Former Pac-12 rivals UCLA and Oregon will collide for the first time as Big Ten foes on Sunday when the Bruins visit the 12-ranked Ducks in Eugene, Ore.
UCLA (7-1, 1-0 Big Ten) defeated Washington 69-58 on Tuesday and Oregon (9-0, 1-0) beat USC 68-60 on Wednesday.
The Bruins have won six consecutive games since losing to New Mexico 72-64 on Nov. 8 in Henderson, Nev.
UCLA beat the visiting Huskies behind double-digit scoring from Tyler Bilodeau (16 points), Sebastian Mack (16) and Dylan Andrews (12). Bilodeau finished one rebound shy of a double-double. He made 6 of 8 shots from the field and made his only 3-point attempt.
The Bruins’ ball security has helped key their fast start this season. They have committed just 10.9 turnovers per game and limited themselves to eight against the Huskies.
“I told the guys, we won because we only had eight turnovers and we took care of the ball,” UCLA coach Mick Cronin said. “We had 16 assists, and that’s with missing a bunch of shots that were extremely makeable. Our passing, our team play, our execution was good.”
On the other end of the court, the Bruins are among the nation’s best at forcing turnovers.
UCLA entered Saturday averaging 18.9 takeaways per game, second-most in Division I. The Bruins also currently lead the nation in scoring defense (53.1 points per game) while limiting opponents to 26.7 percent shooting from 3-point range and 36.1 percent overall.
Kobe Johnson leads the team with 19 steals, while Skyy Clark has 17. Johnson also paces UCLA with 28 assists against 13 turnovers.
Mack is making the most of the Bruins’ opportunities on offense after they force a turnover. He leads the team in both free throw makes (37) and attempts (46).
“It’s really just seeing what we need, whether that’s steals, rebounds,” Mack said. “It trickles down to defense.”
Oregon’s win at USC featured Jackson Shelstad scoring 21 of his career-high 24 points in the second half, helping the Ducks overcome a 10-point deficit.
Keeshawn Barthelemy added 18 off the bench, making 6 of 9 field goal attempts.
Oregon rallied for its first lead since it was 2-0 when Shelstad made a 3-pointer to put the visitors ahead 58-55 with 4:10 left. The Ducks outscored USC 45-30 after halftime.
“We kept playing, but we’ve got a long way to go to be a good ballclub,” Oregon coach Dana Altman said.
TJ Bamba missed his first 11 shots from the field and finished 2-of-13 with six points.
Nate Bittle scored five points and Jadrian Tracey managed just two before both players fouled out. Bittle entered Wednesday’s game averaging 14.6 points.
“We found a way to win; that’s a great quality to have. But what does a cat have? Nine lives, right?” Altman said. “We used probably three or four of them already this season. A little worried about that. It’s gonna catch up to us if we don’t start playing better.”
The Ducks have narrow wins over Oregon State (78-75) and Alabama (83-81). Oregon was pushed to overtime by Portland at Eugene on Nov. 12 but prevailed 80-70.
Meanwhile, all of UCLA’s wins have been by double digits.
–Field Level Media
