Ryan SmithSports editorPrediction: UCLA 82, USC 70 I have been predicting UCLA will win in big games all year – regardless of the sport. And despite the Bruins losing in each and every one of those games, I will continue to do the same. Read more...
Photo: Redshirt junior guard Prince Ali scored 15 points against USC on Jan. 19. Ali has missed the Bruins’ last two games and his status for Thursday’s game is still uncertain. (Daniel Leibowitz/Daily Bruin staff)
The Bruins probably aren’t making it to the NCAA tournament. However, a strong finish to conference play and a couple wins in the Pac-12 tournament could help UCLA men’s basketball secure an invite to the National Invitational Tournament – a competition comprised of the 32 schools who came closest to making the cut. Read more...
Photo: Under former coach Steve Alford, UCLA men’s basketball missed the NCAA tournament one time. The Bruins did not go to the NIT that season, and they haven’t accepted a bid to the tournament since 1986. (MacKenzie Coffman/Assistant Photo editor)
The race is getting tighter in the Pac-12. UCLA men’s basketball (15-13, 8-7 Pac-12) has won three of its last four games to vault back up into the thick of things within the conference standings, but its biggest game of the season to this point – a date with the crosstown rival USC (15-13, 8-7) – awaits Thursday night at Pauley Pavilion. Read more...
Photo: Sophomore guard Jaylen Hands tied for the team lead with 15 points in UCLA men’s basketball’s first matchup with USC. Hands went 0-of-3 from deep with six turnovers, but led the team with three steals. (Kristie-Valerie Hoang/Daily Bruin senior staff)
To get some inside information on the USC men’s basketball team, Daily Bruin Sports reached out to the Daily Trojan – USC’s student news publication – and asked its Sports editor Aidan Berg a few questions about the Trojans before their upcoming rivalry game against the Bruins on Thursday. Read more...
Photo: Sophomore guard Kris Wilkes (center) scored 13 points against USC on Jan. 19. The Bruins lost that game, but Wilkes averaged 17.5 points per game in their two wins over the Trojans twice last year. (Daniel Leibowitz/Daily Bruin staff)
UCLA is a “basketball school,” USC is not. Or at least, that’s been the narrative for the past 50 or so years. “Everyone’s aware that (the Trojans) have a great class coming in,” said Daily Trojan Sports writer Julia Poe. Read more...
Photo: Freshman center Moses Brown was UCLA men’s basketball’s lone five-star recruit last season, a mark that USC matched. The Trojans now boast the nation’s No. 3 2019 class, while the Bruins’ is ranked No. 59. (Daniel Leibowitz/Daily Bruin staff)
Leadership was always going to be a question mark for the Bruins this season. Aside from two redshirt juniors, UCLA men’s basketball’s rotation consists entirely of freshmen and sophomores. Read more...
Photo: Redshirt junior Alex Olesinski missed UCLA men’s basketball’s first 13 games of the season after suffering a foot injury in the offseason. Olesinski logged a season-high 19 minutes against Oregon on Saturday. (Kristie-Valerie Hoang/Daily Bruin senior staff)
This post was updated Feb. 23 at 10:37 p.m. With 13:25 left in the game, Pauley Pavilion got loud. There wasn’t really a reason why – the Bruins were down by nine and hadn’t been able to stop the Ducks all night. Read more...
Photo: Sophomore guard Jaylen Hands (left) nailed seven 3-pointers to aid UCLA men’s basketball’s comeback effort over Oregon, with all 27 of his points coming in the second half. Fellow sophomore guard Kris Wilkes (right) made three 3s of his own in the second. (Michael Zshornack/Daily Bruin senior staff)
