UCLA vs Oregon: 2018-19 College basketball game preview, TV schedule
By Joey Loose
UCLA and Oregon are two Pac-12 teams overcoming some serious struggles. What kind of performance can we expect in Oregon on Thursday night?
TV schedule: Thursday, January 10, 9:00 pm ET. ESPN
Arena: Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon
Amidst a struggling season, UCLA (9-6) enters their first Pac-12 road test already boasting a pair of conference wins. A really slow start cost Steve Alford his job, with a blowout home loss to Liberty acting as the final straw. But since Murry Bartow took over as interim head coach, the Bruins dispatched of both Stanford and California by double digits at home, a sign that these Bruins aren’t quitting.
Sophomore Kris Wilkes is the guy to watch for the Bruins, leading the team in scoring (17.3 ppg) and pacing UCLA in seven of their last eight games. Fellow sophomore guard Jaylen Hands is a solid contributor and distributor (11.3 ppg, 6.9 apg). Also important to watch will be 7’1 center Moses Brown, who averages nearly a double-double (12.2 ppg, 8.9 rpg).
UCLA’s offense has been much better recently after struggling during a four game losing streak. The Bruins topped 90 points against most California schools after some abysmal performances (58 against Liberty and 64 in a blowout loss at Cincinnati). The team ranks just inside the top 70 in defensive efficiency but will have a slightly harder challenge in their first conference road game.
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Across the court, Oregon (9-5) faces a different kind of struggle. The Ducks lost their Pac-12 opener at home against rival Oregon State, but face life without freshman 7’2 center Bol Bol for the rest of the year. Oregon has already struggled to some rough losses against Texas Southern and Baylor (57-47 on the road), but they too haven’t given up quite yet.
Without Bol Bol (21.0 ppg, 9.6 rpg) gone, the Ducks turn to junior guard Payton Prichard (12.4 ppg, 4.6 apg) and the rest of the team to make up for his absence. Sophomore Kenny Wooten takes over as the Ducks leading blocker but he’s no Bol Bol. In fact, a different player has led Oregon in scoring each of the last four games, with senior Texas A&M-Corpus Christi transfer Ehab Amin’s 23 points at Boise State the high point since Bol’s injury.
While their efficiency rankings are pretty solid (45th overall in KenPom, 78th in offense, 31st in defense), this Oregon team is clearly overvalued without Bol on the team anymore. The standout freshman was Oregon’s best player in nearly every aspect, though he did make just 76% of his free throws. The loss to Oregon State shows that the Ducks have a long way to go and this team is going to need to grind to get Pac-12 wins, even in winnable games at home.
On paper, this looks like a pretty even match-up. UCLA has momentum since Alford’s firing while Oregon struggles to reinvent themselves without Bol’s presence. UCLA has leaned heavily on Wilkes and Oregon needs to prevent him from catching fire early. His Achilles heel is from the free throw line (65.6%) and UCLA can take advantage of that late in the game. On the other side, UCLA will face a balanced Oregon offense and will need to pound the ball early. Oregon’s defense has been solid this season but the Bruins can take advantage down low without Bol’s presence.
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Neither of these teams has exactly been stellar, though UCLA does possess slightly more momentum. Beating Cal and Stanford isn’t exactly impressive and UCLA does face a tough test going on the road, having been blown away by Cincinnati in their only road game this season. If the Ducks can limit Wilkes, then the Bruins will be forced to lean heavily on less proven scorers. Fortunately, the game is in Eugene and even without Bol, Oregon has a slight advantage. I expect UCLA to struggle initially on the road, but this should be a tight game throughout.