No. 13 UCLA enters its rescheduled game against Arizona State on Monday with injury concerns.
The Sun Devils, in turn, are in the midst of one of their best stretches of the season.
Monday’s game in Los Angeles originally was scheduled to be played on Jan. 1, but the Bruins were under COVID-19 restrictions at that time.
UCLA (19-5, 11-4 Pac-12) routed Washington 76-50 on Saturday despite losing Tyger Campbell to a shoulder injury 15 seconds into the game. Campbell eventually returned from what was called a “stinger” by Bruins coach Mick Cronin.
UCLA’s leading scorers Johnny Juzang and Cody Riley did not play against the Huskies. Juzang sustained a sore hip falling off a scooter and Riley sat to get rest with the Bruins in the midst of playing six games in 12 days.
“It’s like somebody’s got a voodoo doll poking holes in my team,” Cronin said.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. was also limited to 17 minutes by Cronin to give him rest.
Campbell had six points and one assist in 21 minutes against Washington. He returned from a one-game suspension against Washington State because of a violation of team rules.
David Singleton and Jaylen Clark bolstered Cronin’s lineup for UCLA on Saturday.
Singleton scored 14 of his career-high 22 points in the first half. Clark added a career-high 25 points while also keeping Washington’s Terrell Brown Jr., the Pac-12 leading scorer, in check. Brown made 5 of 17 shots from the field and finished with 13 points.
Cronin said Riley will return against Arizona State and was hopeful that Juzang can as well.
“I can’t get a guy from his apartment to Mo Ostin (UCLA’s practice facility) without falling off a scooter,” Cronin said about Juzang’s injury. “I don’t know who the (expletive) out every day. I’m scared to pick my phone up every morning. Tyler Lesher’s done a great job as our trainer, but he’s the grim reaper. Every time he comes near me, it’s bad news.”
Arizona State (10-15, 6-9) matched its longest winning streak of three games this season after sweeping Oregon and Oregon State over the weekend.
The Sun Devils have won four of their last six games, starting with a triple-overtime victory over UCLA on Feb. 5.
Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley attributes to the improved performance of his team to “the diversity of what we can do with our attack.”
“What I mean by that is just the impact that Kimani Lawrence and Jalen Graham can have catching the ball at the elbows, the midpost, and giving us an opportunity to score easier in the paint,” Hurley said. “These guys, you have to account for them. These guys are making pretty good decisions too, when you get the ball to Jalen Graham and Kimani, they’re pretty good decision makers.”
Graham and Lawrence combined for 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting from the field in the 73-53 win over Oregon State.
–Field Level Media
