The Bruins will try to fend off the surging Cardinal at Pauley Pavilion in an attempt to solidify their lead atop the Pac-12.
Coming off four wins in a row, the Bruins will host a Cardinal team that just pulled off a massive upset on their own home court.
WHO: UCLA vs. Stanford
DATE: Thursday, Feb. 16
TIME: 8:05 p.m. PT
LOCATION: Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, CA
TV: ESPN2 – Dave Pasch (play-by-play), Seth Greenberg (analyst)
STREAMING: fuboTV (Start your free trial)
RADIO: AM 1150, Sirius Ch. 83, SXM App 83 – Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Tracy Murray (analyst)
SPREAD: UCLA -13.5 (-118), Stanford +13.5 (-110)*
MONEY LINE: UCLA -1205, Stanford, +650*
OVER/UNDER: O 131 (-110), U 131 (-118)*
UCLA came in at No. 4 in the most recent AP Poll and No. 4 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, and is currently No. 5 in the NET Rankings, No. 3 in the KenPom, No. 4 in the T-Rank and No. 4 in the BPI. Stanford did not appear in either the AP Poll or Coaches Poll, and is currently No. 106 in the NET, No. 98 in the KenPom, No. 99 in the T-Rank and No. 88 in the BPI.
According to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, UCLA is projected to be the No. 2 seed in the West Region, while Stanford is not in his field.
The Bruins were the heavy favorite to win the Pac-12 this season, earning the No. 1 spot in the preseason media poll with 26 first-place votes. The Cardinal, on the other hand, came in at No. 5 with one first-place vote. According to the T-Rank WinMatrix, UCLA has an 98.2% chance of winning a share of the conference title, while Stanford has a 0.0% chance.
UCLA is led by coach Mick Cronin, who is in his fourth season with the program. Cronin boasts an 89-34 record since arriving in Westwood and a 454-205 record as a head coach overall, including his stints at Murray State and Cincinnati.
The Bruins are currently 21-4, including an 12-2 record in Pac-12 play. Following a winless weekend in Las Vegas in November, UCLA rattled off 14 wins in a row, including victories over Oregon, USC, Arizona State, Utah, Maryland and Kentucky. The streak came to an end with back-to-back road losses against Arizona and USC. The Bruins have since recovered, though, adding wins over Washington, Washington State, Oregon State and Oregon.
UCLA is averaging 74.0 points per game while allowing 59.8 points per game, which rank No. 130 and No. 8 in the country, respectively. The Bruins have the No. 24 adjusted offense and No. 2 adjusted defense in the KenPom. Their 16.8 turnovers forced per game and their 10.6 turnovers per game both rank inside the top 20 in the country.
Guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. leads UCLA with 16.3 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Guard Jaylen Clark is averaging 13.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.7 steals per game, while point guard Tyger Campbell is averaging 12.6 points and 4.9 assists per game. Freshmen Amari Bailey, Dylan Andrews and Adem Bona, meanwhile, have each emerged as secondary options alongside veteran sharpshooter David Singleton.
Stanford is led by coach Jerod Haase, who is in his seventh season with the program. Haase made the NCAA tournament once in four years at UAB, but has failed to do so since joining the Cardinal, giving him a 189-157 career record as a head coach.
After opening the season 3-4 in nonconference play with losses to Wisconsin, Ole Miss and Memphis and a win over Florida State, Stanford dropped its first two Pac-12 contests to UCLA and Arizona State. The Cardinal fell victim to a five-game losing streak not long after, only to bounce back with a five-game winning streak. Stanford most recently upset Arizona at Maples Pavilion to improve to 11-14 overall and 5-9 in conference play.
Stanford is averaging 69.2 points per game while allowing 66.9 points per game, which rank No. 241 and No. 98 in the country, respectively. The Cardinal have the No. 64 adjusted offense and No. 155 adjusted defense in the KenPom. Stanford ranks in the top 50 in 2-pointers and free throws attempted, but they rank outside the top 200 in field goal percentage, 3-point percentage and free throw percentage.
Forward Spencer Jones is the only Cardinal averaging double digit points per game, putting up 13.7 a night. 7-footer Maxime Raynaud leads Stanford with 6.0 rebounds per game, while forward Harrison Ingram averages 9.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.
UCLA is 150-97 against Stanford all-time, including a 18-8 record since 2009. Cronin lost his first two showdowns with Haase and the Cardinal, but the Bruins swept the season series in the 2021-2022 season and beat them back in December.
*Odds via SI Sportsbook
Follow Connon on Twitter at @SamConnon
Follow All Bruins on Twitter at @FN_AllBruins
Like All Bruins on Facebook at @FN.AllBruins
Subscribe to All Bruins on YouTube
Read more UCLA stories: UCLA Bruins on Sports Illustrated
Read more UCLA men’s basketball stories: UCLA Men’s Basketball on Sports Illustrated
