The Bruins have started their six-game, 12-day stretch with three victories.
Now, they will have the chance to end it just as they started it – this time on the road.
No. 12 UCLA men’s basketball (20-5, 12-4 Pac-12) will head to the Pacific Northwest to take on Oregon (17-10, 10-6) and Oregon State (3-22, 1-14) on Thursday and Saturday, respectively, before facing off against Washington (13-12, 8-7) on Monday. The final matchup will mark the second straight week the Bruins will play on a Monday because of rescheduled contests.
With the busy period of games, the third-place Bruins will climb to the second spot in the Pac-12 with a trio of wins or can fall to fourth place with multiple losses.
Coach Mick Cronin said he’s focused solely on his team’s physical and mental health with two weeks until the start of the postseason.
“The fact that we’ve got to play three (games) this late in the year, … it’s for money only, so we’ve got to get through uninjured,” Cronin said. “You worry (about) that burnout part of it for your guys – constantly having to prepare for game after game after game.”
UCLA is coming off three straight home victories in a span of five days, beating Washington State, Washington and Arizona State by an average margin of 20 points.
Across the three games, the Bruins saw players miss contests because of injuries, a suspension and load management. While junior guard Johnny Juzang and redshirt senior forward Cody Riley made returns during the homestand, Cronin said he did not have an update on redshirt junior guard Tyger Campbell or freshman guard/forward Peyton Watson – both of whom missed the most recent game versus Arizona State because of injuries.
In place of both Juzang and Campbell, sophomore guard Jaylen Clark started each of the last three games and has been the Bruins’ leading scorer. Clark broke his career high in scoring twice over the weekend, averaging 19.7 points per game in the trio of victories.
“Our offense is very free-flowing – anyone can go off on any given night,” Clark said. “The recent ones have just been my name called.”
Although Clark was limited to four points against the Ducks the last time the two teams played on Jan. 13, his two steals and a layup in the final 33 seconds extended the game to overtime.
However, Clark’s late-game heroics weren’t enough for the Bruins, as UCLA lost in overtime 84-81 after giving up 49 combined points to Oregon’s backcourt trio of Will Richardson, De’Vion Harmon and Jacob Young.
The three starting guards are Oregon’s three leading scorers this season, as Richardson, Harmon and Young each average north of 10 points per game on the year.
Cronin said the Ducks’ backcourt firepower makes them dangerous.
“Their 1-on-1 ability to score off the dribble really was the problem for us,” Cronin said. “That’s multiple guards that can make that play off the bounce, whether it’s Richardson, Harmon (or) Young.”
Oregon’s mid-January win over UCLA highlighted a stretch of 10 wins in 11 games, but the Ducks have since fallen on hard times. After losing three of its last four contests, Oregon now sits firmly on the NCAA tournament bubble, with ESPN’s Joe Lunardi placing it as one of the next four teams out.
While Cronin said the Ducks’ desperation to make the tournament will make for a more formidable opponent, senior guard David Singleton said Oregon is a tough team to beat regardless of its circumstances.
“They’re a great team,” Singleton said. “I just feel like we just need to lock in and take care of business.”
UCLA has already beaten both Oregon State and Washington this season, winning by 16 over the Beavers on Jan. 15 and by 26 over the Huskies on Feb. 19.
Oregon State will enter Saturday’s contest in last place in the conference and as one of the lowest-ranked teams in the country. Coming off an Elite Eight run a year ago, the Beavers have won three games in 25 tries this season, with their .120 winning percentage ranking 346th out of 350 Division I teams and the lowest among Power 5 schools.
Washington, meanwhile, enters the weekend in sixth place in the Pac-12. The Huskies’ patented 2-3 zone defense forces the most turnovers of any team in the conference, but the Bruins were able to score 76 points on 45.5% shooting from beyond the arc against Washington in the teams’ most recent matchup.
Despite the second straight three-game week, Cronin said UCLA is taking it one contest at a time.
“We’re focused on Thursday in Eugene, doing what we’ve got to do there, and then we’ll focus on getting rested and mentally prepared for Saturday, and repeat for Monday,” Cronin said. “Hopefully (we’ll) get through it with gas in the tank.”
UCLA will start its weekend with a 6:30 p.m. tipoff Thursday against Oregon.
