ASU Basketball: 2019 Pac-12 Week 17 Power Rankings
By Trevor Booth
9. UCLA Bruins (15-13, 8-7 Pac-12) LW: 10
Given the aberration of the Pac-12, teams left dead in the water can typically surface with a single twist in momentum.
Last week, UCLA was the fresh example.
The Bruins showed heart and toughness in their home sweep of the Oregon schools, ending a skid of four losses in five games and rising to a tie for fifth in the conference standings.
Leading the turnaround was sophomore guard Jaylen Hands, who averaged 19.5 points and 8.5 assists in the two victories. Trailing by as many as 19 in Saturday’s game against Oregon, Hands issued a motivating second half performance, scoring all of his 27 points in the period to help UCLA emerge 90-83.
The win mirrored the Bruins’ triumph in Eugene on Jan. 10, where they overcame a 17-point deficit against the Ducks to stun them in overtime.
Fueling Saturday’s performance was a grind-it-out victory against the Beavers. After leading by as many as 11, UCLA stayed composed when the Pac-12’s second-ranked team made its comeback, pulling ahead thanks to a Chris Smith layup with 20 seconds remaining to emerge Thursday night, 68-67.
While credit deservingly lies with Hands and Kris Wilkes, significant contributions were made by two freshmen – Jules Bernard and David Singleton. Bernard provided 20 points off the bench in the Oregon win, and Singleton’s recent energy earned him a starting spot against the Ducks.
Only one game back of a top-four seed, the Bruins will look to break the tie with USC – who they host this week for the Crosstown Rivalry.