The UCLA Bruins open their Pac-12 Conference schedule Thursday night with a road contest against the Stanford Cardinal at Maples Pavilion in Palo Alto. The Bruins head into conference play on a five-game winning streak.
UCLA has won nine of their last 11 games against Stanford, includng a 69-65 win at Maples Pavilion last season. The Bruins are 23-10 in conference openers since the 1978-1979 season, including 7-9 when opening Pac-12 play on the road.
Guards Lazeric Jones and Norman Powell both sprained their left ankles on Tuesday in practice, but returned to the court on Wednesday and both are expected to play Thursday night. Jones leads the Bruins in points (13.3 per game), assists (3.75 per game), and steals (2.08 per game) this season.
The Cardinal are 10-2 on the season, and are the only Pac-12 team to receive any votes in the two main college basketball polls. Stanford is No. 30 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll and No. 32 in the Associated Press poll. Stanford boasts three players scoring in double figures this season, led by senior forward Josh Owens at 12.7 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.
Thursday's 8 p.m. PST game will be televised by Prime Ticket. For more UCLA hoops news and information, be sure to read Bruins Nation.