UCLA, USC return to action looking to rebound from losses

The men’s basketball teams at UCLA and USC are both coming off losses looking to get back into the win column when they take the floor tonight.

The Bruins, coming off a 67-60 loss to Ohil State, plays host to Cal State Northridge in a 7 p.m. tipoff at Pauley Pavilion.

USC, which is looking to rebound from a 91-75 loss to Auburn, plays Alabama State today at 4 p.m. in Montgomery, Ala.

Here’s a closer look at both matchups:

UCLA vs. CSUN

The UCLA men’s basketball team will look to protect its perfect home record (4-0) this season and extend its 29-game home winning streak when the Brunis play host to the Matadors. The loss to Ohio State was the third in the last four games for UCLA, which hasn’t won since beating UC Riverside, 66-65 on Nov. 30.

Against Ohio State, freshman guard Sebastian Mack had a team-high 14 points and six rebounds, sophomore point guard Dylan Andrews had 13 points and three assists, and sophomore forward Adem Bona added 12 points and six rebounds.

CSUN is coming off an 80-75 win at home against Utah Tech on Dec. 11. Junior guard Dionte Bostick scored a game-high 19 points, as all five Matador starters scored at least 10 points. Bostick is averaging 15.4 points per game on 43.8% shooting from the field and 38.9% shooting from beyond the arc.

Junior guard Lazar Stefanovic, who at 6-foot-7, is the Bruins’ No. 2 rebounder (6.2 rpg). The Utah transfer is shooting 34.4% from 3, which is slightly above his career average of 33.9%. Sophomore guard Will Mcclendon is shooting a team-high 48% from 3. MATCHUPS TO WATCH >> A prime matchup to watch is UCLA’S forward Bona, who is 6-foot-10 and 245 pounds, against CSUN senior forward De’sean Allen-eikens, who at 6-foot-6 and 215 pounds, is averaging a team-high 19.9 points per game on 51.6% shooting from the field and 37.9% from three-point range.

Bona, who is averaging 13.0 points and 6.3 rebounds on 57.5% shooting from the field will often be paired with another interior player, like 7-foot-3 freshman Aday Mara. Mara, who will likely be guarded by CSUN senior center Dearon Tucker, who at 6-foot10, is the team’s tallest starter, will give Bona will have a sizeable height advantage over every other player in CSUN’S eight to nine-man rotation.

— John W. Davis

USC vs. Alabama State

It was expected that USC would run alongside the backcourt of Boogie Ellis and freshman point guard Isaiah Collier, but Collier has struggled with foul trouble and turnovers outside of strong scoring efficiency, and Ellis has been sublime but unable to lift an offense by himself.

Alabama State is coming off a 74-56 loss to LSU last Wednesday.

USC coach Andy Enfield continues to search for consistent minutes in the paint. After senior Joshua Morgan was entrenched in the starting lineup to begin the year, Enfield has turned to energetic sophomore Vincent Iwuchukwu, who has shown flashes but has been inconsistent after an injury-riddled freshman year. Sophomore forward Kijani Wright had six points and six rebounds in 17 minutes against Auburn. MATCHUP TO WATCH >> Collier vs. Alabama State’s CJ Hines. Two lead guards, in many ways, the direct inverse of one another. Hines is a former NAIA transfer who spots up from three and takes care of the ball. Collier is a projected top NBA draft pick with a spotty jumper who attacks with reckless abandon. It’s a chance for Collier to continue taking steps forward in court vision and decision-making, matched up with a veteran. — Luca Evans