The UCLA Basketball team is riding a three-game losing streak. Can they break it against their basketball rival, Arizona?
The UCLA Basketball team is not in a good place right now, but they are not yet in a compromising one. Despite a 3-3 start, the Bruins are not out of the running for the Pac-12 regular season title.
I understand that this type of thinking is too soon, but it is something to think about. If anything, it is a goal and UCLA needs to set some goals at this point in time. They have talent, but now they have to put it all together. As long as they don’t fall into old habits.
Here is everything you need to know about UCLA vs. Arizona…
UCLA Basketball vs. Arizona Game Day Info
Records: UCLA Bruins 10-9, 3-3 (7th) | Arizona Wildcats, 14-6, 5-2 (T-2nd)
Location: Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, CA
Tipoff: 7:00 p.m. PT
TV: ESPN2
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Radio: AM 570 or AM 1150 (Los Angeles)
Satellite Radio: Sirius – Ch. 84 | XM – Ch. 84
OnlineRadio: Tune-In
Odds: UCLA -1.5 | O/U 146.5
Last Game: Arizona State d. UCLA, 84-73 | USC d. Arizona, 80-57
ESPN Win Predictor: UCLA 54.3% – Arizona 45.7%
Projected Starters:
UCLA – G Jaylen Hands, G Prince Ali, F Kris Wilkes, F Chris Smith, C Moses Brown
Arizona – G Justin Coleman, G Brandon Williams, G Brandon Randolph, G Dylan Smith, F Ryan Luther
Head Coaches: UCLA (interim) – Murry Bartow | Arizona – Sean Miller
UCLA Basketball vs. Arizona State: Stats, Final Word and Prediction
UCLA Key Individual Stats :
- Kris Wilkes – 16.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg, .433 FG%
- Moses Brown – 11.1 ppg, 8.6 rpg, .653 FG%
- Jaylen Hands – 12.0 ppg, 6.3 apg, 3.7 rpg
Arizona Key Individual Stats:
- Brandon Randolph – 15.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg, .419 FG%
- Chase Jeter – 12.6 ppg, 7.2 rpg, .621 FG%
- Brandon Williams – 11.7 ppg, 2.9 rpg
Team Stats
| Team | Avg Pts | Opp. Pts | FG% | Rebs | Asts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UCLA | 77.7 | 75.6 | .454 | 42.8 | 14.8 |
| Arizona | 73.3 | 66.7 | .438 | 35.5 | 12.6 |
Pac-12 Standings
- Washington 6-0, 15-4
- Arizona State 5-2, 14-5
- Arizona 5-2, 14-6
- Oregon State 4-2, 12-6
- USC 4-2, 11-8
- Utah 4-2, 10-8
- UCLA 3-3, 10-9
- Colorado 2-4, 11-7
- Oregon 2-4, 11-8
- Stanford 2-5, 9-10
- Washington State 1-5, 8-11
- California 0-7, 5-14
Players to Watch
- Jaylen Hands and Kris Wilkes – If they do not take over as leaders should, then there is no hope for this team.
Last Word
The UCLA basketball team is falling into patterns. They start out hot, then they fizzle. They come out of halftime playing otherworldly and then run cold the rest of the game.
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The frustrating thing is that the Bruins can make quick, simple adjustments which will help them sustain drives. Not letting teams back in on the defensive end would also help.
They also have to limit their turnovers. It seems statistically impossible for six players to have more turnovers than assists this season, but here we are. UCLA has to make smooth, crisp passes and move the ball around the court and not be so lazy and careless with the ball.
UCLA also has to submit to the fact that they are not a good three-point shooting team, so they need to stop that all together. Instead, drive the lane, try to draw fouls and go after Arizona’s interior, especially if Chase Jeter is still out of the lineup due to back issues.
Arizona has not been doing great either. Despite hanging around at the top of the standings, they are also coming off a bad loss to a USC team that was expected to not be very good.
So who wins in this contest between the movable object and the stoppable force? Whichever one has the least amount of turnovers and can play the most consistently.
Prediction: Arizona 79 – UCLA 67