UCLA vs. Arizona Basketball: How to Watch, Game Info, Betting Odds

Heading into a raucous McKale Center with a 14-game winning streak in hand, the Bruins have a chance to pick up a rivalry win and further cement themselves in first place in the conference.

WHO: UCLA vs. Arizona

DATE: Saturday, Jan. 21

TIME: 11:02 a.m. PT

LOCATION: McKale Memorial Center, Tucson, AZ

TV: ABC – Dan Shulman (play-by-play), Jay Bilas (analyst), Holly Rowe (sideline)

RADIO: AM 570, Sirius Ch. 81, SXM App 81 – Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Tracy Murray (analyst)

SPREAD: Arizona -1.5 (-118), UCLA +1.5 (-110)*

MONEY LINE: Arizona -133, UCLA, +105

OVER/UNDER: O 149 (-110), U 149 (-118)*

UCLA came in at No. 5 in the most recent AP Poll and USA Today Coaches Poll, and is currently No. 5 in the NET Rankings, No. 3 in the KenPom, No. 3 in the BARTHAG and No. 3 in the BPI. Arizona came in at No. 11 in the latest AP Poll and Coaches Poll, and is currently No. 12 in the NET, No. 17 in the KenPom, No. 10 in the BARTHAG and No. 19 in the BPI.

The Bruins were the heavy favorite to win the Pac-12 this season, earning the No. 1 spot in the preseason media poll with 26 first-place votes. The Wildcats, on the other hand, came in at No. 2 with three first-place votes.

UCLA is led by coach Mick Cronin, who is in his fourth season with the program. Cronin boasts a 85-32 record since arriving in Westwood and a 450-203 record as a head coach overall, including his stints at Murray State and Cincinnati.

The Bruins are currently 17-2, including an 8-0 record in Pac-12 play. A winless weekend in Las Vegas in November set UCLA back in the polls a bit following losses to Illinois and Baylor, but they have since bounced back with a 14-game winning streak that featured big wins over then-No. 20 Maryland, then-No. 13 Kentucky, Washington State and Washington – none of which took place in Westwood. The Bruins held on to beat USC, Utah, Colorado and Arizona State over the past few weeks, keeping them alone in first place in the Pac-12.

UCLA is averaging 76.6 points per game while allowing 59.9 points per game, which ranks No. 74 and No. 12 in the country, respectively. The Bruins have the No. 12 adjusted offense and No. 5 adjusted defense in the KenPom. Their 17.1 turnovers forced per game are top-25 in the country, and their 9.9 turnovers per game are the fifth-fewest in Division I.

Guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. leads UCLA with 16.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. Guard Jaylen Clark is averaging 14.0 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.7 steals per game, while point guard Tyger Campbell is averaging 13.8 points and 4.5 assists per game. Freshmen Amari Bailey, Dylan Andrews and Adem Bona, meanwhile, are each emerging as secondary options alongside veteran sharpshooter David Singleton, and Bailey could possibly return to action Saturday after missing the last six games.

Arizona is led by coach Tommy Lloyd, who is in his second season with the Wildcats. Lloyd led Arizona to a No. 1 seed and Sweet 16 appearance in his first year as a head coach, coming off 20 years as an assistant under Mark Few at Gonzaga.

After opening the season 6-0 and beating then-No. 17 San Diego State and then-No. 10 Creighton to win the Maui Invitational, the Wildcats got upset by Utah on the road. Arizona bounced back with an eight-game winning streak – including wins over then-No. 14 Indiana and then-No. 6 Tennessee – but they got handled at home by Washington State and lost at Oregon on back-to-back Saturdays. Coming off a win over USC, the Wildcats now sit at 16-3 overall and 5-3 in Pac-12 play, which is tied for fourth.

Arizona is averaging 84.6 points per game while allowing 73.0 points per game, which rank No. 8 and No. 280 in the country, respectively. The Wildcats have the No. 9 adjusted offense and No. 67 adjusted defense in the KenPom. Arizona has the second most assists per game in the country with 19.7, and they rank No. 3 in total rebounds per game with 41.6.

The Wildcats' offense has largely been running through their big men this season, with forward Azuolas Tubelis averaging 20.2 points and 9.4 rebounds per game and center Oumar Ballo averaging 16.1 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. Veteran guards Kerr Kriisa and Pelle Larsson are putting up 10.9 and 10.2 points per game, respectively, although the former has been streaky from deep and the latter has been moved back into his sixth man role.

UCLA is 62-46 against Arizona all-time, and 5-2 since Cronin took over in Westwood. The Bruins won the matchup at Pauley Pavilion last year, but the Wildcats won the rematch in Tucson and then the Pac-12 tournament championship game in Las Vegas.

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