No. 11 UCLA will return to Pac-12 Conference competition on Friday night at Pullman, Wash., for the first of two weekend road games, visiting a Washington State team looking to pull out of a slump.

The Bruins (11-2, 2-0) took an eight-game winning streak into their holiday break, most recently playing Dec. 21 in an 81-54 rout of UC Davis.

The non-conference blowout marked UCLA’s fourth consecutive win by a double digits, in a stretch that included a 10-point win over Kentucky at New York on Dec. 17, and an 87-60 romp at Maryland on Dec. 14.

As far as UCLA’s momentum with its eight-game winning streak, Bruins coach Mick Cronin downplayed the idea following the win over UC Davis.

“I guess I would say I don’t believe in all that stuff,” he said. “I believe in game-to-game and day-to-day. In this era, it’s so hard to keep guys focused on just the team and whatever the team needs to do.”

Tyger Campbell, one of the Bruins’ veteran leaders, echoed Cronin’s position and cited specific goals for UCLA in its pursuit of a conference championship.

“We have a lot of work to do,” he said following the win over UC Davis. “Just coming out, be good on defense, we move the ball on offense, but we have to come in with the mentality that every game matters.”

UCLA’s last single-digit margin of victory was also its last Pac-12 game, as the Bruins rallied in the second half to beat Oregon 65-56 on Dec. 4. The Bruins’ next Pac-12 game after Friday will be Sunday at Washington.

Single-digit score games are not out of the norm for Washington State (5-8, 0-2). However, the Cougars have not been on the right side in many of them this season.

Washington State concluded the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu with an 82-73 loss to Utah State on Sunday, finishing the tournament 1-2 and dropping its fourth decision in its last five games.

The Cougars are 2-6 since Dec. 1 in a stretch that includes conference losses at Oregon and a 67-65 overtime heartbreaker against Utah. Washington State since fell 74-70 at UNLV and gave then-No. 11 Baylor a tough contest in a 65-59 final Dec. 18 in Dallas.

“They’re going to keep grinding, get better, get back home, and hopefully we can build some confidence,” Cougars coach Kyle Smith said, according to the Spokesman Review, following the Hawaii tournament.

Washington State faces a tall task against a quality UCLA side. The Bruins have flourished with a combination of balanced offense, boasting four double-digit point-per-game scorers and six posting at least 7.3 points per game. Then there is Cronin’s signature stifling defense.

UCLA is forcing turnovers on 25.3 percent of defensive possessions – the nation’s 11th-best average, per KenPom.com – while committing turnovers on just 14.3 percent of offensive possessions, good for sixth-best nationally.

Washington State is committing turnovers on 21.2 percent of possessions, No. 292 nationally. Cutting down on giveaways is dependent in part on limiting Jaylen Clark’s opportunities for steals.

Clark has 32 steals to lead the Bruins. The versatile wing also is UCLA’s second-leading scorer at 15.7 points per game, behind only veteran Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s 17 ppg. Campbell delivers averages of 13.3 points and 4.3 assists.

–Field Level Media

Notre Dame coach Mike Brey is extremely wary of a well-rested No. 14 Miami in a return to Atlantic Coast Conference play on Friday afternoon in South Bend, Ind.

Those rested Hurricanes (12-1, 3-0 ACC), who have won eight straight games, are set to visit the Fighting Irish (8-5, 0-2), whose only conference games so far were both one-point losses to Syracuse and Florida State.

Brey, speaking after Notre Dame’s 59-43 win over Jacksonville on Tuesday, immediately referenced Miami in his postgame comments.

“We will be ultimately challenged on Friday with (Miami’s) guards,” Brey said. “This is one heck of an offensive group rolling in here.”

Indeed, Hurricanes guard Isaiah Wong ranks sixth in the ACC in scoring (17.2 points per game). Wong is also fourth in the league in steals (1.8) and is seventh in assists (4.5).

The Hurricanes also boast the ACC’s third-best rebounder in Norchad Omier (9.8). The 6-foot-7 forward, also is averaging 13.5 points and leads Miami in field-goal percentage (61.1), in a mark that is second best in the conference.

Among Miami’s regular six-man rotation, Bensley Joseph leads the team in 3-point percentage (45.7) and adds 6.5 points off the bench.

“Bensley also defends very well,” Miami coach Jim Larranaga said.

The other key Hurricanes players are 6-6 wing Jordan Miller, 6-foot point guard Nijel Pack and 6-5 shooting guard Wooga Poplar.

