The UCLA Bruins play host to the Washington State Cougars in a PAC 12 showdown on Saturday night from Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. The Cougars lump into this one, having lost four of their last five games, just two days removed from a road loss to open the weekend. For the Bruins, a win the last time out helped to snap their own two-game losing streak and get them back on the right path. The first meeting between these two went down to the wire back in December, though with UCLA getting to be at home for the rematch, the Cougars will be hard-pressed to salvage a split in the season series and spring the upset.
When these two squared off back in December, the Cougars lost by one point at home in an absolute heartbreaker. Now that they get a second chance at UCLA, there's no doubt that they'll be wanting revenge in this one. With that said, they'll have their work cut out for them. They've lost four of their last five games and are 1-7 in true road games this season. Adding to those woes is that this is the second game of their weekend road trip south as well. If they were catching the Bruins on Thursday, it's likely that would go quite a bit further toward them having some confidence. Against UCLA just a few days ago, the Cougars only lost by ten and are hoping they can keep it closed on Saturday. Washington State has an interesting resume, as they rank in the top 100 in the NET but have really struggled against the big names on their schedule, which is a trend they're hoping stops this weekend.
The g rowing number of injuries is a major concern for this game, as questions have started to mount if they will even have enough players to have the game played. As of Friday night, they have seven players on the injury report, with five of those questionable to play with an illness. RJ Rodman (9.2 ppg) is the most notable name listed as questionable but even just a few of those finding themselves ruled out is likely to hurt Washington State's depth.
Mouhamed Gueye has also grabbed 10 rebounds, so put him down for a third-straight double-double and the 10th of his season.#GoCougs | #WAZZU
— WSU Men's Basketball (@WSUCougarMBB) February 3, 2023
Washington State's offense ranks near the bottom of the PAC 12 this season, though the three-point shooting has been a strength for this group. The bad news is that UCLA has the length to neutralize that advantage in this one. TJ Bamba (14.2 ppg) and Mouhamed Gueye (14.0 ppg, 8.4 rpg) have formed into a nice dup in the league but after those two, there's a dropoff in production. That's why this team leans heavily on finding success on the defensive side of things, which gave them a chance in the first meeting between these two. They rank 65th in scoring defense but a big part of that is the slower pace at which they play. At home against the Bruins, they did a great job to dictate the tempo, though it will be far more difficult for them to replicate that on the road.
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