UCLA concludes a six-game homestand on Tuesday when it hosts its first-ever Big Ten Conference game in Los Angeles, albeit against familiar league foe Washington.
The Bruins (6-1) welcome their longtime Pac-12 Conference counterpart in the Big Ten debut for both programs. UCLA is riding a five-game winning streak, having breezed through a series of nonconference matchups that wrapped up with an 88-43 blowout of Southern Utah on Nov. 26.
In the 45-point romp, UCLA’s Dylan Andrews scored 11 points, dished three assists and had only one turnover. It was a promising showing from the junior, who struggled through the initial stretch of the season with a groin injury and inconsistent play.
“When you have a guard (who) is in his third year and started (almost) every game last year and is the one guy (who) has been in your program for three years … he’s probably going to have to have a really good year,” Bruins coach Mick Cronin said of Andrews on Monday. “I’m not saying he’s got to be Player of the Year in the Big Ten, but he’s got to give us production.”
Washington (6-1) continues a Southern California swing after winning a pair of games at last weekend’s Acrisure Invitational in Palm Desert. The Huskies beat Colorado State 73-67 in the event’s first round on Thursday behind Tyler Harris’ 24 points and eight rebounds.
“He’s playing with a ton of confidence, he’s being aggressive and the one thing he’s doing right now, he’s knocking down shots,” Washington coach Danny Sprinkle said to Sports Illustrated of Harris. “When he’s knocking down his (3-point shots), he’s really hard to guard.”
The Huskies then downed Santa Clara 76-69 on Friday in the tournament final, led by Great Osobor’s 19 points and eight rebounds.
Washington’s Tuesday visit to UCLA is the third matchup between the programs in the calendar year. However, this Huskies squad looks dramatically different from the version that fell to the Bruins 73-61 at Los Angeles in January, then returned the favor with a 94-77 win at Seattle in February.
Sprinkle took over as Washington’s head coach in the offseason and overhauled the roster, with the arrival of Osobor being a key addition. Osobor won Mountain West Conference Player of the Year on Sprinkle’s Utah State team last season, and the big man currently leads the Huskies in scoring (14.6 points per game), rebounding (10.3 per game) and assists (3.9 per game) through seven games.
Harris transferred to Washington from the University of Portland, where he made the West Coast Conference’s All-Freshman team in 2023-24.
UCLA underwent its own makeover before Cronin’s sixth season in charge, with former Pac-12 counterparts Kobe Johson (Southern California) and Tyler Bilodeau (Oregon State) entering to serve prominent roles. Bilodeau paces the team in scoring (13.9 ppg) and rebounds (5.7 rpg).
–Field Level Media
