Los Angeles, CA (My Sportsbook) - The ninth-ranked and red-hot UCLA Bruins put their 14-game home winning streak on the line tonight, as they host the Arizona Wildcats in a Pac-10 showdown at Pauley Pavilion.
Since dropping a 68-64 decision at Texas back on December 4th, the Bruins have ripped off nine straight wins, including three in a row to start Pac-10 play. All three league wins came on the road, including a 64-60 triumph of USC on Sunday. Now at 13-2 overall, the Bruins return to Pauley Pavilion, where they have won 14 straight games, including all eight this season.
As for Arizona, it rebounded from an 0-2 start to Pac-10 play with back-to- back home wins over Oregon (67-52) and most recently Oregon State (64-47) on Saturday. With the pair of wins, the team improved itself to 11-5 on the campaign. The Wildcats though, have dropped all four of their true road games this season, including both in league action.
Tonight's game marks the 77th all-time meeting between Arizona and UCLA, with the Bruins holding a 45-31 lead in the series. The Bruins have won each of the past seven meetings, the longest streak for either program in the last 24 seasons.
Behind the trio of Jordan Hill, Chase Budinger and Nic Wise, the Wildcats have been able to generate 70.6 ppg and outrebound their foes by 5.9 rpg. Hill is in the midst of a terrific campaign and he leads Arizona in both scoring and rebounding with his double-double average of 17.8 ppg and 12.0 rpg. Budinger nips at his heels with 17.3 ppg and he is also collecting 5.9 rpg and shooting 42.9 percent from long range. Wise chips in with 13.6 ppg and he has been in charge of getting the ball to Hill and Budinger, handing out a team-best 4.8 apg. On Saturday, Budinger poured in 24 points and snared six caroms to power Arizona in a win over Oregon State. Hill registered a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds for Arizona, which controlled the boards 33-25.
The Bruins are averaging a solid 76.2 ppg on an efficient 49.6 percent shooting from the field this season, but that hasn't come at the expense of their stingy defense, as they are allowing only 58.3 ppg. Darren Collison, a 93.9 percent free-throw shooter, is the leader of this club and he paces UCLA in scoring (15.2 ppg), assists (5.4 apg) and steals (27). Josh Shipp chips in with 11.7 ppg, and Jrue Holiday puts forth 10.5 ppg. On Sunday, Collison tallied 18 points and dolled out six assists in leading UCLA past USC on the road. Holiday had 13 points in the win and Shipp finished with 10. UCLA knocked down 8-of-20 shots from long range and 14-of-19 at the charity stripe in the game.
