UCLA Basketball vs. Cincinnati 2018: Gameday info and preview

UCLA Basketball heads east to play the second game of a home-and-home series with Cincinnati and it looks like it could go south quickly. All of it.

The UCLA Basketball team, specifically head coach Steve Alford is not having a good time at the moment. The Bruins do not have a quality win this season and they are coming off a very bad loss to Belmont.

Things get worse as UCLA heads into their toughest two-game stretch of the season as the head to Cincinnati, followed by a game in Chicago against Ohio State. And right before Christmas. Shame.

Here is everything you need to know about UCLA vs. Cincinnati…

UCLA Basketball vs. Cincinnati Game Day Info

Records: UCLA Bruins 7-3 | Cincinnati Bearcats 9-2

Location: Fifth Third Arena, Cincinnati, OH

Tipoff: 6:00 p.m. PT

TV: ESPN2

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Radio: AM 570

Satellite Radio: Sirius – Ch. 84 | XM – Ch. 84

OnlineRadio: Tune-In

Odds: Cincinnati -8, O/U: 135

Last Game: Belmont d. UCLA, 74-72 | #18 Mississippi State d. Cincinnati, 70-59

ESPN Win Predictor: Cincinnati 86.1% – UCLA 13.9%

Projected Starters:

UCLA – G Jaylen Hands, G Prince Ali, F Kris Wilkes, F Cody Riley, C Moses Brown

Cincinnati – G Justin Jenifer, G Jarron Cumberland, G Keith Williams, F Tre Scott, C Nysier Brooks

Head Coaches:  UCLA – Steve Alford | Cincinnati – Mick Cronin

Rosters: UCLA | Cincinnati

UCLA Basketball vs. Cincinnati: Stats, Final Word and Prediction

UCLA Key Individual Stats :

• Kris Wilkes – 17.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg, .461 FG%
• Moses Brown – 11.8 ppg, 9.7 rpg, .667 FG%
• Jaylen Hands – 12.5 ppg, 6.8 apg, 3.8 rpg

Cincinnati Key Individual Stats:

• Jarron Cumberland – 15.8 ppg, 2.9 apg, .436 3FG%
• Keith Williams – 11.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg, .485 FG%
• Tre Scott – 10.4 ppg, 6.5 rpg, .506 FG%

Team Stats

Player to Watch

• Moses Brown – One of the more interesting things to see is how Brown plays in this game. He started the season off hot but has since been limited with his numbers.

Last Word

The UCLA basketball team is not having a good time right now. After a loss to the lesser talented Belmont (at Pauley Pavilion), the heat has really been turned up on head coach Steve Alford.

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Things were looking bleak after a few blowout losses to Michigan State and North Carolina in Las Vegas a few weeks ago, but the defeat at the hands of a mid-major seems a bit worse. UCLA and Alford really need to get a win against Cincinnati, but that seems like a really tough task.

The Bearcats are in a similar situation as they are trying to bounce back from a loss over the weekend, but their defeat was at the hands of a ranked opponent… #18 Mississippi State. You know, the team that is now coached by former UCLA coach Ben Howland.

Cincinnati is a more methodical team than UCLA and relies on defense to spark their game. The Bearcats will try to slow down the Bruins’ uptempo attack by pressuring them at every turn.

What UCLA needs to do is force Cincinnati to play their game and go fast. But this will only work if the Bruins work together and are unselfish with the ball. Jaylen Hands also has to get the big guys involved. UCLA is one of the bigger teams Cincinnati will play this season and they need to use their height and length to their advantage.

Hopefully, this is a game that Alford has the Bruins ready for. He admitted that after the Belmont game, he did not have his team prepared the way they should have been. If that happens again, then expect this Bruins team to get blown out worse than they did last year at Pauley in the first game of this home-and-home.

Unfortunately, it is probably heading that way.

Prediction: Cincinnati 77 – UCLA 70