The UCLA men’s basketball team is currently on a four-game losing streak and will look to win its first game in December in the team’s Pac-12 opener at Oregon State on Thursday. The Bruins are 102-40 all-time against the Beavers, including winning five of their last six matchups.
Here’s what you need to know about the Pac-12 conference matchup:
UCLA AT OREGON STATE
When: Thursday, 7 p.m. PT
Where: Gill Coliseum, Corvallis, Oregon
TV/Radio: Pac-12 Network/570 AM
Records: UCLA 5-6, Oregon State 8-3
UCLA’s latest result: UCLA is coming off a 69-60 loss at home to Maryland in its final regular season nonconference game on Dec. 22. Freshman guard Sebastian Mack had a team-high 17 points and sophomore guard Dylan Andrews added 11 points. Mack and Andrews were the only two Bruins who scored in double figures. UCLA is on a four-game losing streak for the first time since the 2020-2021 season, when the team lost four straight games heading into the 2021 NCAA tournament, which ended with UCLA winning five consecutive games to advance to the Final Four in Indianapolis before losing to Gonzaga in a classic semfinal game.
Oregon State’s latest result: Oregon State is coming off a 76-57 win against Idaho State on Dec. 21. The Beavers were led by sophomore guard Jordan Pope with 25 points and eight assists. Oregon State is 8-0 at home this season with their lone three losses coming during a three-game stretch against Nebraska, No. 17 Baylor, and Pittsburgh back in November.
Matchup to watch: UCLA’s Sebastian Mack, the two-time Pac-12 Freshman of the Week versus Oregon State sophomore guard Jordan Pope is the scoring matchup to watch on Thursday. Mack is leading the Bruins at 15.2 points per game and has shown the ability to get to the free-throw line when UCLA needs a scoring punch. However, the 6-foot-3 freshman guard is still working on his shot selection and he is shooting 38.9% from the field, 26.9% from three-point range and 79.5% at the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Pope is leading the Beavers at 16.9 points per game, while shooting more efficiently than Mack. He’s shooting 44.1% from the field, 39.1% from three-point range and 93.1% at the free-throw line.
UCLA trends to watch: As a team, the Bruins are shooting 29.4% from three-point range in their first 11 games. However, the last time they won a game, which was a 66-65 win at home against UC Riverside on Nov. 30, UCLA shot 38.9% (7 of 18) from beyond the arc. Shooting well above 30% from three-point range is paramount if the Bruins want to turn around their season in Pac-12 play. Despite their 8-3 record, Oregon State is shooting 29.3% from three-point range in nonconference play. If UCLA can hold the Beavers to or below their average from the beyond arc, they could leave Corvallis 1-0 in Pac-12 play.