With a pivotal road trip on the horizon, UCLA first strives to defend its home court against former Pac-12 Conference counterpart Washington on Saturday in Los Angeles.
The Bruins (16-7, 8-4 Big Ten Conference) travel to nationally ranked Michigan and Michigan State in the coming week for a pair of games crucial to UCLA’s NCAA Tournament resume. In the meantime, the Bruins will try to avoid a letdown in their second meeting with Washington this season.
The Huskies (12-11, 4-8) took UCLA to the brink in an 82-80 loss in Seattle on Dec. 3. The defeat to open Big Ten play set the tone for Washington’s struggles in the conference, where the Huskies linger in the bottom half of the standings.
However, half of the Huskies’ four Big Ten wins have come on the road, the most recent a 76-62 win at Northwestern on Jan. 31.
Washington heads to Pauley Pavilion — where UCLA is 13-1 this season — following Wednesday’s 84-74 home loss to Iowa. Compounding the setback was news afterward that freshman JJ Mandaquit (5.2 points, 3.2 assists per game) is likely out for the season with a foot injury.
“My heart’s broken for that kid,” Huskies coach Danny Sprinkle said. “He’d been playing really well the past month and getting comfortable.”
Washington also experienced a scare against Iowa when Wesley Yates III, one of three Huskies scoring in double figures per game at 13.4 points, came out briefly. Sprinkle said Yates would be evaluated by training staff ahead of Saturday’s contest.
For UCLA, the Bruins have had to adapt to playing without 13.5-ppg scorer Skyy Clark the last nine contests. Trent Perry has helped pick up the scoring slack at 12.1 points per game and he was one of five Bruins to score at least 10 points in a 98-66 blowout of Rutgers Tuesday.
Tyler Bilodeau, UCLA’s leading scorer at 18.2 points per game, extended his streak of at least 18 points to four games after he notched 19 against Rutgers. He scored 21 in the December win at Washington.
Donovan Dent, who had 17 points and eight assists last time against the Huskies, comes into Saturday’s contest with back-to-back double-doubles. He finished with 13 points and 11 assists on Tuesday.
“If he wants to have any chance at a pro career, Donovan had to come here and do three things: One is to make us win, and two and three are how to make us win, and take care of the ball and play harder on defense,” UCLA coach Mick Cronin said. “If he does those things, then he gives himself a better chance and he’s going to make us win.”
