UCLA Basketball heads to the desert to take on the Arizona Wildcats in the only regular season meeting between the two Pac-12 rivals. Here is how to watch and what to know…
The UCLA Basketball team is on a three-game win streak after defeating USC at Pauley last weekend. It was the first game in a tough three-game stretch. The second, and possibly the most difficult, comes tonight as the Bruins face Arizona.
It is the only time both teams meet in the regular season, so it will be very important for either to get the win. It will also be fun to see what new emotions are brought up in this fierce rivalry.
Here is everything you need to know about UCLA vs. Arizona…
UCLA Basketball vs. Arizona Game Day Info
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Records:
UCLA Bruins 16-7, 7-4 (4th Pac-12)
# 13 Arizona Wildcats 19-5, 9-2 (1st Pac-12)
Location: McKale Center, Tucson, AZ
Tipoff: 7:00 p.m. PT
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Radio: AM 570 or 1150 Los Angeles
On-line Radio: Tune-In
Odds: Arizona -9, O/U: 157
Last Game:
UCLA d. USC, 82-79
Washington d. #9 Arizona, 78-75
ESPN Win Predictor: Arizona 83.2% – UCLA 16.8%
Projected Starters:
UCLA – G Aaron Holiday, G Jaylen Hands, G Prince Ali, F Kris Wilkes, C Thomas Welsh
Arizona – G Rawle Alkins, G Allonzo Trier, G Parker Jackson-Cartwright, F Dusan Ristic, F Deandre Ayton
Head Coaches:
UCLA – Steve Alford | Arizona – Sean Miller
Rosters:
It's GAMEDAY!
— UCLA Men’s Basketball (@UCLAMBB) February 8, 2018
UCLA plays at No. 13 Arizona in Tucson this evening in a Pac-12 showdown on ESPN. Game time is 7 pm PT (8 pm MT).#GoBruins pic.twitter.com/Upc0QavRmN
UCLA Basketball vs. Arizona: Stats, Final Word and Prediction
Key Individual Stats – UCLA:
Aaron Holiday – 19.2 ppg, 5.4 apg, 3.7 rpg
Thomas Welsh – 13.0 ppg,10.3 rpg, .483 3FG%
Kris Wilkes – 13.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg, .466 FG%
Key Individual Stats – Arizona:
Allonzo Trier – 19.9 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 3.2 apg
Deandre Ayton – 19.7 ppg, 10.8 rpg, .628 FG%
Rawle Alkins – 123.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.6 apg
Team Stats:
| Team | Avg Pts | Opp. Pts | FG% | Rebs | Asts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UCLA | 82.9 (2) | 75.8 (10) | .468 (4) | 38.6 (1) | 15.3 (5) |
| Arizona | 82.2 (3) | 71.8 (4) | .514 (1) | 35.7 (7) | 16.1 (2) |
Stats in ( ) indicate Pac-12 ranking
Related Story: Potential 2018-19 depth chart
Players to Watch:
Aaron Holiday and Thomas Welsh – The vets have been leading the team all season long and their experience will be needed as they walk into the lion’s den.
Last Word:
The biggest rivalry in Pac-12 basketball only meets once this season and with emotions running high from last season and the race to the top of the conference, expect this game to be anything but boring.
Last season, the UCLA and Arizona coaches got into a bit of a tricky-tack war of timeouts. In UCLA’s win at Arizona, Steve Alford called timeout with less than 10 seconds to gather his troops and avoid blowing a lead, which the Bruins have been prone to do.
Later that season in the Pac-12 Tournament, Miller returned the favor at the end of a game that was a guaranteed win, albeit on purpose as he called timeout in retaliation for that perceived slight earlier in the season. That produced a “What’s your deal?” moment from Alford after the game. Though it seems the fans blew things up more than the teams, especially on social media, it doesn’t take away from the fact that this is will be one of the ore intense games of the Pac-12 basketball season.
Arizona has returned a veteran team that stumbled a bit in the non-conference, but has been a wrecking ball in the Pac-12. Though the Wildcats have two losses in conference, both were only by three points. Arizona is still well coached, is a very good offensive team, but is apparently not a good defensive team, and that comes from Miller himself who called out his squad earlier this week.
Either way, Arizona has a lot of talent and UCLA’s lack of defense might be a bigger factor than Arizona’s. The Bruins have shown they can limit teams from scoring, but not consistently. Against USC, the Bruins were trading runs with the Trojans, which is not something you want to do against Arizona on their home court.
Oppositely, the Bruins have to make sure their shots fall because if they are missing from the outside and continue to lack an inside presence, it is going to be tough for UCLA to escape with a win.
Next: The UCLA Basketball All-Time Team
Prediction: Arizona 75 – UCLA 68