The No. 5 Arizona Wildcats (3-0) and the No. 15 UCLA Bruins (3-0) meet for the 115th time Friday night in the Hall of Fame Series at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, CA., at 10 pm on Peacock.
Tonight’s meeting will be the second in a three-game series between the old Pac-12 rivals – which wraps up in 2027 in Las Vegas.
The Wildcats made a thunderous statement to begin the season with a 93-87 win over the Florida Gators on Nov. 3 and have cruised to double-digit wins over the Utah Tech Trailblazers (93-67) and the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (84-49) since.
Arizona freshman Koa Peat has dazzled the college basketball universe with a team-high 19.3 points per game, to go along with 5.7 rebounds per game and 3.7 assists per game.
Tobe Awaka has been a force in the paint for the Wildcats with a team-high 10.7 rpg for the Wildcats, while guard Jaden Bradley runs the show with a team-high 4.7 apg.
Despite not playing on a yearly basis due to conference realignment, the intensity between the Wildcats (Big 12) and the Bruins (Big 10) has not wavered and last season provided a glimpse as Arizona blew a 13-point as UCLA rallied for a 57-54 win in Phoenix.
In order for the Bruins to keep the momentum going from last season’s game, they will rely on star transfer point guard Donovan Dent. Despite being held out of UCLA’s last game against West Georgia with a muscle strain, Dent looks to return to play Friday night as his status remains in the air.
The senior can make an impact on both sides of the ball with 16.5 points per game, a team-high 6.5 assists per game and 1.5 steals per game for the Bruins.
Center Xavier Booker has proven to be as important as Dent with an intimidating paint presence for UCLA. Booker posted five blocked shots in a 74-63 win over Pepperdine on Nov. 7. The impact on the post has proven to be vital for Booker with 11.0 points per game, to go along with 2.7 assists per game.
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