UCLA @ Oregon St. preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 21, 2019 ) Oregon St. 67, UCLA 68

UCLA coach Mick Cronin may have finally found the focal point of his offense in 6-10 forward Jalen Hill, who has scored at least 11 points in each of the Bruins’ last three games. The redshirt sophomore looks to carry the momentum into Thursday’s matchup against Oregon State, which returns home after dropping both games against the Washington schools last week.

Hill ranks second on the team in scoring (9.9 points per game) and first in rebounding (7.3) but has frustrated Cronin with his inconsistent play. Hill moved back into the starting lineup last week and responded with 14 points and 12 rebounds in a 74-59 loss to Stanford before recording 11 points, six boards, four steals and three assists in last Sunday’s 50-40 win over California. “I’m out there asking him to do things for 32, 35 minutes at a high level for the first time in his career, so there’s going to be mistakes,” Cronin told reporters. “My whole thing with him, you’ve got to stand in there and fight and keep scrapping. If you do, we’ll get some wins, and he’ll become who he wants to become as a player. All he has to do to have a career in this game is play hard all the time.” The Bruins begin their two-game road trip against Oregon State, which is battling for an NCAA Tournament berth and defeated Arizona 82-65 in its last home game on Jan. 12.

TV: 11 p.m. ET. TV: Fox Sports 1

ABOUT UCLA (9-9, 2-3 Pac-12): Junior guard Chris Smith has averaged 15.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists in league play for the Bruins, who lead the Pac-12 in rebounding margin at plus-7.1. Freshman wing Jaime Jaquez Jr. continued his strong play with 11 points in the win over Cal as the Bruins allowed their fewest points in a game since holding USC to 40 in March 2012. Senior guard Prince Ali, who is shooting 38.2 percent from the field and 21.3 percent from 3-point range, missed last Sunday’s contest due to an ankle injury but should be available to face Oregon State.

ABOUT OREGON STATE (12-6, 2-4): Senior forward Tres Tinkle, who ranks second in the Pac-12 in scoring (19.7) and 10th in rebounding (6.9), recorded 22 points and eight boards in last Saturday’s 89-76 loss to Washington State. The Beavers have two seniors and three juniors in their starting lineup, including guard Ethan Thompson, who is averaging 16.1 points while shooting 50.3 percent from the field. Senior Kylor Kelley has scored in double figures in five consecutive games and is second in the nation in blocked shots per game (3.94).

BUZZER BEATERS

1. UCLA owns a 97-39 lead in the series against Oregon State, including a 40-29 edge in Corvallis.

2. Oregon State is 66-15 in six seasons under coach Wayne Tinkle when leading at halftime.

3. UCLA is 9-0 this season when holding opponents to 73 points or fewer.

PREDICTION: Oregon State 77, UCLA 68