Marquette @ UCLA preview
Pauley Pavilion
The last time UCLA and Marquette met on the basketball court, the coaches were future Hall of Famers John Wooden and Al McGuire.
The schools square off for the first time in 56 years when the Golden Eagles visit the Bruins on Friday night at Pauley Pavilion.
Wooden's Bruins posted a 61-52 victory over McGuire's Marquette club in the meeting on Dec. 18, 1964, a contest played in Milwaukee. UCLA also won the lone other meeting between the programs on Dec. 31, 1949.
It is a different era now but both teams are 4-1 entering a contest that will be a stern test for each squad.
"We need to prepare really well," Marquette coach Steve Wojciechowski said. "UCLA's an outstanding team, an outstanding program. It'll be our first road game, which is always a new experience for the new guys, but hopefully they'll be able to meet that challenge head on."
The Golden Eagles already have an impressive victory on the resume after defeating then-No. 4 Wisconsin 67-65 last Friday.
UCLA lost its opener to San Diego State and has since won four straight games.
The last three victories have all been by 20 or more points, including Wednesday's 83-56 shellacking of the University of San Diego.
Kentucky transfer Johnny Juzang played for the first time after missing the first four games with a right foot injury. He didn't appear rusty as he scored 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting in 20 minutes off the bench.
"It's been a long time, a lot of training, a lot of pickup games, nothing real," Juzang said afterward. "... I felt great with my conditioning and my foot, so I'm grateful for that. I was just excited to be out there."
Juzang is expected to add outside shooting touch to a team that currently has four other players scoring in double digits.
Chris Smith leads the way at 15.0 per game, while Tyger Campbell and Jaime Jaquez Jr. are both averaging 14.2. Cody Riley is contributing 10 points per game.
"This year, we're a lot deeper," UCLA coach Mick Cronin said of his team's depth. "I think we've got more weapons, guys are a little older. So we're trying to embrace playing at a faster pace."
Koby McEwen leads Marquette with a 16.6 average, topped by the 28 he scored in Tuesday's 82-68 home win over Green Bay. Dawson Garcia is chipping in 12.8 per game and Jamal Cain is averaging 10.6.
"We talk a lot about being balanced offensively and on any given night, it can be different guys that, when you look at the stat sheet, lead us in scoring," Wojciechowski said. "And we just want the ball to find the best shot."
--Field Level Media