The Big Ten had three games on Wednesday, highlighted by two matchups in Los Angeles. Fortunately, the league went on to sweep all three.
Let’s take a look at what happened.
–UCLA Bruins 90, Arizona State Sun Devils 77
After last weekend’s loss to Gonzaga, Bruin fans were hoping UCLA could get back on track against an old foe in Arizona State. The Sun Devils entered the game at 9-2 and with some quality wins on its resume, including neutral site wins over Oklahoma and Texas. As such, UCLA was going to need to show up and play well to get a win.
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Fortunately for fans, UCLA did just that. The Bruins came out swinging, jumped out to an early lead, and never really looked back from there. Arizona State did enough to keep it competitive into the second half, but Skyy Clark finished with 18 points and Donovan Dent had 20 points in the win as well. The team’s offense had a relatively good night overall, with 1.27 points per possession.
UCLA improved to 8-3 overall and 2-0 in Big Ten play with the win. The team has now won three of its last four games, save for the matchup against Gonzaga on Saturday. The Bruins are also clearly gaining some momentum, having moved up to 29th on KenPom. It’s still down from the team’s preseason rank (10th), but it’s certainly better than things looked a week or two ago.
The question is now about how the Bruins will progress heading into the new year. UCLA gets two relatively weak opponents next, with Cal Poly at home on Friday and UC Riverside at home on Tuesday to wrap things up. However, it’s going to get much tougher in January, as the heart of Big Ten play begins. We’ll see what Mick Cronin can do with his squad before then.
–Oregon Ducks 94, Portland Pilots 69
This figured to be a lopsided game and played out that way, with Oregon taking care of business against the Pilots at home. Kwame Evans led the way with 21 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. Nate Bittle also had another nice showing with 18 points and four assists.
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The win pushed Oregon to 6-5 overall, as the group prepares for a massive game against Gonzaga in Portland on Sunday. Fans are hoping Dana Altman can find a way to pull off some magic and grab an upset.
-USC Trojans 97, UTSA Roadrunners 70
The Trojans looked good in this one, cruising to a 27-point win at home over UTSA. Ezra Ausar led the way with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Unfortunately, the biggest issue was the announcement that guard Rodney Rice would miss the remainder of the season with a right shoulder injury. It didn’t matter in this one, but it certainly will be a hindrance as the season goes on.
USC improved to 11-1 overall with the win. The team will now prepare for California Santa Cruz at home on Sunday. It’s expected to be another blowout.
