The Battle With Big Brother – California Vs UCLA Preview And Game Information
So Bruin fans got a surprise with UCLA‘s double overtime win over Stanford on Thursday. What could have easily been a Cardinal beat down, turned out to be a total team effort that shut down Stanford very late in the game. That game proved that if the Bruins can work together, then they can do some really good things. With California coming into town, can the Bruins continue their group work and go .500 in conference?
UCLA Bruins
Records:
California Golden Bears (11-5, 1-2)
UCLA Bruins (9-7, 1-2)
Tip-Off: 4:30 p.m. PT
Location: Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, CA
Tickets: UCLABruins.com
TV: Fox Sports 1
Radio: KLAC AM 570 (Los Angeles)
On-line: TuneIn
Betting Line: -7.0
Projected Starting Line-ups:
California – Tyrone Wallace, Jordan Mathews, David Kravish, Roger Moute A Bidias, Kingsley Okoroh
UCLA – Bryce Alford, Norman Powell, Isaac Hamilton, Kevon Looney, Tony Parker
Preview: So UCLA not only started fast against Stanford but ended strong, two things that have not been characteristic of the Bruins in the last few weeks. One recent article that we wrote about UCLA is how they need to find a sense of team. Well that found that and more in their 86-81 double overtime victory.
Jan 8, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins forward Kevon Looney (5) reacts after he dunked the ball over Stanford Cardinal center Stefan Nastic (4) in the second half of the game at Pauley Pavilion. UCLA won 86-81 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Two of their biggest factors was were Tony Parker and Kevon Looney who had monster second halves to help push the Bruins past the Cardinal who seemed to lack an inside presence themselves. What Stanford did not lack was incredible outside shooting in which they went 15-of-31 from 3-point range. Though UCLA had improved defense in that game, guarding shots was not one of them.
The Bruins do not have to worry about that against Cal as they are 10th in the Pac-12 in 3-point shooting. In their last game against USC, the Golden Bears could only manage 4-of-20 from beyond the arc.
Cal has had an interesting season. They have proved themselves in wins against ranked teams like Syracuse and Washington, but have also been subject to struggles. Like the Bruins, they started the season out strong, but have had a dip in production as the season has progressed. After starting 10-1, Cal has gone 1-4.
The Golden Bears are lead by Tyrone Wallace who is scoring 19.1 ppg and 8.4 rpg. Though they also have Mathews and Kravish helping out with the scoring, Cal has not been as effective getting points on the bard since they lost Jabari Bird in late November due to a stress fracture in his foot. That is only good news for UCLA.
Jan 4, 2015; Berkeley, CA, USA; California Golden Bears guard Tyrone Wallace (3) controls the ball against Washington State Cougars guard Ike Iroegbu (0) during the first half at Haas Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
The Bruins may have had some hard times themselves, but right now it seems they can a least put together 40 minutes (or more) and get back on track. With that, we predict a UCLA victory.
Prediction: California 62 – UCLA 69