UCLA @ Washington preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 2, 2019 ) UCLA 55, Washington 69

Washington star freshman Isaiah Stewart has been as good as advertised, but he’ll need some additional support in order for the Huskies to claim their second straight Pac-12 regular-season championship. Washington begins the journey with Thursday's conference opener against visiting UCLA, which is riding a three-game losing streak.

Stewart was named Pac-12 freshman of the week for the third time this season after averaging 25.5 points and 10.5 rebounds while shooting 61.8 percent from the field in games against Hawaii and Houston at the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu. Washington saw its three-game win streak come to an end with a 75-71 loss to Houston in the championship game despite another stellar outing from Stewart, who recorded a game-high 25 points and eight rebounds. “He’s an amazing competitor,” coach Mike Hopkins told reporters. “He’s an elite player. There’s no getting around that. The other guys on our team, we’ve got to step up. We got some good opportunities and we missed some easy shots. At the end there were some hustle plays, second-chance baskets, full-clock dribble penetration that we just can’t allow to happen.” The Huskies look to bounce back against a struggling UCLA team that hit a new low with last Sunday’s 77-74 loss to Cal State Fullerton.

TIME: 10 p.m. ET. TV: Fox Sports 1

ABOUT UCLA (7-6): Freshman point guard Tyger Campbell recorded season highs in points (18) and assists (nine) against Cal State Fullerton, which shot 58.3 percent from 3-point range and 50.9 percent from the field. “Our metrics are horrible,” coach Mick Cronin told reporters. “We’re not good enough to win with offense. We have to win with defense. Our defensive effort is beyond sickening. Sickening at the highest level.” One bright spot has been the play of freshman wing Jaime Jaquez Jr., who has averaged 13.1 points and 7.1 rebounds in the last seven games.

ABOUT WASHINGTON (10-3): Kentucky transfer Quade Green is averaging 15.4 points and 6.2 assists while shooting 64 percent from the field over the last five games for the Huskies, whose non-conference schedule included losses to Tennessee and Gonzaga. Hopkins has settled on a six-man rotation and relies heavily on freshman forward Jaden McDaniels, who ranks second on the team in scoring at 14.3 points per game while averaging a team-high 34.4 minutes per contest. Junior forward Nahziah Carter snapped out of a brief shooting slump by scoring 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting in the loss to Houston.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. UCLA has won seven of the last 10 meetings against the Huskies and owns a 99-43 lead in the all-time series.

2. Washington is 38-6 at home under Hopkins.

3. UCLA leads the Pac-12 in rebounding margin at plus-8.69.

PREDICTION: Washington 79, UCLA 66