UCLA, seeking to get again into the High 25 rankings after a one-week absence, hosts slumping Oregon on Saturday in Los Angeles in a battle of former Pac-12 basketball rivals.
The Bruins (6-2, 1-0 Huge Ten) escaped with an 82-80 win over Washington in each groups’ convention opener in Seattle on Wednesday, nearly dropping a 16-point lead within the final six minutes of the sport. UCLA managed to carry on, led by Skyy Clark’s 25 factors and 6 3-pointers plus 21 factors from Tyler Bilodeau.
“Skyy is among the finest scorers within the nation when he’s actually going,” Bruins coach Mick Cronin mentioned. “Tyler offers us constant video games. … That is our system and that’s what will assist us win video games. We are able to proceed to work from there.”
UCLA has been a greater first-half crew, outscoring opponents by 71 factors within the first 20 minutes of video games and solely 28 factors in second halves.
The Bruins are 1-2 in opposition to groups from energy conferences, dropping to Arizona of the Huge 12 and Cal of the Atlantic Coast Convention earlier than beating Washington. Now come the Geese, who’re on a four-game dropping streak after profitable their first 4 video games of the season.
Oregon (4-4 ,0-1) went to the Gamers Period males’s match in Las Vegas and misplaced three straight video games throughout Thanksgiving week, then returned residence to Eugene, Ore., and fell 82-77 to No. 24 Southern California on Tuesday. Kwame Evans Jr. paced the Geese with 23 factors and 9 rebounds in opposition to the Trojans.
The Geese have performed their previous two video games with out injured star massive man Nate Bittle, a preseason All-Huge Ten crew choice.
Past that, longtime coach Dana Altman criticized his personal work.
“We’re a poorly coached crew, that is all on me,” Altman mentioned this week. “Our elements are higher than how we’re taking part in proper now, our gamers are higher, we have an incredible workers. Teaching is about belief, and gamers do not belief what I’m saying, and there isn’t any connection there.”
–Area Stage Media
