After an ugly November, the UCLA Bruins look to wipe the slate clean with their first December game, hosting the Texas Longhorns on Saturday afternoon at the Los Angeles Sports Arena. The Bruins picked up their first win against a Division I opponent on Monday against Pepperdine, and now seek their second straight win for the first time all season.
The Bruins have been led in scoring by a different player in each game so far this season:
- November 11 vs. LMU: Reeves Nelson and David Wear, 13 points each
- November 15 vs. Middle Tennessee State: Joshua Smith 15 points
- November 21 vs. Chaminade: Jerime Andersen, 20 points
- November 22 vs. Kansas: Tyler Lamb, 15 points
- November 23 vs. Michigan: Travis Wear, 16 points
- November 28 vs. Pepperdine: Lazeric Jones, 14 points
The Longhorns are a young team with four freshman averaging double-digit minutes. Texas (4-2) is led in scoring by junior guard J`Covan Brown, who is averaging 20.3 points per game. Freshman forward Jonathan Holmes leads the club in rebounding at 6.0 per game and is second in scoring at 12.0 points per game. Texas has already lost to a Pac-12 team this season, falling 100-95 at Oregon State on November 19.
Travis Wear has had a rough week and a half for the Bruins. He cut his foot while snorkeling in Hawaii after the Maui Invitational, then in Monday's win over Pepperdine had two front teeth knocked out by an inadvertent elbow. Wear still managed eight points and 10 rebounds in 25 minutes in the win over the Waves.
UCLA and Texas have split their four all-time meetings, with the Bruins winning in 1969 and 1971, and the Longhorns victorious in 2007 and 2008.
Saturday afternoon's 1:36 p.m. PST game will be televised by Prime Ticket, with Steve Physioc, Marques Johnson, and Rebecca Haarlow on the call. For more UCLA basketball news and notes, be sure to read Bruins Nation.