BYU vs. UCLA: 2019-20 Maui Invitational game preview, TV schedule
BYU and UCLA are both looking to turn the tide of underwhelming starts to the season when they meet in the Maui Invitational.
TV Schedule: Monday, November 25, 2019 at 11:30 PM ET, ESPN2
Location: Lahaina Civic Center, Maui, Hawaii
The Maui Invitational features Michigan State, Kansas and a bunch of teams trying to figure out what they have in 2019-20. Two of those teams face each other in the quarterfinals: the BYU Cougars and UCLA Bruins.
Both teams will be coming off losses entering the tournament in Hawaii.
The Cougars dropped a close contest in overtime at Boise State. That was their second loss to a Mountain West squad, with a loss to San Diego State also in hand. (They also needed a miraculous buzzer-beater from TJ Haws to top Houston.) Meanwhile, the Bruins just suffered a shocking home loss to CAA contender Hofstra, the first loss of the Mick Cronin era.
Haws is off to a slow start this season, shooting just 16.7 percent from 3-point range. BYU is instead led by senior backcourt mate Jake Toolson, who’s averaging 16.0 points per game on 45.8 percent shooting from 3-point distance.
UCLA still has plenty of talent left over from the pre-Cronin days. Sophomore Jalen Hill is breaking out, averaging 15.2 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. Chris Smith, Prince Ali and Cody Riley are all averaging double figures as well. Shareef O’Neal is around too, though he hasn’t played much in his first season following heart surgery.
If there’s one area UCLA has a clear advantage, it’s on the inside. They’re outrebounding BYU 38.2 to 34.2. More drastically, UCLA is blocking five shots a game, while BYU isn’t even blocking one shot a contest.
The Cougars might be the favorite entering the contest, but that’s a product of them being more of a known commodity. Mark Pope is in his first year as head coach, but he used to be an assistant at BYU. Plus, the program is led by a plethora of upperclassmen.
UCLA is a bit more cloudy in Cronin’s first season. Most of their best players are underclassmen and the team has yet to play on anything but the Pac-12 Network this year. They’ll likely be smarting from their home loss to Hofstra and ready to show a national audience who they’re going to be this year.
UCLA should win in a tight one.
Prediction: UCLA 72, BYU 70