College Basketball Game of the Week: No. 3 UCLA vs. No. 7 Arizona
This week features a big-time Pac 12 matchup with tons on the line with two of the best teams in the country facing off.
The No. 3 UCLA Bruins take on the No. 7 Arizona Wildcats for the school’s second and final meeting during the regular season.
Both sides met very recently, last week in fact, where the Bruins cruised to a 75-59 victory at home.
In that game, the roles were completely reversed as it was Arizona ranked number three and UCLA holding the number seven spot.
UCLA had a balanced scoring attack with four players scoring in double figures and have that same amount averaging in double figures this season.
Taking a look at the Bruins side, they have been led by junior guard Johnny Juzang who is averaging 18.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game this season.
Juzang has somehow managed to take a step up this season and played well in the last game against Arizona where he scored 15 points.
The Bruins have been dominant all season long with just two losses during the year and are currently riding a six-game winning streak.
Only one of those defeats came at the hands of a conference opponent as the Bruins lost to Oregon in overtime and the other loss came against a talented Gonzaga team that was ranked first in the country at the time.
As for the Wildcats, they have only played one game since their loss against UCLA where they beat Arizona State by double digits.
Sophomore guard Bennedict Mathurin had a double-double against the Bruins in the team's last matchup and leads the Wildcats in scoring with 17.2 points per game.
Mathurin followed that up with 14 points against Arizona State in the next game.
Like UCLA, Arizona only has two losses on the season with the only other loss for them coming on the road in a close game against Tennessee.
Arizona has been undefeated at the McKale Center this year with an 11-0 record at home.
What may be equally as impressive is that UCLA has been undefeated on the road this season with a 6-0 record.
Both teams are in the top two in the Pac 12 and with one conference loss apiece, this is a very meaningful matchup at this point in the season.
Prediction: UCLA 84, Arizona 73
Logan Bourandas is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email lxb5412@psu.edu.
