First look: Long Beach State at UCLA

First look: Long Beach State at UCLA

 

 

 

 

 

By Peter Yoon | ESPNLosAngeles.com

December, 17, 2012

4:23 PM PT

 

 

 

 

 

What: Long Beach State 49ers (4-6) vs UCLA Bruins (7-3)

When: Tuesday, 8 p.m. PT

Where: Pauley Pavilion

TV: Pac-12 Networks

Radio: AM 570

Scouting the Bruins: UCLA is looking to build off of its 95-53 victory over Prairie View A&M on Saturday. The Bruins have won three of their last four games and have been victorious in consecutive games for the first time since opening the season with three straight wins. Freshman Shabazz Muhammad scored 25 points against Prairie View and took over the team scoring lead with 17.3 points a game. He has tallied 13 points or more in every game he's played this season. Freshman Kyle Anderson is coming off his most complete game of the season, registering 16 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists while setting season-highs in points and assists. He's averaging a team-best 8.2 rebounds per game. Larry Drew II continues to put up impressive passing numbers. He leads all Pac-12 players with 8.3 assists per game and his 83 assists are the most by a UCLA player through 10 games in the Ben Howland era.


Scouting the 49ers: Long Beach State's record is a bit misleading because the 49ers have played one of the toughest schedules in the country this season and the 49ers have been without three transfers who could be eligible for the game Tuesday night. Long Beach has lost to No. 3 Syracuse, No. 4 Arizona, No. 7 Ohio State and No. 23 North Carolina. They have lost three of their last four games but are coming off of an 82-65 victory over Division II BYU-Hawaii. Transfers Keala King (Arizona State), Tony Freeland (DePaul), and Edgar Garibay (Loyola Marymount) have satisfied the one-year waiting period but will not be cleared to play until their semester grades post, which could happen any time before tipoff. King, especially, could be a difference maker. He was Arizona State's leading scorer before he was dismissed from the team in early January for unacceptable conduct. The 49ers, picked to win the Big West Conference after going 25-9 last season, are led by forward James Ennis. The 6-7 senior leads the team in scoring (16.6 ppg) and rebounding (7.9).


The series: UCLA leads the all-time series, 11-1, but the 49ers won the last time they met. That was a 79-68 victory on Nov. 29, 2009, in the 76 Classic at the Anaheim Convention Center.


Quick quote: "I fully expect them to be eligible," UCLA coach Ben Howland said about the Long Beach State transfers. "Keala King is a heck of a player. We know that from playing against him at Arizona State.

“They've got good personnel and they've played an unbelievably difficult schedule."