The UCLA Basketball team looks to start off 2-0 in Pac-12 play as they welcome the California Golden Bears to Pauley Pavilion.
The UCLA Basketball team shocked us all on Thursday when they blew out Stanford. But that might have been because they were playing with a chip on their shoulder. It was the first game in the post-Steve Alford era and the difference was night and day.
UCLA played with a lot more energy and it showed. The Bruins routed Stanford and now they look to do the same against California.
Here is everything you need to know about UCLA vs. Cal…
UCLA Basketball vs. Cal Game Day Info
Records: UCLA Bruins 8-6, 1-0 | California Golden Bears 5-8, 0-1
Location: Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, CA
Tipoff: 1:00 p.m. PT
TV: Pac-12 Network
Live Stream: Pac-12 Live
Radio: AM 570
Satellite Radio: Sirius – Ch. 136 | XM – Ch. 197
OnlineRadio: Tune-In
Odds: UCLA -14.5, O/U: 150
Last Game: UCLA d. Stanford, 92-70 | USC d. Cal, 82-73
ESPN Win Predictor: UCLA 91.0% – Stanford 9.0%
Projected Starters:
UCLA – G Jaylen Hands, G Prince Ali, F Kris Wilkes, F Chris Smith, C Moses Brown
Cal – G Juhwan Harris-Dyson, G Darius McNeill, G Paris Austin, F Andre Kelly, F Justice Sueing
Head Coaches: UCLA (interim) – Murry Bartow | Cal – Wyking Jones
UCLA Basketball vs. Cal: Stats, Final Word and Prediction
UCLA Key Individual Stats :
- Kris Wilkes – 17.2 ppg, 4.4 rpg, .442 FG%
- Moses Brown – 11.9 ppg, 8.9 rpg, .676 FG%
- Jaylen Hands – 11.7 ppg, 6.9 apg, 3.7 rpg
Cal Key Individual Stats:
- Paris Austin – 14.1 ppg, 5.2 apg, 2.8 rpg
- Justice Sueing – 13.7 ppg, 6.2 rpg
- Darius McNeill – 11.7 ppg, 1.4 rpg
Team Stats
| Team | Avg Pts | Opp. Pts | FG% | Rebs | Asts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UCLA | 77.6 | 73.3 | .456 | 42.6 | 14.9 |
| Cal | 73.0 | 78.2 | .463 | 28.3 | 11.3 |
Players to Watch
- Chris Smith – Smith was inserted into the starting lineup in the last game and did an excellent job as a utility player at the four spot.
- David Singleton – Though he came off the bench, Singleton provided excellent minutes for the Bruins as he scored 13 points against Stanford.
Last Word
The UCLA basketball team showed some fight, fight, fight in their last game, which just so happned to be the first game after Steve Alford was fired. It seemed that the Bruins were playing with a bit more inspiration as interim head coach Murry Bartow now has control of the team.
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UCLA was once again playing as they did in their first three games where they were domiating in points, rebounds and field goal percentage.
There was a different vibe with this team as they ran through Stanford to get a double-digit win. We saw a rejuvenated Moses Brown who finally logged another double-double (17 pts, 10 rebs). Kris Wilkes, who did not play much in the first half, came out in the second and dominated.
It was things like this that lit a fire under the Bruins who looked like a completely different team. Now the question is, can they sustain the fire and energy? Not just for 40 minutes in one game, but from game to game?
The Bruins will show us what they are made of today when they take on Cal, who has not had a very exciting season so far.
The Golden Bears have not played a noreworthy team this season and they are still 5-8. Needless to say that this is not a good team, but UCLA cannot rely on that to get them the win today.
If the Bruins play down to their opponent, then it will most likely go bad for them. Bartow has to make sure that this team is not cutting corners, is not playing half-inspired basketball, and is doing everything they can to dominate this game.
If UCLA picked apart Stanford, they should detroy Cal
Prediction: UCLA 94 – Cal 76