Saturday marks 10 days since the UCLA men’s basketball team played a game, a long hiatus this time of year after the Huskies program canceled Sunday’s Seattle-Washington game due to COVID-19 The cancellation resulted in a losing win for the fourth-placed Bruins that will add to their Pac-12 winning column, but not their overall record, which came after beating Colorado on December 1 at the Pauley Pavilion at 7 It says -1.
UCLA coach Mick Cronin has jokingly said in the past that he always wants to train and his players just want to play games. There has been a lot of practice and a real game is finally on the horizon when the Bruins travel to Milwaukee at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday to face Marquette. PT (FS2).
The game was originally scheduled for 11:30 am PT, but the Bruins’ travel plans were changed on Friday due to an issue with UCLA’s planes. Both teams agreed to postpone the start time.
“We’ll have a great crowd on Saturday, so it should be exciting. All street games are tough, ”said Cronin. « I’ve heard many times that college basketball is the greatest home advantage of any sport, a 75 percent win rate. »
Cronin expects Saturday’s game to be UCLA’s toughest road test yet. The two games in Las Vegas at the T-Mobile Arena were neutral games against Bellarmine and Gonzaga, and while the game at UNLV was a real roadie, it was played in front of a smaller crowd on Thanksgiving weekend and the atmosphere wasn’t what the team is expecting.
« The guys looked at me from the side, » said Cronin. « I said, ‘Look, I promise, Marquette will be packed.' »
The Bruins are still waiting to see if senior striker Cody Riley will play after sustaining a knee injury that hit him at the season opener incapacitated since November 9th.
An encouraging sign. Cody Riley back in office. Support his left knee. Mick Cronin said he would judge on Friday whether Riley will even play Marquette on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/8cCREHcWf7
« He’s close, » said Cronin of Riley’s return. « His knee is back, healthy, but it’s more about conditioning and restoring his confidence, his body. »
« Cody is back in training and I have the feeling that he is even better during rehab » said Myles Johnson, UCLA Center. “He shows that he’s an experienced leader of this team, he’s been here the longest. When he’s on the ground he’s like a big anchor, he likes to talk and point people in the right direction. It’s always good to have him back on the ground. ”
The long break helped Jaime Jaquez Jr., who missed a lot of training after a bad fall in the game against Colorado. He hit his head and did not return that game and would not have played against Washington on Sunday. Jaquez returned to training on Wednesday and is 100% there, according to Cronin.
« It’s not that we wanted to go through this, but it affected our practice, » said Cronin. “Jaime went down and missed a few days. So, you are downstairs Mac (Etienne), Cody (Riley), Jaime (Jaquez) and Will (McClendon). There are four scholarship holders. It’s tough, but it’s things that you go through. Injuries are part of it. ”
UCLA is working on some defensive grenade exercises with ball screens and / or switches on the wings. This clip also contains a little tutorial from trainer Mick Cronin. pic.twitter.com/KonZoX1j33
The Golden Eagles are 7-2 under new coach Shaka Smart, who was recognized for his NCAA tournament runs with VCU before his time in Texas.
Justin Lewis (15, 7 ppg) and Darryl Morsell (14.1 ppg) lead the team in scoring, and Lewis also averages 7.7 rebounds per game. « They take a lot of careful shots, but they take them, » said Johnson about Marquette. « So we have to keep our hands up and be aware. »
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UCLA worked on press break exercises during practice on Friday, suggesting the Bruins are preparing for Marquette’s pressure on the full and half square.
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