UCLA vs Illinois: 2022-23 Continental Tire Main Event Semifinal game preview, TV schedule

UCLA and Illinois play in a matchup of top 25 in the Continental Tire Main Event semifinal. Both teams look to pick up an early quality win.

TV Schedule: Friday, Nov. 18 – 8:30 p.m., ESPNU

Arena: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada

UCLA underachieved last season based on most people’s preseason expectations. This year, they aren’t getting the same level of hype as last, but they are still a top-10 team to start the season. On the other side, Illinois has had great start to the season. A team full of transfers and young players is meshing together very nicely and they’ll get a chance to show that twice this weekend against good teams.

Can UCLA’s slow pace bother the Illini?

Last season, UCLA was 277th in adjusted tempo. This year through just a couple of games, they’re 215th. One of the great things about UCLA’s slow tempo is that Mick Cronin has players that take care of the ball and are really good playing that style. Everything starts for the Bruins with Tyger Campbell. Campbell is averaging 14 points and four assists per game this season and also is turning it over less than one time per game. Complimenting Campbell is the preseason All-American Jaime Jaquez. Jaquez is another guy that won’t have eye-popping scoring numbers, but he rebounds the ball well and can defend other very good players.

UCLA’s freshmen will likely be put in the spotlight as well on Friday. We’ll see how Amari Bailey and Adem Bona fit into this system. Bailey especially is a question mark considering his strength is playing in the open floor. The Bruins are also hoping for a big game from breakout candidate Jaylen Clark who is averaging 17 points and eight rebounds to start the season.

Illinois’ new players are playing well together. Will it continue?

As with most Big Ten teams in the off-season, Illinois had a lot of question marks. They have a freshmen point guard, a couple of breakout candidates, and three transfers who could end up being their three best players. So much for unfamiliarity though. The Illini are averaging 17.3 assists per game as a team to start the year. Almost four of those are coming from Terrance Shannon Jr. who is also leading the team in scoring. It’ll be really interesting to see how Cronin decides to defend Shannon who looks like he could have a huge year in this new system.

Elsewhere for Brad Underwood’s squad, Dain Dainja, the Baylor transfer, as well as Jayden Epps have been nice surprises so far as both are averaging double figures. Skyy Clark, the freshman point guard, has done a little bit of everything over his first couple of games, but the guys that Illinois really needs to get going are R.J. Melendez and Matthew Mayer. The two are averaging a combined 11 points per game right now. To get past UCLA, Melendez and Mayer will need to show more on the offensive end.

It could be a struggle for both teams to create shots in this game. The slow pace could very much aid that as well as the amount of athleticism that both teams have. Ultimately, the game could come down to which team generates more second chances and Illinois will do that better than UCLA.

Score Prediction: Illinois 70, UCLA 65