Miller is second on Miami in scoring (14.8), and he’s making 62.1 percent of his two-point shots. Pack is averaging 11.2 points, and Poplar is scoring at a clip of 7.9.

Miami hasn’t played since a 66-64 win over sixth-ranked Virginia on Dec. 20 after Wednesday’s game against Vermont was canceled because of travel-related issues.

Notre Dame, which beat 20th-ranked Michigan State earlier this season, dialed in its defense against Jacksonville. Notre Dame forced a season-high 17 turnovers and an opponent to the lowest point total since the 2014-2015 season.

“We were better in our man-to-man defense,” Brey said. “But we’re still a work in progress.”

All five Notre Dame starters are scoring in double figures on average: 6-10 center Nate Laszewski (14.3); 6-4 combo guard JJ Starling (13.1); 6-5 wing Cormac Ryan (12.5); 6-6 wing Dane Goodwin (11.2); and 6-5 point guard Trey Wertz (10.0).

Starling, a five-star recruit, is the highest-rated freshman of the 22-year Brey Era at Notre Dame.

“He’s getting more comfortable,” Brey said. “He’s improved defensively. He’s moving the ball. I’m excited with where he’s at.”

Laszewski leads the team in rebounds (7.7) and is shooting 66.1 percent on 2-pointers and 40.4 percent on 3-pointers. Goodwin is shooting 45.5 percent on 3-pointers, and Ryan is shooting 42.9 percent from deep. Wertz leads the team in assists (3.7) and steals (1.2).

The team’s sixth man is Niagara transfer Marcus Hammond, who is just back from injury. He is averaging 6.3 points and is shooting 41.2 percent from deep.

Hammond had a season-high and team-high 15 points against Jacksonville, making 6 of 11 shots from the floor, including 3 of 7 on 3-pointers.

“We need Marcus in his pre-injury form,” Brey said of Hammond, who has missed seven games this season. “He is a scorer, really gifted.”

–Field Level Media

Wisconsin will look to shake off the rust when the 15th-ranked Badgers host Western Michigan on Friday night in Madison, Wisc., in their final nonconference tuneup before Big Ten Conference play kicks into high gear.

Wisconsin (9-2) has been idle since a 78-56 home victory over Lehigh on Dec. 15 after their scheduled home game against Grambling State last Friday was canceled due to weather issues.

Western Michigan (4-8) is coming off a 61-41 home victory over Siena Heights on Dec. 21.

Wisconsin has won four straight. Against Lehigh, the Badgers erased a 43-38 deficit with runs of 11-0 and 12-0, shooting 65.5 percent in the second half — including 6 of 11 from 3-point range.

Before that, Wisconsin had seven consecutive games decided by five points or less, including both of the team’s losses — 69-68 in overtime to then-No. 3 Kansas in the Battle 4 Atlantis on Nov. 24 and 78-75 at home vs. Wake Forest five days later.

“We got back to doing the things that make us good,” Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said after the Lehigh game. “And it was small, simple things. It wasn’t erratic changes. It was just being more physical, more aggressive, specifically defensively, and I think that set our tone to make that 14 minutes pretty good.”

The defensive-minded Badgers allow an average of 60.8 points per game, 26th-best in the nation. They are 69-8 under Gard when holding opponents to 60 points or less, including 6-0 this season.

Wisconsin has held all 11 opponents this season under their scoring average.

Tyler Wahl leads Wisconsin’s balanced attack with averages of 14.5 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. Chucky Hepburn adds 12 points and Steven Crowl 10.3 points and 6.5 rebounds.

Connor Essegian (10.6 points) is just the fifth Badger freshman over the past 20 years to average at least 10 points through his first 11 games.

Wisconsin lost some backcourt depth with the season-ending loss of senior reserve Jahcobi Neath, who has been slow to respond to offseason knee surgery. Neath averaged 9.5 minutes in the first three games but has not played since Nov. 15.

Western Michigan has been unable to rise to the occasion against top competition. The Broncos lost 61-60 at Minnesota in their season opener and since have lost to Valparaiso, Rice, Dayton and Iowa State.

Lamar Norman Jr. averages a team-best 18.3 points a game. Tray Maddox Jr. is the only other scorer in double figures at 10.5 points for the Broncos, who will begin Mid-American Conference play at Kent State on Tuesday.

Maddox is a transfer guard from Cal State Fullerton.

“I just love the environment and the atmosphere here,” Maddox said after arriving at Western Michigan.

Markeese Hastings averages a team-high 9.3 rebounds for the Broncos, who have been outrebounded only three times this season.

Opponents are averaging 15 points per game off Broncos turnovers.

