Michigan St. @ UCLA preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 22, 2018 ) Michigan St 87, UCLA 67

No. 3 Michigan State looks to salvage a fifth-place finish at the Maui Invitational when it faces UCLA on Wednesday afternoon. The Spartans rebounded from an upset loss to Virginia Tech in the first round with a victory over Georgia on Tuesday, while the Bruins defeated host Chaminade to advance to the fifth-place game.

Michigan State guard Cassius Winston is one of the best players in the country, averaging 17.5 points and 6.3 assists in leading the Spartans. Forward Aaron Henry has showed some aggressiveness in the tournament, averaging 16 points in the Spartans' two games compared to 11.3 points in the three games prior. Sophomore big man Jalen Hill leads the Bruins in both scoring (12.6 points) and rebounding (eight) and should present an interesting challenge for the Spartans' front line, especially after being shut out in 12 minutes in the teams' meeting last season. Chris Smith (11.9 points) and Cody Riley (11.1) combined for 21 points off the bench against the Spartans last season.

TV: 2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2

ABOUT MICHIGAN STATE (4-2): The rotation at power forward seems to be changing for the Spartans, as Marcus Bingham Jr. made his first start of the season on Tuesday, replacing Thomas Kithier. Kithier played just four minutes against Georgia, while Bingham played 18, scoring five points and grabbing six rebounds. Freshman forwards Malik Hall (23 minutes) and Julius Marble (six minutes) both played more than Kithier as well, which may be a case of Kithier having an undisclosed injury or Izzo just feeling like the other options were better than his usual sophomore starter.

ABOUT UCLA (5-2): The Bruins have been helped in the early going of the season with an edge on most of their opponents on the boards, as they are averaging 37.7 rebounds compared to the competition's 28.4. But UCLA will be going up against one of the perennial best rebounding teams in Michigan State, so there must be an emphasis on hitting the glass, especially on the defensive end of the floor. UCLA held it own with the Spartans in last season's meeting, only getting outrebounded 37-33, but the Bruins also lost the Las Vegas Invitational contest by 20.

TIP-INS

1. Michigan State F Xavier Tillman had his second double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds in the win over Georgia.

2. UCLA freshman swingman Jaime Jaquez Jr. led the Bruins with career-high totals of 17 points and 12 rebounds in Tuesday's win over Chaminade.

3. This will be the 10th meeting between the schools, with UCLA leading the all-time series 6-3.

PREDICTION: Michigan State 82, UCLA 74