Utah @ UCLA preview

Utah at UCLA

Last Meeting ( Feb 22, 2018 ) UCLA 78, Utah 84

It’s been a strange Pac-12 season for Utah, which is 2-3 in home conference games but 4-1 in road contests. So, oddly, the good news for the Runnin’ Utes is that they’re on the road again Saturday as they visit UCLA.

Utah continued its upside-down Pac-12 campaign Wednesday with a 77-70 win over USC in a game that the Utes led by as many as 23 points midway through the second half. Six players finished with at least nine points for Utah, which limited USC to 38-percent shooting on the other end of the court. “It was danged-good defense,” Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak said in his post-game news conference. “We were locked in. They have some really good offensive players, and we tried to make things difficult for them.” UCLA, meanwhile, has found Pac-12 play to be difficult after a 3-0 start, dropping six of its last eight games, including Wednesday night’s homestand opener to Colorado by an 84-73 count.

TV: 5 p.m. ET, FOX

ABOUT UTAH (12-10, 6-4 Pac-12): Forward Both Gach led the Utes with 15 points versus USC, but it’s the continued emergence of 7-footer Jayce Johnson that’s been the team’s most notable storyline of late. Johnson notched his third double-double of the season with 13 points and 13 rebounds Wednesday and is averaging 10 points and 11 boards over his last five games. Overall, senior guard Sedrick Barefield averages a team-best 16.1 points and 3.8 assists for the Utes, who remain atop the conference field-goal percentage and 3-point shooting ranks at 46.9 and 37.6 percent, respectively.

ABOUT UCLA (12-11, 5-5): All five of the Bruins’ Pac-12 losses have been by double digits, including Wednesday’s defeat in which they had little defense for the visiting Buffaloes who shot 53.8 percent, including 13-of-22 from 3-point range. Overall, UCLA is surrendering 75 points per game, which is the worst in the Pac-12 aside from bottom-feeders Washington State (78.7) and California (79.2). Offensively, guards Kris Wilkes and Jaylen Hands lead the way, with the former ranking fourth in the conference with his 17.4-point average and the latter averaging 11.8 points and a conference-best 6.4 assists.

TIP-INS

1. UCLA leads the series 10-8 after the teams each held serve at home a season ago, and the Bruins are 7-3 against the Utes in L.A.

2. 7-1 freshman C Moses Brown leads UCLA and ranks fourth in the Pac-12 with 8.7 rebounds per contest and matched his Pac-12 scoring high Wednesday with 17 points.

3. The Bruins rank second in the Pac-12 with a 6.0 average rebound margin and also rank second with 11.8 offensive rebounds per outing.

PREDICTION: Utah 77, UCLA 75