Wisconsin has faced Western Michigan just once, winning 80-68 at the old UW Field House in 1954. The Badgers are 41-12 all-time against opponents currently in the Mid-American Conference.

–Field Level Media

Lazar Stefanovic and Branden Carlson scored 11 points apiece as visiting Utah relied on its defense to beat California 58-43 on Thursday night.

Marco Anthony scored nine points and Ben Carlson added seven points and seven rebounds for Utah (10-4, 3-0 Pac-12), which snapped a two-game losing skid and held the Golden Bears to a season-low point total.

Kuany Kuany had 12 points and eight rebounds to lead Cal (1-13, 0-3), which recorded its first win of the season Dec. 21 against Texas-Arlington. Devin Askew and ND Okafor scored seven points apiece.

Off to its first 3-0 start in conference play since 2014-15, Utah limited the Golden Bears to 34 percent shooting and 2 of 12 (16.7 percent) from 3-point range.

After trailing by nine at the half, Cal used an 11-4 run to pull within 33-31 with just under 14 minutes remaining.

Utah responded with a 13-0 run and stretched its lead to 46-31 on Stefanovic’s trey with 9:45 left.

Gabe Madsen, who made seven 3-pointers and scored a career-high 26 points in Utah’s 75-71 loss to TCU on Wednesday, hit his only trey of the game with 5:15 remaining. That put the Utes ahead 50-39.

Branden Carlson converted two foul shots with 3:54 to extend the lead to 54-41, and the Utes were able to secure their fourth straight win over the Bears.

Cal never led again after scoring the first two points of the game. Utah limited the Golden Bears to 32 percent shooting in the first half and took a 27-18 advantage into intermission.

Madsen and Branden Carlson, Utah’s top two scorers entering the game, were held to a combined four points in the first half. Madsen finished with five points, well below his season average of 14.

Cal guard DeJuan Clayton made his season debut and scored five points in 22 minutes off the bench.

Rollie Worster grabbed seven rebounds for Utah, which shot 39.6 percent from the field and a season-low 15.8 percent (3 of 19) from beyond the arc.

–Field Level Media

Sophomore center Dain Dainja produced a career-high 22 points to go with six rebounds, four blocks and four steals in his first career start as Illinois capped its non-conference schedule with an 85-52 rout of Bethune-Cookman on Thursday night in Champaign, Illinois.

Coleman Hawkins notched 11 points and 11 rebounds for his third double-double of the season, while Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 13 points and freshman Sencire Harris added a season-high 12 for Illinois (9-4), which built a 32-point lead late in the first half and cruised from there.

Kevin Davis paced Bethune-Cookman (4-9) with 13 points and Dylan Robertson added 12. The Wildcats shot just 29.3 percent from the floor while dropping their fifth in a row. Chicago native Marcus Garrett, the Wildcats’ leading scorer at 14 points per game, was limited to five points on 1 of 9 shooting.

After his team’s stinging 22-point loss to Missouri in its previous outing on Dec. 22, Illinois coach Brad Underwood trotted out a new lineup and new offensive sets that emphasized more movement. With starting point guard Skyy Clark out due to a left shoulder injury, Harris made his first start. Dainja started in place of guard RJ Melendez.

Illinois ended the game’s suspense early as its swarming man-to-man defense suffocated Bethune-Cookman. The Fighting Illini bolted to a 10-0 lead as turnovers created fast-break layups for Hawkins and Shannon and a 3-pointer for Harris.

Bethune-Cookman finally scored on its 10th possession — Davis canning an 8-foot fadeaway five minutes into the game — but Illinois kept forcing turnovers that led to transition baskets.

Illinois induced 11 turnovers in the first 11 minutes en route to building a 31-10 advantage. The lead swelled to 44-12 on Jayden Epps’ 3-pointer with 3:24 to go before the Wildcats cut the margin to 47-19 by halftime – at which point Bethune-Cookman was shooting 20 percent from the field with 14 turnovers.

The Fighting Illini finished with 10 blocks and 10 steals as they forced 21 turnovers overall.

–Field Level Media

Senior Umoja Gibson scored a season-high 31 points and Javan Johnson added 21 to lead DePaul to a 83-76 victory over Georgetown in Big East play on Thursday in Chicago.

Gibson shot 8 of 12 from the field, including 5 of 8 from 3-point range, and was a perfect 10 of 10 from the free-throw line to go along with five assists and four rebounds. Johnson hit 8 of 14 from the floor, including 5 of 7 from 3-point range.

