UCLA makes its first visit to State College, Pa., on Wednesday when the Bruins visit a Penn State team looking for its first win in Big Ten play.
The Nittany Lions (9-7, 0-5 Big Ten) are riding a three-game losing streak that could also be considered their best three games of the year. Yes, they lost to No. 4 Michigan, No. 5 Purdue and No. 13 Illinois – but by a total of 18 points.
Penn State followed up with his dramatic near miss against then-No. 2 Michigan on January 6 with a 93-85 loss Saturday at Purdue. The Nittany Lions were within a point of the Boilermakers at halftime before falling short.
“With these guys, I have a lot of hope because they do things the right way, they act the right way, they work the right way,” Penn State coach Mike Rhoades said Monday. “You just want to see results.”
UCLA (11-5, 3-2) is also looking for new results from its visit to Penn State – particularly its second victory away from Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins improved to 10-0 at home with Saturday’s 67-55 win over Maryland. They had to overcome a 48-29 rebounding disparity as forward Tyler Bilodeau was limited to 21 minutes due to foul trouble.
UCLA also had to deal with the absence of senior guard Skyy Clark, who suffered a hamstring injury in the Jan. 3 loss to Iowa. Clark was sidelined in the subsequent loss at Wisconsin, which dropped the Bruins to 1-5 on the road, as well as in Maryland’s victory.
The status of Clark, who is averaging 13.5 points per game, is unclear for Wednesday.
In Clark’s absence, Trent Perry played a bigger role on both ends of the floor. The sophomore guard pushed his average to 10.3 points per game with a team-high 16 points against Maryland. And, according to Bruins coach Mick Cronin, Perry had eight deflections in the team’s poorest defensive performance since Nov. 21.
“I’ve been confident throughout this year,” Perry said. “(Forward) Eric (Dailey Jr.), who is like my big brother, told me to keep pushing and keep my mindset right.”
Penn State’s backcourt is also dealing with a significant injury. Freshman point guard Kayden Mingo (14.9 ppg, 4.5 rpg) missed the Michigan and Purdue games with a broken nose. Rhoades told Purdue reporters that the Nittany Lions “will get (Mingo) back when he’s ready.”
Meanwhile, freshman guard Melih Tunca (10.4 ppg) joins Freddie Dilione V (15.0 ppg) to form Penn State’s top combination.
–Field level media
