Arizona vs. UCLA: 2018-19 College basketball game preview, TV schedule
Arizona is fighting for an at-large bid at this point in the season. Can the Wildcats avoid another bad loss this week against UCLA?
TV schedule: Saturday, January 26, 10:00 pm ET. ESPN2
Arena: Pauley Pavillion in Los Angeles, California
Now in late January of the college basketball season, the consequences of games can have a huge impact on a team’s hopes for making the NCAA Tournament. A perfect example of this is Arizona 14-6 (5-2), who put themselves in bubble position after starting out 4-0 in Pac-12 Basketball.
But after an awful 23-point loss to the USC Trojans, the Wildcats have fallen out of the tournament and into the “First Four Out” according to our latest Bracketology. Against USC, Arizona shot just 28% from the field while giving up 27 points to Nick Rokocevic. No one for the Wildcats scored more than 12 points in the loss.
Sean Miller’s team remains in Los Angeles this week to play UCLA 10-9 (3-3), a team who’s playing in the motions after firing Steve Alford. After winning the first three games under interim head coach Murray Barlow, the Bruins have lost their last three contests. That includes this week’s 84-73 defeat to Arizona State. Kris Wilkes and Jaylen Hands each had 15 points to lead the team but they allowed three different Sun Devils to score 15+, which proved to be the difference in the final score.
The three-game losing streak effectively ended any hopes of a postseason for UCLA, making them potential spoilers for the rest of the Pac-12. Right now, only Washington is projected to be in the NCAA Tournament after Arizona’s fall, so a Bruins win could truly make this power conference a one-bid league.
Next. Bracketology Bubble Watch. dark
This is the only regular season matchup between the teams, which is good for the Wildcats, as both UCLA and USC would only represent bad losses at this point. The Bruins are capable of outscoring Arizona but at this point, the team has shown little desire of bouncing back. The hungrier Arizona team should leave LA with a split.