Jalen Terry finished with 14 points, five rebounds and five assists for the Blue Demons (7-7, 1-2 Big Ten), who ended a three-game losing streak.

The Blue Demons shot 28 of 62 (45.2 percent) from the field, including a red-hot 11 of 22 (50 percent) from 3-point range.

Georgetown (5-9, 0-3) dropped its 23rd straight Big East regular-season game dating to a win over Xavier on March 2, 2021.

The Hoyas were led by Brandon Murray, who had a career-high 29 points. The sophomore made all five of his 3-point attempts to go along with four rebounds. Qudus Wahab added 13 points and 16 rebounds, while Bryson Mozone chipped in nine points and seven rebounds.

The Hoyas, who have lost four straight games, shot 29 of 60 (48.3 percent) from the field, including 7 of 14 from beyond the arc.

After Wahab’s two free throws gave Georgetown a 61-58 lead with 9:42 remaining, DePaul countered with a 10-0 run to take a seven-point lead it wouldn’t relinquish following Terry’s layup with 7:21 to go.

Georgetown pulled within 75-73 on Primo Spears’ jumper with 1:48 left, but Gibson followed with two free throws for a four-point lead with 1:28 left.

After Wahab split a pair of free throws with 1:13 left, Murray split another pair to make it 77-75 with a minute to go. Gibson sank two free throws to make it a four-point game with 20 seconds left.

DePaul went on a 10-4 run over the final 3 1/2 minutes of the first half to take a 47-40 advantage into halftime.

–Field Level Media

Donald Carey scored 19 points, sparking cold-shooting Maryland with four 3-pointers in the second half as the Terrapins pulled away from UMBC in a 80-64 victory Thursday in College Park, Md.

Jahmir Young had 18 points and seven rebounds, while Hakim Hart contributed 16 points and six boards as the Terps (10-3) overcame missing 14 of their first 15 attempts from beyond the arc.

Carey was the lone Terp who thrived from deep as he hit 5 of 7 shots from distance, including four in the final 13 minutes, as Maryland transformed a two-point lead into a double-digit margin.

Aside from Carey, the Terps did it by taking the ball to the rim. They outscored the Retrievers in the paint 36-28 and at the free-throw line 22-11 as they improved to 15-0 in series history.

UMBC (9-5) saw the end of its six-game winning streak despite the work of Craig Beaudoin II, who scored 14 points on 6 of 9 shooting. Jarvis Doles added 14 points and seven rebounds but missed all seven of his shots from the floor in the second half.

The Terps limited the Retrievers’ top two scorers, Colton Lawrence and Matteo Picarelli, to four points apiece. They shot a combined 2 of 13 from the floor.

The Retrievers trailed 44-42 with 13:18 left as Picarelli made two free throws.

But the Terps responded with an 11-2 spree fueled by 3-pointers by Carey and Hart. After that, Maryland remained in control behind Carey, who scored all but three of his points in the second half.

After missing a game with a shoulder injury, Julian Reese came off the bench to score all seven of his points in the second half. Donta Scott added 11 points and nine rebounds for Maryland.

A 10-0 run by the Retrievers, finished off by 3-pointers from Doles and Dion Brown (10 points, nine rebounds), gave UMBC an early 17-11 lead.

But the Terps followed with a 14-1 sprint in which Young scored half of the Terps points. Hart added a low-post bucket and followed with a steal and a breakaway slam as the Terps took a 25-18 lead.

– Field Level Media

Jesse Zarzuela scored 19 points, Reggie Bass scored the go-ahead 3-pointer with 11 seconds remaining and Central Michigan upset Michigan 63-61 in Ann Arbor on Thursday night.

Bass finished with 16 points and seven rebounds. Brian Taylor added 12 points for Central Michigan (5-8), which snapped a four-game losing streak.

Kobe Bufkin led Michigan (7-5) with 16 points and Hunter Dickinson had 13. Jett Howard added 12 points and Dug McDaniel chipped in 10.

Both teams were playing for the first time since Dec. 21.

Howard got off to a strong start, scoring eight points in less than six minutes as Michigan scored the first seven points. Bass made a layup to cut the Wolverines’ advantage to 15-11 seven minutes into the contest.

Neither side scored for over three minutes until Taylor knocked down a jumper. A dunk by Dickinson and bucket by McDaniel stretched the Wolverines’ lead to 23-15.

The Chippewas then finished the half on a 12-5 run, leaving Michigan clinging to a 28-27 lead. Taylor had two baskets and Zarzuela had a three-point play during that stretch. Bass briefly gave CMU the lead with a 3-pointer but the Wolverines’ Joey Baker answered with another long ball.

