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The UCLA Bruins (14-9, 6-4) play the UC Berkeley Golden Bears (14-9, 4-6) in Haas Pavilion this evening. Tip-off is set for 5:02 PT. You can watch the game on PAC-12 Networks. Roxy Bernstein and Bill Walton (clearly disgusted with Bryce Alford) will call it. You can also listen on Tunein Radio or 570 AM. Follow along with live stats here (double-check this link, the official site, as is often for road games, doesn't list the link even though it is still operative --sometimes).
Read the BN preview and the official guide at uclabruins.com (from which you can click to their exhaustive stats and tidbits).
UCLA is the 3 point favorite. On the road yet! My how things have changed.
The Bruins are in a four-way tied for third in the PAC-12 with Stanford, Oregon and Oregon State after winning three straight and six of the last eight. The schedule suggests that we'll have to wait until next week to sort out the standings. Oregon State and Oregon come to Pauley next week while Stanford plays Utah. The Bruins need this win tonight to keep the momentum train rolling through next weekend.
That finish at Stanford was worrisome. Can UCLA get their heads back, and play according to the formula that's been working -- especially when Berkeley has one mediocre big to throw against Parker/Looney?
Berkeley's guard trio has good size. Still, the Bruins handled them easily in Pauley. 6'6" Jabari Bird, coming back from injury, still hasn't made a big impact, and Isaac Hamilton kept 6'5" Tyrone Wallace under wraps last time. The key here, in addition to the play of the bigs, is to keep Jordan Matthews under control. The 3-2 zone may be a key part of the defensive palette.
Enjoy the game thread with your fellow BNers and Bruins.