Indiana basketball will host the Bruins as they aim to create a win streak. Read more for a full Indiana vs UCLA prediction and preview.
After a thrilling win against No. 11 Michigan State, the Hoosiers kept their season alive. They come back to Bloomington to face UCLA.
Game Information:
- Teams: Indiana (15-10, 6-8) and UCLA (18-7, 9-5)
- Tip-Off: 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT)
- Watch: FOX
- Listen: SiriusXM Channel 84 and Varsity Network
Latest on Indiana basketball:
Indiana basketball should feel pretty good about themselves based on their previous game. They have just come off a shocking 71-67 win against No. 11 Michigan State. Before this game, the Spartans were second in the Big Ten Conference; however, with the Michigan Wolverines defeating Purdue in their most recent game, the Spartans are now third in the standings.
Their win was essential to keeping their tournament dreams alive. This is thanks to some changes that head coach Mike Woodson made halfway through the first half of the game.
It was looking like another Indiana blowout. The Hoosiers found themselves down double digits in the first 10 minutes of the game. This is until they switched to a zone defense- a formation that Woodson does not usually play. This tweak was the method to the madness. They were getting dominated in the paint; however, the zone formation and their defensive composure exploited the Spartans, forcing them to shoot from downtown. This is the worst 3-point shooting season that Michigan State has had under head coach Tom Izzo. Indiana proved that they can play smart and adapt to other teams.
“The zone helped us; that was a key factor tonight in winning this ball game.” Said Woodson.
The Hoosiers have failed to close out four close games this season, including one in which they found themselves up with only minutes to go. Against the Spartans, however, they locked in and came out on top.
Malik Reneau was not in the starting lineup like he usually is. Woodson made the decision to bench him, but this may have been what Reneau needed to step it up. He was on fire in his 29 minutes of play, leading the team with 19 points. Not only did he have a stellar offensive performance, but he also brought down 12 rebounds—10 defensive.
“I can’t say enough about Malik,” said Woodson. “He came in and played his ass off.”
“I was getting frustrated with myself earlier on in the stretch, but coach came up to me and told me, “They’ve got no shot blockers, just go straight to the rim,” and that’s what I started doing,” said Reneau in the postgame Q&A.
Oumar Ballo also left the court with a double-double, scoring 14 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
Anthony Leal was seen in the starting lineup again. Trey Galloway started in place of Myles Rice.
Latest on UCLA basketball:
Sitting fifth in the Big Ten standings, UCLA has a conference record of 9-5. However, they are hitting the court after an 83-78 loss to Illinois. Before this, the Bruins held onto an impressive seven-game winning streak. UCLA never took the lead against the Illini. However, the score does not accurately reflect the Bruins’ presentation. With a 16-2 UCLA run, the Bruins returned from a 76-60 deficit with five minutes left. Illinois closed out the game.
Offensively, UCLA had a disappointing start. Only scoring 13 points in the first 15 minutes of the game wasn’t good. The Bruins shot only 9/28 from inside the arc throughout the first half.
The rebound game also wasn’t pretty. UCLA gave up 10 points in second-chance scoring. This can be seen as a season trend as the Bruins are outside of the top 300 in the country, averaging 32 rebounds per game.
A positive point for UCLA was Tyler Bilodeau’s 24-point performance. He has been their key scorer all season. He sunk 7/12 3-point shots. Kobe Johnson and Sebastian Mack also scored double digits. Johnson scored 14, and Mack recorded 11.
Yes, it is great that they have players consistently playing well. However, the rest of the team needs to step up offensively if they want to continue winning. They were exploited by the Fighting Illini.
Interestingly, the Bruins have yet to win a game east of Phoenix this season. It seems that the cold weather hasn’t been treating UCLA basketball very nicely. With a low of 15 degrees in Bloomington on Friday, the Bruins better brace themselves and come prepared.