The Washington State Cougars (10-14, 5-8 Pac-12) will try to break down one of the country’s top scoring defenses when they head to face the No. 9 UCLA Bruins (18-4, 9-2 Pac-12) on Saturday. Washington State lost to the USC Trojans 80-70 at Galen Center on Thursday, their third straight loss away from home.
Mouhamed Gueye had a standout performance in the loss with 31 points and 12 rebounds. The Cougars remain eighth in the Pac-12 Conference.
UCLA won their ninth in a row at home on Thursday at Pauley Pavilion, beating the Washington Huskies 70-61. Jaime Jaquez Jr. had 15 points to lead the team in scoring. With 10 points and eight rebounds, Adem Bona also played a part. The Bruins remain first in the Pac-12 Conference.
The teams are meeting for the last time this season. UCLA will be aiming for a season sweep against Washington State after getting the win in the only earlier matchup 67-66 at Wallis Beasley Performing Arts Coliseum in December 2022, their third straight head-to-head victory. Jaquez Jr. led the Bruins with 20 points and eight rebounds. DJ Rodman had 19 points in defeat.
Gueye and TJ Bamba, averaging 14.0 and 12.4 points per game, respectively, have led the Cougars in scoring this season. Gueye also has grabbed 8.4 rebounds per game.
Meanwhile, Justin Powell is dishing 2.8 assists per game.Jaquez Jr. and Tyger Campbell have been the primary providers of the Bruins’ offense, averaging 16.0 and 13.6 points per game, respectively.
Jaquez Jr. also has pulled down 7.4 rebounds per game, while Campbell has distributed 4.7 assists per game. The Bruins are holding opponents to 60.6 points per game, ranking as one of the best scoring defenses in the nation (11th).In the last 10 games, Washington State is 5-5 with an average margin of +1.8 (67.3-65.5).
UCLA has an 8-2 record over the last 10, scoring 67.8 points per game on average while holding opponents to 58.8 (+9.0 margin). The Bruins are averaging 74.6 ppg for the full season while allowing 60.6.
COUGARS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Andrej Jakimovski: 16.8 | 6.7 | +10.1
TJ Bamba: 11.4 | 17.2 | -5.8
Points per game:
TJ Bamba: 8.4 | 12.4 | -4.0
BRUINS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Amari Bailey: 6.6 | 10.4 | -3.8
Rebounds per game:
Jaime Jaquez Jr.: 9.6 | 7.4 | +2.2
SportsTips’ College Basketball Pick:
UCLA -11.5 (-115)
Want up to a $1K risk free bet for this pick?
Claim with 
today!
If you need more news, information and predictions, head over to our college basketball hub page for all your college basketball needs!
*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
