The UCLA Basketball team is on the road for the first time during Pac-12 play as they travel north to face the Oregon Ducks.
The UCLA Basketball team is on the rise. Sure, it has only been two games since Murry Bartow took over the team and made enough improvements to give the Bruins a 2-0 in the conference, but the momentum and trust in the program s back, if only for the interim.
Despite the program needing to find a new head coach, there is still work to be done in-season. UCLA might be 2-0, but their first challenge comes tonight against the mighty Oregon Ducks, a team that will challenge for the Pac-12 regular season championship.
Here is everything you need to know about UCLA vs. Oregon…
UCLA Basketball vs. Oregon Game Day Info
Records: UCLA Bruins 9-6, 2-0 (T-2nd) | Oregon Ducks 9-5, 0-1 (T-8th)
Location: Matthew Knight Arena, Eugene, OR
Tipoff: 6:00 p.m. PT
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Radio: AM 1150
Satellite Radio: Sirius – Ch. 381 | XM – Ch. 972
OnlineRadio: Tune-In
Odds: Oregon -4, O/U: 143
Last Game: UCLA d. Cal, 98-83 | Oregon State d. Oregon, 77-72
ESPN Win Predictor: Oregon 79.9% – Stanford 20.1%
Projected Starters:
UCLA – G Jaylen Hands, G Prince Ali, F Kris Wilkes, F Chris Smith, C Moses Brown
Oregon – G Victor Bailey, Jr., G Payton Pritchard, F Francis Okoro, F Louis King, F Paul White
Head Coaches: UCLA (interim) – Murry Bartow | Oregon – Dana Altman
UCLA Basketball vs. Oregon: Stats, Final Word and Prediction
UCLA Key Individual Stats :
- Kris Wilkes – 17.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg, .441 FG%
- Moses Brown – 12.2 ppg, 8.9 rpg, .678 FG%
- Jaylen Hands – 11.3 ppg, 6.9 apg, 3.6 rpg
Oregon Key Individual Stats:
- Payton Pritchard – 12.4 ppg, 4.6 apg, 3.6 rpg
- Paul White – 9.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg
- Victor Bailey, Jr. – 9.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg, .469 FG%
Team Stats
| Team | Avg Pts | Opp. Pts | FG% | Rebs | Asts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UCLA | 78.9 | 73.9 | .461 | 42.5 | 15.1 |
| Oregon | 72.1 | 63.6 | .452 | 35.0 | 13.8 |
Pac-12 Standings
- Arizona 3-0, 12-4
- UCLA 2-0, 9-6
- USC 2-0, 9-6
- Washington 1-0, 10-4
- Oregon State 1-0, 9-4
- Arizona State 2-1, 11-4
- Utah 1-1, 7-7
- Oregon 0-1, 9-5
- Washington State 0-1, 7-7
- Colorado 0-2, 9-5
- Stanford 0-3, 7-8
- California 0-3, 5-10
Players to Watch
- Chris Smith – Since Bartow took over, Smith has been in the starting lineup and he has not wasted a minute. Watch for him to continue to bring energy to the team with his minutes increased.
- David Singleton – Another pro of Bartow taking over is the use of role players. In the last two games, Singleton has been very productive role players off the bench, averaging 13.5 points in the last two contests.
Last Word
The UCLA basketball team had two stellar games to start the Pac-12 season, which coincided with Murry Bartow taking over for Steve Alford. They were great efforts that saw the Bruins’ points, rebounds, and field goal percentage increase.
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But let us be real, those were games against the two worst teams in the league. Though Stanford and Cal put up a fight, it would have been atrocious if UCLA lost to them, which says more about the Bruins.
But the fact of the matter is that they won, by big margins, something they should be doing to lesser teams. That is not going to happen against Oregon which has a good coach, a good roster, and one raucous home court advantage.
Despite missing their top scorer and rebounder, Bol Bol, the Ducks are still loaded. Leading the charge is Payton Pritchard who has been doing a decent job of leading this team on the floor. He is a very methodical player that does not make a lot of mistakes. He will have his team play a slower game than UCLA is used to, which is why the Bruins have to dictate the tempo.
Under Bartow, the Bruins have tried to play a bit faster. For the season, they have been scoring 78.9 points per game. In the last two, they have averaged 95.0 points. The Bruins seem to be playing more cohesively on the offensive end and should not have a problem putting up points.
Where the Bruins will win this game is on the defensive end. Granted, the defense is still not great, but it has improved. UCLA still utilizes a 2-3 zone and has improved on their rotations, but they still allow too many open shots from the corner.
If the Bruins can close those gaps, they should put themselves in a good position to get their 3rd “W” of the Pac-12 season.
Prediction: UCLA 79 – Oregon 76