game of the season series in an attempt to get the sweep.
The UCLA Basketball team has a chance to go for the season sweep against their biggest Pac-12 rival, Arizona, tonight in front of what will be a rabid McKale Center.
The last time these two teams met, the Bruins stunned the Wildcats at Pauley Pavilion with a last second shot by Bryce Alford. Unfortuantely things have gone downhill since then as the Bruins currently post a 4-6 record in conference.
Records: UCLA Bruins (13-10, 4-6), Arizona Wildcats (19-5, 7-4)
Tipoff: 6:00 p.m. PT
Location: McKale Center (14,545)
TV: ESPN
Radio: AM 570 Los Angeles
On-line Radio: Tune-In
Watch On-line: Watch ESPN
Betting Line: Arizona -11.5
The Bruins were blown out at USC just over a week ago, diminishing their chances at making the NCAA Tournament. So currently, things are not looking good for UCLA.
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Though their hopes of getting a top 4 spot in the Pac-12 Tournament have faded, it is not too late for the Bruins to turn the season around and boost their NCAA resume.
So how will this game play out against Arizona? UCLA has not done well on the road and the fans at the McKale Center are sure to let the Bruins have a piece of their mind after losing at Pauley Pavilion.
Needless to say, UCLA is in a sticky situation. Not only do they need to start winning now, but they are going to have to over come several odds in the process. The Bruins have not been great at McKale, but it is not out of the question for them to pull out an upset.
UCLA has defeated Arizona once this season and they have proved that they can win big games (even on the road), but they have also shown that they can completely disappear. This is a huge game that will be nationally televised so the Bruins have something to motivate themselves, but really, who knows what Bruin team shows up. Still, UCLA has two choices:
1. Come in unprepared and get embarrassed in front of a national audience, or
2. Play team basketball and give Arizona one hell of a game.
It is unfortunate that the Bruins are so inconsistent, because it makes it hard to get a feel for which team shows up, but for the sake of pride, I will say this will be a close game.
Prediction: UCLA 76 – Arizona 77