How To Watch, Game Preview and Game Thread: UCLA Bruins at Washington Huskies
The Bruins head up to Seattle for their second game of the year against the Huskies.
What a difference a month and a half makes.
When UCLA hosted Washington at Pauley on December 3, both teams entered the game with a 7-1. For the Huskies, it seemed like a great start under new head coach Danny Sprinkle.
Well, the calendar hasn’t exactly been kind to either team, but it has been worse for Washington. Including the game at Pauley, the Huskies have gone just 3-8 since. At least the Bruins have a winning record since then, though that’s barely the case as UCLA has gone just 6-5.
In Washington’s case, they have played abysmally in conference games, winning just one of their eight contests. Their lone Big Ten win came at home against Maryland when conference play resumed at the beginning of January. Since then, they have lost five straight, and all five games were double digit losses. The closest they got was eleven points in their two most recent games, a 69-58 loss to Purdue in Seattle and an 82-71 loss to Oregon also at home.
After making the most of some home cookin’, at least the Bruins come into tonight’s game riding two consecutive games. With the team having lost four straight, I am, of course, reminded of the quote from Manager Lou Brown in Major League:
OK, we won a game yesterday. If we win today, it's called "two in a row". And if we win again tomorrow, it's called a "winning streak"... It has happened before!
So, with UCLA having won two in a row after defeating Wisconsin, the Bruins are on the verge of a bona fide winning streak. Let’s hope they can make that happen by defeating the Huskies on the road tonight.
Washington Starting Five
There doesn’t appear to be any changes from the starting five that Sprinkle put on the floor to start the game against the Bruins in December. Back in December, we expected a starting lineup of four guards and a forward. The forward was Great Osobor while the guards were Tyree Ihenacho, Tyler Harris, Zoom Diallo, and Luis Kortright.
Well, when the Huskies took the floor, Sprinkle actually replaced Kortright in the starting lineup with forward Wilhelm Breidenbach.
According to Washington’s game notes, Breidenbach has started every conference game so far for the Huskies plus two non-conference ones as well. So, he certainly seems to have cemented his place in Sprinkle’s starting lineup.
Analysis
Since the Huskies met the Bruins in Westwood, Washington has seen a significant reduction in scoring from Tyler Harris. Harris had been averaging 14.3 ppg just a few notches below Great Osobor’s team-leading 14.6 ppg. But now, Harris' average has dropped significantly to just 11.8 ppg.
To be sure, the averages for Osobor (15.3 ppg), Diallo (11.0 vs. 9.9), and Breidenbach (5.0 vs. 3.6) have increased a little more than Harris’ decrease, but it feels like his decrease in production may be part of the reason why the Huskies have fared so poorly since playing UCLA in December.
Of course, there could be a whole host of reasons for the dramatic change in Washington’s results. It could be tougher opponents — Big Ten teams vs. a weaker non-conference schedule.
Someone might want to argue increased travel, but unlike the Bruins, the Huskies’ road trips so far include Westwood, Oregon and a pair of games against Michigan and Michigan State. By comparison, UCLA has had to visit Nebraska, return home to face Michigan, and head back on the road to take on Maryland and Rutgers. So, if we’re comparing UCLA’s and Washington’s schedules, I’d argue that UCLA’s has been much tougher.
If I had to guess, I would likely argue that it was tougher competition in conference versus their non-conference schedule. Washington just completed a series of five games where every team they played was a Top 25 team.
Meanwhile, UCLA’s schedule has had a few Top 25 teams, but not five straight games like Washington has played. To a extent, it’s another reason that UCLA’s results have been so maddening. The Bruins have played inconsistently for much of January.
And, that brings us back to tonight’s challenge.
The Bruins will need to play a game like they played against the Huskies in December. They will need to play good defense and turn it into a game where the first to 70 (or 65 or even 60) wins. If UCLA can do that, it will increase the likelihood of a Bruin win tonight.
Listen to the Game With TMB
Tonight’s game will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1 with Trent Rush and Eldridge Recasner calling the game. Personally, I’ve never cared for Recasner’s analysis when he called games on Pac-12 Networks. If you’re like me, you can listen to Josh Lewin and Tracy Murray on the radio or online. To listen online, just right-click on the link below so that you can open up another tab and have it going while you chat in the comments below. Listen to today’s game online.
This is your UCLA men’s basketball at Washington Huskies game thread. Here’s how to watch, listen and stream today’s game:
UCLA Men’s Basketball (13-6, 4-4)
Opponent: Washington Huskies (10-9, 1-7)
Series Record: UCLA leads, 109-44
When: 8:00 pm PT, Friday, January 24, 2025
Where: Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, CA
TV: Fox Sports 1 with Trent Rush and Eldridge Recasner
Live Stream: FoxSports.com and the Fox Sports app
Radio/Audio
Local Radio: AM 570 with Josh Lewin and Tracy Murray
Satellite Radio: SiriusXM Ch. 106 (UCLA feed)
Online: uclabruins.com
Live Stats: UCLA StatBroadcast
Game Notes:
UCLA
Go Bruins!!!
While we’re waiting - Women’s BB is now the only undefeated team in the nation!
Dimitri called it a couple games back when DA finally had a good game that this was about the time in the season last year that he caught on fire. It's looking similar right now.