Bruins, rising in Pac-12, face Cal
The UCLA men's basketball team will look to extend its winning streak to five games in a nationally televised game this afternoon at Cal.
The Bruins, who have won six of their past seven games, will be seeking redemption after losing 6657 to Cal on Jan. 6 at Pauley Pavilion. Since that loss, UCLA is 6-2 and has moved ahead of Cal in the Pac12 standings into a tie for fourth place with Colorado. A top-four finish would provide UCLA a coveted bye into the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 tournament, which is March 13-16 in Las Vegas.
Here's what you need to know about the key Pac-12
matchup:
UCLA AT CAL
When: Today, 2:30 p.m. Where: Haas Pavilion, Berkeley
TV/radio: Ch. 11 /1150 AM Records: UCLA is 12-11 overall, 7-5 Pac-12; Cal is 10-10, 6-6
UCLA's latest result: The Bruins are coming off an 82-74win Wednesday at Stanford, their highestscoring output this season. Freshman guard Sebastian Mack, the team's leading scorer this season, finished with a game-high 21points, including 4of 7from 3-point range. UCLA made a seasonhigh 113-pointers at a 44% clip on 25attempts. Five Bruins joined Mack scoring in double-figures — sophomore forward Adem Bona (16 points and eight rebounds), sophomore guard Dylan Andrews (13points and four assists), sophomore guard Will McClendon (career-high 13points) and junior guard Lazar Stefanovic (10points and seven rebounds).
Cal's latest result: The Golden Bears blew a 16-point lead in the second half at home but regrouped to pull out an 83-77 win in overtime against USC on Wednesday. Cal had four players score in double figures. Junior guard Jaylon Tyson had a double-double with a game-high 27 points and 11 rebounds. Senior guard Jalen Cone scored 20 points. Senior forward Fardaws Aimaq had a double-double with 15points and a game-high 20 rebounds. Junior guard Jalen Celestine netted six of his 11points in overtime. Matchups to watch: Bona vs. Aimaq, in particular when it comes to rebounding. The 6-foot-11 Aimaq led the Golden Bears with 20 rebounds, including eight on the offensive end, against USC as Cal outrebounded USC 54-27. By comparison, the Bruins outrebounded USC 43-29 on Jan. 27, a sizable part of their 65-50 crosstown victory that began the team's current four-game winning streak. Throughout the season rebounding has been a collective effort for UCLA, led by the 6-10 Bona and the 6-7 Stefanovic.
UCLA trends to watch:
The Bruins will play three of their last eight conference regular-season games on the road, including today's game at Cal. UCLA is 4-4in true road games this season. Meanwhile, the defense has been the heart of the Bruins' identity during the five-year tenure of coach Mick Cronin. UCLA is 10-3this season when holding its opponents to less than 65points.