Washington aims to stay perfect at home on Wednesday night, hosting UCLA at Alaska Airlines in Seattle for both squads’ Big Ten opener.
Each team is looking to rebound from a holiday-tournament loss from last week. The Huskies (5–2) fell to Colorado in the Arcisure Holiday Classic championship game on Nov. 28. The Bruins (5–2) were defeated by Cal in the decisive matchup of the Empire Classic on Nov. 25 — a loss that knocked UCLA out of the top 25.
Tipoff is set for 11 p.m. ET. UCLA enters as a slight 1.5-point road favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook, while Washington is listed as a +110 underdog. The game’s total is set at 141.5 points.
Bruins vs. Huskies Preview
UCLA Bruins Preview
The Bruins arrive in Seattle for their first true road game of the season. They did their job against a less-than-formidable non conference schedule, trouncing Sacramento State and Presbyterian by a combined 71 points in their two matchups leading up to the loss to Cal.
While no longer tagged with a national ranking, UCLA remains the No. 32 team in the country according to KenPom, pairing the 60th best offense with a ferocious defense that sits in the top 20. The Bruins are holding opponents to just 63.1 points per game, the fourth-best mark in the Big Ten.
UCLA averages 77 points per game while shooting 48% from the field and 35.3% from beyond the arc. The offense runs through senior forward Tyler Bilodeau, who’s leading the team with 14.8 points per game. However, the senior forward is currently nursing a knee injury — he was sidelined against Cal — and is considered questionable heading into Wednesday’s matchup.
Five additional Bruins are contributing double-digit point totals, including Eric Dailey Jr., who’s adding 12.7 points and a team-high 5.5 rebounds. New Mexico transfer Donovan Dent has quickly acclimated and become the team’s primary playmaker — his 6.7 assists per game are the 12th most in the country.
Washington Huskies Preview
The Huskies have fought tooth and nail to defend home court this season, taking down Southern in double-overtime on Nov. 18. They’ve also taken care of business against a not-so-daunting non-conference slate, opening their season with a 44-point thrashing against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and most recently pummeling Nevada by 17 points before losing to Colorado.
Washington currently occupies the No. 58 spot on the KenPom rankings, sitting 71st on offense and 52nd on defense. They score 82.6 points per game on 43.6% from the field and 35% from downtown, while allowing an average of 72.4 points on the other end.
Leading the charge for the Huskies is USC transfer Wesley Yates III, who’s putting up just under 17 points a night along with 4.7 rebounds. Both Zoom Diallo and Quimari Peterson average 13 points, with the latter connecting on 2.9 threes a night — a top-five mark in the Big Ten.
The Huskies rank third in the conference in both rebounds and offensive boards per game — an effort that could be bolstered Wednesday night if freshman big Hannes Steinbach returns to the lineup. The 6-foot-11 German, who was seen practicing after missing the team’s last three games, averaged an unreal 14.5 points and 12.8 rebounds through his first four games of the season prior to the injury.
Bruins vs. Huskies Pick, Best Bet
UCLA has one of the top defenses in the country — one that’s tailor-made to suffocate Washington’s largely lagging offense. Among the 18 teams in the Big Ten, the Huskies rank 15th in field-goal percentage and 11th in three-point efficiency. Count on the Bruins to capitalize on compounding defensive stops and open up conference play with a convincing road victory.
