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UCLA Basketball vs. Oregon Ducks: Preview, TV, Radio, Live Stream and Odds

By Mike Regalado

Jan 23, 2016; Eugene, OR, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Bryce Alford (20) watches as Oregon Ducks forward Chris Boucher (25) and Oregon Ducks trainer assist Oregon Ducks forward Jordan Bell (1) off the court following an injury at Matthew Knight Arena. Mandatory Credit: Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 23, 2016; Eugene, OR, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Bryce Alford (20) watches as Oregon Ducks forward Chris Boucher (25) and Oregon Ducks trainer assist Oregon Ducks forward Jordan Bell (1) off the court following an injury at Matthew Knight Arena. Mandatory Credit: Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports /
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The #2 UCLA Basketball team begins their journey through the Pac-12 Conference with a tough match against the #21 Oregon Ducks.

The UCLA Basketball team looks to right the wrongs of last season as they attempt to go from a 10th place to team to Pac-12 Champs. That road begins in Eugene, home of the reigning conference champs, the Oregon Ducks.

Last season, the Ducks swept the Bruins on their way to a 14-4 conference record as they dominated the Pac-12. This year it look as though the Bruins could be the team to beat. That makes for an exciting opening game.

Here is the game day info for UCLA Basketball vs. Oregon Ducks:

Related Story: Bruins vs. the Pac-12 Preview

#2 UCLA Basketball vs. #21 Oregon Ducks

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Records: UCLA 13-0, Oregon 11-2

Location: Matthew Knight Arena, Eugene, OR

(Cap.: 12,364)

Tipoff: 6:00 p.m. PT

Tickets: goducks.com

TV: ESPN2

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Radio: AM 1150 Los Angeles

On-line Radio: Tune-In

Odds: UCLA -2.5

Projected Starters:

UCLA – Lonzo Ball, Bryce Alford, Isaac Hamilton, TJ Leaf, Thomas Welsh

Oregon – Payton Pritchard, Dylan Ennis, Tyler Dorsey, Dillon Brooks, Jordan Bell

Preview:

Two of the top teams in the conference start the Pac-12 season with a bang. Unfortunately, both could be without a big man.

For the Bruins, Welsh has missed the last four games due to a bruised knee and is “available” for this game. For Oregon, Chris Boucher, the team’s leading scorer (14.1) and second in rebounds (7.8), suffered an ankle sprain on December 15 and has missed the Ducks’ last two games.

If the Ducks are without Boucher, they are going to heavily rely on Brooks and Dorsey to produce some offense. So if UCLA can hold off these two, they have a good chance of shutting down the Ducks all together.

The things is, as we saw in their last game against Western Michigan, defense is still a weakness. The Broncos were able to run through the Bruins right to the basket and took several uncontested shots. If the more talented Ducks capitalize on this, it could put the undefeated Bruins in a very tough position.

The Bruins have to stay focused on their style of basketball, which should not be a problem against Oregon. Though Ball did not have the best game versus WMU, expect him to show up in this contest, once again putting his skills on full display for the country to see.

Key Stats:

Lonzo Ball – 13.7 ppg, 8.3 asts (2nd in NCAA), 5.8 rebs, 1.5 stls

Aaron Holiday – 14.5 ppg, 4.3 asts, .554 FG%, .510 3FG% (1st in Pac-12)

TJ Leaf – 17.5 ppg (4th n Pac-12), 9.2 rebs, .655 FG% (1st in Pac-12), .500 3FG% (2nd in Pac-12)

Oregon has a 33-game home win streak heading into this game.

Players to Watch:

Bryce Alford – He is owning his spot on the wing and has become one of the deadlier 3-point shooters in the Pac-12. He is making a conference high 2.8 3-pointers while scoring 16.4 ppg.

Next: UCLA Still #2 in AP Poll

Prediction: UCLA 83 – Oregon 80