UCLA @ Arizona State preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 14, 2019 ) UCLA 72, Arizona State 83

UCLA has climbed back into the Pac-12 race by following the lead of first-year coach Mick Cronin, who was known for his sideline intensity over 13 seasons at Cincinnati. The Bruins have won four of their last five games and look to take another step forward on Thursday against host Arizona State, which is coming off an impressive win at Washington.

Freshman point guard Tyger Campbell recorded a career-high 22 points with eight assists in last Sunday’s 73-57 victory over Utah as the Bruins continued to change perceptions about their young squad. “People have a lot of prejudice in the world, unfortunately,” Cronin told reporters. “They prejudge West Coast kids. They prejudge UCLA kids, saying they’re soft or they’re selfish. These guys are proving that they’re not. We’re not a finished product, but their effort is there. That’s all you can really ask, and you just try to build habits over time.” Junior guard Chris Smith averages 12.7 points and 5.2 rebounds to lead a UCLA team that opened conference play with a 1-3 record but now sits 1-1/2 games behind first-place Oregon. The Bruins have lost their last three meetings against Arizona State, which had five players score in double figures in last Saturday’s 87-83 win over Washington.

TIME: 11 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN2

ABOUT UCLA (12-10, 5-4 Pac-12): Guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. was named Pac-12 freshman of the week after averaging 15.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals while shooting 50 percent from the field in home wins over Colorado and Utah. The Bruins have made dramatic improvements on the defensive end since Cronin settled on a starting lineup of Jaquez, Smith, Campbell, David Singleton and Jalen Hill six games ago. Cronin is seeking more consistent play from the 6-10 Hill, who was a non-factor against Colorado last Thursday before recording 14 points and eight rebounds against the Utes.

ABOUT ARIZONA STATE (13-8, 4-4): The Sun Devils used a balanced attack in the win over Washington with Remy Martin (19 points), Romello White (18), Rob Edwards (18), Alonzo Verge (18) and forward Khalid Thomas (10) each filling the box score. Thomas had been a forgotten man during league play but strengthened his case for more playing time after shooting 4-of-7 from the field in 19 minutes against the Huskies. Martin is second in the league in scoring at 19.3 points per game while White is shooting 64.3 percent from the field and ranks second in the Pac-12 in rebounding at nine per game.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. UCLA has won seven of the last 11 meetings against Arizona State and owns a 68-22 lead in the all-time series.

2. Arizona State leads the Pac-12 in steals at 7.95 per game.

3. UCLA is 12-0 this season when limiting opponents to 73 points or fewer.

PREDICTION: Arizona State 72, UCLA 67