How To Watch, Game Preview and Game Thread: UCLA Bruins vs. #9 Michigan State Spartans
After defeating #16 Oregon, the Bruins look for their sixth straight win when they face the Spartans.
After crushing Oregon 78-52 on Thursday night, the Bruins have now won five straight games. Meanwhile, Michigan State lost their first game since November 27th on Saturday when they fell to the Trojans, 70-64.
By all accounts, Michigan State is a very good team. You don’t win 18 of 21 college basketball games if you aren’t. Tonight, the Spartans come into Pauley Pavilion looking to avoid losing back-to-back games for the first time this season.
Of course, there is a good chance that the travel to Los Angeles may have led to the Spartans’ loss to the Trojans on Saturday. If that’s the case, will Michigan State return to their winning ways tonight now that they have had a few days off to recover from the long flight from Michigan?
At the same time, can the UCLA defense find a way to hold the Spartans under 70 like Southern Cal did? That very well could be the real key to tonight’s game. Michigan State is just 1-3 in games where they scored fewer than 70 points and they are undefeated in games where they scored at least 70 points.
The Spartans are led by head coach Tom Izzo. Not only is Izzo the longest-serving basketball head coach in the Big Ten, he was actually hired in 1995, which is the year I graduated from UCLA. So, now, you know he’s been there a really long time! LOL
Of course, you don’t last 30 years in one place without being very good at your job. Izzo has a winning percentage of .709 and the Spartans are the only team he has served at the helm with. What might be scarier is the fact that he’s one of just two coaches the Spartans have had since 1976. That’s right, Bruin fans, since John Wooden retired, Michigan State’s basketball team has been coached by just two men, Izzo and his predecessor Jud Heathcote.
Michigan State Starting Five
Izzo will start a lineup consisting of three guards, a forward and a center. Michigan State is led by senior guard Jaden Akins, who is averaging 13.5 ppg. It may seem hard to believe by Akins is the only play on the Spartans who is averaging in double figures.
That really has me wondering how this team has won 18 of the 21 games they have played. The answer may lie in the fact that Izzo uses a ten-man rotation compared to other teams tending to use fewer players per game.
In fact, the guy next closest to double figures is reserve guard Jase Richardson, who is averaging 9.6 ppg. Richardson is the Spartans’ best three-point shooter. He shoots 42.9% from behind the arc. Even the third-highest scoring Spartan is reserve forward Coen Carr, who averages 8.8 ppg.
Junior guard Tre Hollman is the starter with the second-highest scoring average with 8.2 ppg while redshirt freshman starter Jeremy Fears, Jr. averages only 7.8 ppg.
Forward Jaxon Kohler averages just 7.3 ppg, but at least, he leads the Spartans in rebounds with 7.6 per game. Wrapping up the starting five, senior center Szymon Zapala is ninth on team in scoring with an average of just 5.5 ppg. Zapala’s 4.5 rebounds per game puts him second on the team rebounds
Analysis
If you told me the Spartans had a terrible record while showing me these stats, I would likely agree with you. I know I couldn’t believe the fact that this team has stats that look like they do. That should tell you that Izzo is a mastermind of the clipboard.
He’s going to push all the right buttons strategically.
That means that UCLA cannot afford to make the smallest mistakes tonight, because Izzo will make the Bruins regret it.
At the same time, I don’t think that the long travel schedule will be enough to derail Michigan State tonight. The Bruins will need to bring their “A Game” tonight.
Admittedly, I’m not so sure that UCLA will be able to win tonight’s game. They will need to play one of their best games of the season if they want to win.
Can they do it? That likely depends on which Bruin team shows up. Will it be the UCLA team which has won five straight or the team which lost four in a row and five out of six games prior to the Iowa game.
Listen to the Game With TMB
Tonight’s game is the Bruins’ third game on Peacock with Terry Gannon and Darren Collison calling the game. So, it will not be broadcast on regular TV. Of course, 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 vs. Michigan State Spartans game thread. Here’s how to watch, listen and stream tonight’s game:
UCLA Men’s Basketball (15-6, 6-4)
Opponent: #9 Michigan State Spartans (18-3, 9-1)
Series Record: UCLA leads, 7-4
When: 7:00 pm PT, Tuesday, February 4, 2025
Where: Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, CA
TV: None
Live Stream: PeacockTV.com and the Peacock app
Radio/Audio
Local Radio: AM 1150 with Josh Lewin and Tracy Murray
Satellite Radio: SiriusXM Ch. 383 (UCLA feed)
Online: uclabruins.com
Live Stats: UCLA StatBroadcast
Game Notes:
UCLA
Go Bruins!!!
Love it. Should have won by more but I will take it. We have a lot of grit. We are in 3rd place. That is a big turnaround. Great job everyone. Now we need to win on the road. Good night all. Great job rooting our guys raptor a huge win. Goodnight to all my friends. Appreciate you.
What an alley-oop from Skyy to Mara!!