After Michigan nudged the lead to six again early in the second half, Central Michigan had a 7-0 spurt capped by Zarzuela’s 3-pointer.

Bass’ 3-pointer with 12 minutes to go gave the Chippewas a 45-44 edge. That began another 7-0 spurt, finished off by another Zarzuela basket.

Zarzuela’s bucket with five minutes left gave Central Michigan a 58-55 lead. Bufkin tied it with a three-point play.

Dickinson made a free throw with 2:27 left to give Michigan a 61-60 edge.

After four empty possessions, the Chippewas called a timeout with 30 seconds left. Bass drained his decisive 3-pointer, his fourth of the day. Bufkin then missed a 3-pointer and Dickinson missed a putback on Michigan’s final possession.

This was the first matchup between the two programs since November 2017. Michigan is now 22-4 all-time against Central Michigan.

–Field Level Media

Nebraska used a 20-0 scoring run in the first half to beat Iowa 66-50 on Thursday night in a Big Ten Conference game in Lincoln, Neb.

The Cornhuskers (8-6, 1-2 Big Ten) snapped a four-game losing streak in the series by holding the Hawkeyes (8-5, 0-2) to 26 percent shooting, including 12 of 45 from inside the 3a-point arc.

Nebraska led 38-26 at the half thanks to a banked 3-pointer from Juwan Gary just before the break. The margin stretched to 22 after a 12-2 run early in the second half, with Gary’s dunk making it 52-30 with 15:39 remaining.

Two free throws by Emmanuel Bandoumel and a basket by Wilhelm Breidenbach pushed the lead to 56-32 moments later.

Gary was one of five Cornhuskers in double figures, finishing with 14 points and nine rebounds, while Sam Griesel had 12 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.

Nebraska shot only 40.7 percent but used a 54-40 rebounding advantage, including 40 defensive boards, to keep the Hawkeyes in check.

An 8-0 run got Iowa within 60-45 with 3:22 to go, but Nebraska scored on its next three possessions to seal the win.

Iowa, the top-scoring team in the Big Ten at 83.8 points per game, started 3 of 28 from the field with 16 consecutive misses during a 20-0 Nebraska run and trailed 29-8 with 5:48 left in the first half. The drought ended on a 3-pointer by Kris Murray, who had missed the previous four games with a foot injury.

Murray’s trey keyed an 8-0 run Iowa run, and he hit another 3-pointer with 1:40 left in the half to get the Hawkeyes within 33-24. Murray finished with 17 points, while Filip Rebraca had 16 points and 13 rebounds.

Iowa remains on the road to face Penn State on Sunday, while Nebraska travels to Michigan State on Tuesday.

–Field Level Media

Devin Carter scored a game-high 21 points as Providence overwhelmed Butler in Indianapolis on Thursday night, cruising to a 72-52 victory to extend its winning streak to six games.

Carter connected on 9 of 16 shots while nabbing four steals on the defensive end. He was also instrumental in crafting a first-half run that broke the game open and put the Friars (11-3, 3-0 Big East) ahead for good.

Ed Croswell chipped in 15 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, and Jared Bynum finished with 11 points and a game-high seven assists for Providence, which shot 45 percent from the field (27 of 60).

Jalen Thomas paced the Bulldogs (8-6, 0-3) with 12 points, six rebounds and a pair of blocks. Manny Bates also supplied 12 points and three blocks, and Chuck Harris notched 10 points for Butler, which has dropped three straight following a four-game winning streak.

Nothing came easy from beyond the arc for the hosts, who made just 2 of 16 shots from deep (12.5 percent). They also went just 10-for-16 at the foul line.

The Bulldogs showed some life early in the second half, putting together an 8-0 spurt to trim their deficit to 21. Bates punctuated the surge with a pair of dunks.

But Butler couldn’t generate much momentum from its brief rally, failing to seriously threaten Providence the rest of the way.

Carter got off to a blazing start, scoring 10 of Providence’s first 14 points. His efforts kickstarted a colossal 25-3 run that gave the Friars a commanding 20-point lead, and he also capped the surge with a statement dunk with 7:15 left in the first half.

That lead continued to balloon before Providence went into the break up 46-18. The Bulldogs had pulled within 18 but couldn’t overcome a dismal shooting performance prior to halftime (6-for-24) and 18 first-half points from Carter.

Of the five Butler players to score in the first 20 minutes of action, only Thomas (six points) and Ali Ali (five) scored more than three points.

–Field Level Media