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The Utes are back on the road starting tonight against UCLA at Pauley Pavilion after a tough home stand this last week against the Arizona schools. The Utes battled against the Wildcats and the Devils, but the hole they dug in those games was too much to overcome. We have seen the guard line play really well, but the missing Donnie Tillman has hurt the Utes with their depth. The kid is just a playmaker.
As for UCLA, they’re coming off of a split of the Bay Area trip, with a win over Cal and a double overtime loss to Stanford. UCLA has had their fair share of turmoil this season, with the whole China trip and all. The Bruins do have a nice record at 12-4 and 3-1 in league play. The big win for UCLA is over Kentucky, which as a Utah fan is great, because, you know, Kentucky. The Bruins have also lost to Cincinnati, Creighton and Michigan, three solid losses to go on the resume. The Bruins are building a solid resume, but they have turned over a lot of talent from last year’s team, including Lonzo Ball, who is playing with Kyle Kuzma on the Lakers. Here are some additional notes from the Utah press release on the game:
The Bruins rank first in Pac-12 and 9th in the nation with 29.9 defensive rebounds per game. They also rank No. 1 in Pac-12 in total rebounds (654) and rebounds per game (40.88) ... Thomas Welsh ranks No. 2 in the league with 11.1 rebounds per game average ... Aaron Holiday ranks among top players in Pac-12 in scoring (19.4) and assists (5.3).
Here’s how to check out the game:
Date/Tipoff: Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018 | 9 p.m.
Location: Los Angeles, Calif. (Pauley Pavilion)
Television: ESPN // espn.com // ESPN mobile app
Radio: ESPN700 // espn700sports.com // ESPN700 mobile app