TicketsNo. 25/RV CINCINNATI (8-2) at RV/RV UCLA (7-2)
SERIES INFO: Fifth meeting; Series is tied 2-2; UCLA leads 2-1 at neutral sites; Cincinnati leads 1-0 in Los Angeles.
LAST MEETING: UCLA won 79-67 on March 19, 2017 in the second round NCAA Tournament in Sacramento, Calif.
STREAK: UCLA - 2
COACHES: Mick Cronin is in his 12th season at Cincinnati (245-137); 15th season overall (314-161)
Steve Alford is in his fifth season at UCLA (103-47); 23rd season overall at Division I level (488-253)
AP/USA TODAY RANKINGS (DEC. 11): Cincinnati (25/RV); UCLA (RV/RV)
RADIO: 700 WLW; Dan Hoard provides play-by-play with color analyst Terry Nelson
TV: CBS; Brad Nessler provides play-by-play with color analyst Bill Raftery. John Schriffen reports.
STREAMING: CBS Sports | CBS Sports App
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By Bill Koch
GoBearcats.com
LOS ANGELES – When they ran off the court at halftime last season in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, the 15th-ranked University of Cincinnati Bearcats held a 33-30 lead over No. 3 UCLA. Their defense had been superb, they had shot 50 percent from the field, and there was every reason to believe they had a chance to upset the Bruins to earn a spot in the Sweet 16.
But the second half was a much different story. UCLA turned up the juice on offense and used an 18-5 run midway through the second half to pull away with a 79-67 win in Sacramento.
Only five of the eight players in the Bruins' regular rotation this year played in that game, but even though the names and faces have changed dramatically, the modus operandi remains the same: UCLA, which averages 84.8 points per game, is still capable of scoring binges that can bury its opponents.
That was the biggest concern for UC coach Mick Cronin as the Bearcats prepared to face the Bruins in a rematch of last year's game at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Pauley Pavilion, one of college basketball's meccas. It'll be the fifth meeting between the two programs and the first during the regular season since Dec. 18, 1965 when Tay Baker's Bearcats knocked off the Bruins, 82-76, at the Los Angeles Sports Arena.
The all-time series is tied, 2-2, with UCLA winning the last two games, both in the NCAA Tournament. Three of the previous four meetings between the two teams occurred in the tournament. UC defeated the Bruins, 72-70, in the national semifinals at Freedom Hall on March 23, 1962 on the way to its second national title.
The Bruins will return the game next year when they play the Bearcats on Dec. 19 in the new Fifth Third Arena.
"They're still a team like last year that can score in bunches, especially at home," Cronin said. "At some time in their home games it seems that they always go on a 15-0 run. They really never play anybody who's not a really good offensive player that can hurt you in some way. Whenever you're on the road, you're concerned about a team going on a run in their own gym, making shots and getting out in transition. Those are the things they've brought to the table the last two years. This year's no different."
No. 25 UC (8-2) is the higher ranked team this time. UCLA (7-2) is unranked, receiving only six votes in this week's Associated Press poll. The Bruins' two losses have come against Creighton, 100-89, and Michigan, last Saturday in Ann Arbor, 78-69, in overtime.
The Bearcats ended a two-game losing streak Tuesday night with a 65-50 win over previously unbeaten Mississippi State at BB&T Arena after back-to-back losses to Xavier and Florida.
"We started doing the little things that Coach has been asking us to do to beat the better teams that we're going to play," said junior swingman Jacob Evans III, who led the Bearcats with 24 points against the Bulldogs. "We can not do some of the little things and get away with beating some of the teams that aren't that good, but we've got to get prepared to beat great teams. We're taking steps closer to where we want to be. As long as we keep taking those steps, we should be fine."
After the two losses, Cronin called on his big three of Evans, Gary Clark and Kyle Washington to lead the way when the Bearcats play high-caliber opponents. All three responded against Mississippi State. In addition to his 24 points, Evans grabbed a season-high eight rebounds; Clark scored nine points with 13 rebounds and blocked five shots; and Washington scored 16 points with five rebounds.
"I said, 'Look, we're not going to win these kinds of games, especially early in the year, if you guys don't play well,' " Cronin said. "In our last game Kyle was able to score, but Gary was probably our best player. He had 18 deflections, which I think is a record for me. His effort was so good that we actually made a highlight tape of his effort to show the players. I think right now that's what's going to have to happen. For us to win against UCLA, those three are going to have to play well."
Washington didn't play well last year against Thomas Welsh, UCLA's 7-foot senior center, scoring only four points on 2-of-10 shooting. This season, Welsh is averaging 13.6 points and 10.8 rebounds and has six double-doubles in nine games. The Bruins' other go-to player is junior guard Aaron Holiday, who averages 17.7 points and 5.8 assists.
The Bearcats, who have won two national championships, will face a UCLA team that has won 11, more than any other school. The game will feature two of the nation's Top 20 teams in total victories. The Bruins rank sixth all-time with 1,856 wins. UC is 16th with 1,765.
Of course, the UC players would love to avenge last year's tournament loss, but that's not paramount in their minds considering that most of those UCLA players have moved on, including Lonzo Ball, who scored 18 points and recorded nine assists against UC and is now playing for the Los Angeles Lakers. Five of the eight UCLA players who played against the Bearcats last year are playing in either the NBA or the NBA's G-League.
"They knocked us out of the tournament," Evans said. "We understand this is a different team, but we still want to get the win. It's UCLA. They have a lot of history behind them. It's my first time playing (at Pauley Pavilion). I'm pretty sure it's a lot of people's first time playing there. It should be a fun game."
Bill Koch covered UC athletics for 27 years – 15 at The Cincinnati Post and 12 at The Cincinnati Enquirer – before joining the staff of GoBearcats.com in January 2015.