The UCLA men’s basketball team will look to extend its winning streak to five games in a nationally televised game Saturday afternoon at Cal.
The Bruins, who have won six of their last seven games, will be seeking redemption after losing to Cal, 66-57, on Jan. 6 at Pauley Pavilion. Since that loss, UCLA is 6-2 and has moved ahead of Cal in the Pac-12 standings, into a tie for fourth place with Colorado. A top-four finish would provide UCLA a coveted bye into the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 tournament next month in Las Vegas.
Here’s what you need to know about the key Pac-12 matchup:
UCLA AT CAL
When: Saturday, 2:30 p.m.
Where: Haas Pavilion, Berkeley
TV/Radio: FOX (Ch. 11)/1150 AM
Records: UCLA is 12-11 overall, 7-5 in Pac-12 play; Cal is 10-10, 6-6
UCLA’s latest result: The Bruins are coming off an 82-74 victory at Stanford on Wednesday, their highest scoring output this season. Freshman guard Sebastian Mack, the team’s leading scorer this season, finished with a game-high 21 points, shooting 4 for 7 from 3-point range. UCLA made a season-high 11 3-pointers at a 44% clip on 25 attempts. Five Bruins joined Mack in scoring in double-figures: sophomore forward Adem Bona (16 points, eight rebounds), sophomore guard Dylan Andrews (13 points, four assists), sophomore guard Will McClendon (career-high 13 points), and junior guard Lazar Stefanovic (10 points, seven rebounds).
Cal’s latest result: The Golden Bears blew a 16-point lead in the second half at home but regrouped to pull out an 83-77 overtime victory against USC on Wednesday. Cal had four players score in double figures. Junior guard Jaylon Tyson had a double-double with a game-high 27 points and 11 rebounds. Senior guard Jalen Cone scored 20 points. Senior forward Fardaws Aimaq had a double-double with 15 points and a game-high 20 rebounds. Junior guard Jalen Celestine netted six of his 11 points in overtime.
Matchups to watch: Bona vs. Aimaq, in particular when it comes to rebounding. The 6-foot-11 Aimaq led the Golden Bears with 20 rebounds, including eight on the offensive end against USC, as Cal outrebounded USC 54-27. By comparison, the Bruins outrebounded USC 43-29 on Jan. 27, a sizable part of their 65-50 crosstown victory that began the team’s current four-game winning streak. Throughout the season, rebounding has been a collective effort for UCLA, led by the 6-foot-10 Bona and the 6-7 Stefanovic.
UCLA trends to watch: The Bruins will play three of their last eight regular-season games on the road, including Saturday’s game at Cal. UCLA is 4-4 in true road games this season.
Meanwhile, the defense has been the heart of the Bruins’ identity during the five-year tenure of Coach Mick Cronin. UCLA is 10-3 this season when holding its opponents to less than 65 points.
