On Wednesday, January 14, UCLA will make its first-ever cross-country trip to State College to take on the Penn State men’s basketball team in Big Ten action.
The Bruins enter the Bryce Jordan Center with an 11-5 overall record and a 3-2 mark in conference play.
UCLA last played on January 10, defeating Wisconsin 67-55 at home.
The Bruins are led by head coach Mick Cronin, who is in his seventh season at the helm. UCLA features a balanced offensive attack with five players averaging double figures in scoring.
Senior forward Tyler Bilodeau, a 6’9″ presence in the front court, leads the team with 17.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting an efficient 52.3% from the field. Senior guard Skyy Clark (6’3″) is averaging 13.5 points per game, while fellow senior guard Donavan Dent (6’2″) contributes 13.1 points and 6.5 assists per contest.
They are followed by 6’8″ junior Eric Dailey Jr., who is averaging 10.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, and 6-foot-4 sophomore guard Trent Perry, who adds 10.3 points per game.
Penn State enters Wednesday night at 9-7 overall and 0-5 in Big Ten play. The Nittany Lions are coming off an 85-93 loss at No. 5 Purdue, a hard-fought battle in West Lafayette. Despite being without injured freshman point guard Kayden Mingo for the past two games, Penn State has shown resilience, including a near upset of No. 2 Michigan on January 6.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.The Blue & White have demonstrated they can compete with the nation’s top teams, even without their best player available, though head coach Mike Rhoades has noted that close losses are part of the growing process for a young team.
Mingo will remain sidelined Wednesday with a broken nose that recently required surgery. The freshman is averaging 14.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 2.5 steals per game. Rhoades said Monday that Mingo will be out “for a while.”
In his absence, other Nittany Lions have stepped up. Redshirt junior Freddie Dilione V now leads the team in scoring at 15.0 points per game, while freshman Melih Tunca is averaging 10.4 points per contest.
Wednesday’s game will be televised live on Fox Sports 1 (FS1), with tipoff scheduled for 8:30 p.m.
Nittany Sports Now will be on site to bring you full coverage from the Bryce Jordan Center.
