The UCLA Basketball team begins Pac-12 play against Stanford, but they will be doing so without Steve Alford.
The UCLA Basketball team is entering a new era… right in the middle of the season. With Steve Alford fired and Murry Bartow taking over as interim head coach, the Bruins have to quickly adjust to the coaching change as Pac-12 play begins.
Though the Bruins are 7-6, they could set their own path in the conference schedule. Can the Bruins fight through the adversity or will see more of the same?
Here is everything you need to know about UCLA vs. Stanford…
UCLA Basketball vs. Stanford Game Day Info
Records: UCLA Bruins 7-6 | Stanford Cardinal 7-5
Location: Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, CA
Tipoff: 8:00 p.m. PT
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Radio: AM 570
Satellite Radio: Sirius – Ch. 84 | XM – Ch. 84
OnlineRadio: Tune-In
Odds: UCLA -9, O/U: 151
Last Game: Liberty d. UCLA, 73-58 | Stanford d. LBSU, 93-86
ESPN Win Predictor: UCLA 72.4% – Stanford 27.6%
Projected Starters:
UCLA – G Jaylen Hands, G Prince Ali, F Kris Wilkes, F Cody Riley, C Moses Brown
Stanford – G Daejon Davis, G Bryce Wills, F Jalden Delaire, F Oscar da Silva, F KZ Okpala
Head Coaches: UCLA (interim) – Murry Bartow | Stanford – Jerod Haase
UCLA Basketball vs. Stanford: Stats, Final Word and Prediction
UCLA Key Individual Stats :
- Kris Wilkes – 17.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg, .444 FG%
- Moses Brown – 11.5 ppg, 8.8 rpg, .657 FG%
- Jaylen Hands – 11.5 ppg, 7.0 apg, 3.7 rpg
Stanford Key Individual Stats:
- KZ Okpala – 16.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg, .474 FG%
- Daejon Davis – 11.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.8 apg
- Cormac Ryan – 11.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.9 apg
Team Stats
| Team | Avg Pts | Opp. Pts | FG% | Rebs | Asts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UCLA | 76.5 | 73.5 | .451 | 42.3 | 14.8 |
| Stanford | 73.3 | 71.9 | .444 | 36.5 | 14.8 |
Players to Watch
- The entire team – How will the Bruins respond after the firing of their head coach? This could be a lot of the same or they can pull themselves up by their bootstraps and do some damage during conference play.
Last Word
The UCLA basketball team is in a state of transition and where they go will be up to the players. At least that is what interim head coach Murry Bartow said about the team.
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Alford is out, so the dynamic of the team has changed, but will the Bruins have a change in attitude?
In the non-conference, the Bruins played uninspired, unemotional, and unentertaining basketball. The offense was sluggish, the defense was non-existent, and there was no fight, fight, fight. That could change now that the head of the program is gone.
Look, the Bruins have a lot of talent but it was quite apparent that it was not being utilized to the fullest extent. So can the Bruins find new life post-Alford?
If they do, they are going to have to do it quickly as Stanford is also looking to make an impact in conference play. The Cardinal is another team that falls in line with the underachieving Pac-12 as they do not have any quality wins and a loss to a mid-major.
They had four games against Power 5 Conference teams and lost all of them, though they did take #1 Kansas to overtime. Stanford has the talent, but like UCLA, they just cannot put it all together.
The main contributor is KZ Okpala who has been pretty solid on both ends of the court. If the Bruins want to hamstring the Cardinal than they have to limit Okpala’s touches because he will give them hell all game long.
As for the Bruins, Kris Wilkes and Jaylen Hands have to step up and lead this team if they want to go anywhere. Both put up solid numbers in the non-conference, but now have to find a way to take the Bruins to the next level.
Though I think that will take time for the team to play as one, the individual talent the Bruins have will help them get close wins in the interim.
Prediction: UCLA 77 – Stanford 73