UCLA @ Washington St. preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 29, 2017 ) Washington St. 82, UCLA 96

One of the more frustrating teams in college basketball, UCLA may have figured things out in time to make a run at the Pac-12 title. After turning in a dominant performance against Arizona, the Bruins look to build some much-needed momentum Wednesday against Washington State before facing first-place Washington on Saturday.

UCLA snapped a three-game losing skid with last Saturday’s 90-69 win over Arizona as sophomore guard Kris Wilkes scored a career-high 34 points and 7-1 freshman center Moses Brown added 11 points and 15 rebounds. Wilkes broke out of a mini-shooting slump by making 12-of-16 shots and five-of-seven from 3-point range, while Brown flashed his early-season form after struggling in recent weeks. Interim coach Murry Bartow was also pleased by the play of 6-10 junior Alex Olesinski, who has missed most of the season due to injury but could move into the rotation after playing 10 quality minutes against Arizona. “He’s a guy that you’ve got to look well beyond the stat sheet to see his value,” Bartow told reporters. “He’s smart, he’s experienced. He just knows how to play. He does a little bit of everything, and he’s an important guy for us moving forward.”

TV: 10 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network

ABOUT UCLA (11-9, 4-3 Pac-12): Sophomore guard Jaylen Hands recorded his first double-double since Dec. 12 with 12 points and 11 assists against Arizona as the Bruins shot 57.9 percent from the field and posted their most lopsided win over the Wildcats since February 2011. Arizona couldn’t stop Wilkes, who ranks third in the Pac-12 in scoring at 17.8 points per game but is shooting just 64.6 percent from the foul line. Brown averages nine rebounds while shooting 64 percent from the field and should have plenty of opportunities against the undersized Cougars.

ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE (8-12, 1-6): The Cougars played an impressive first half against Oregon last Saturday but faltered after the break and lost 78-58 despite 19 points from senior forward Robert Franks. Freshman forward CJ Elleby added 15 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Cougars, who have lost three in a row and nine of their last 10. Junior forward Jeff Pollard played a season-high 32 minutes against Oregon and finished with 10 points but has grabbed a total of five rebounds over his last four games.

TIP-INS

1. UCLA has won the last four meetings against Washington State and holds a commanding 107-17 lead in the all-time series.

2. Franks leads the Pac-12 in scoring at 21.2 points per game while shooting 51.1 percent from the field.

3. The Bruins are 104-13 when leading at halftime since the start of the 2013-14 season.

PREDICTION: UCLA 79, Washington State 66