Oregon St. Beavers vs. UCLA Bruins Pick & Prediction DECEMBER 28th 2023

UCLA coach Mick Cronin is not one to sugarcoat anything, especially when his team is struggling.

“They’re young, they’re trying to live up to the letters on the jersey and the ball’s not going in and they start to feel the snowball effect,” Cronin said Friday night after a 69-60 home loss to Maryland. “This is just my opinion, I’m not saying I’m right … but we’ve lost our confidence.”

The Bruins will try to find it Thursday night when they open Pac-12 Conference play at Corvallis, Ore., against Oregon State.

UCLA (5-6) has struggled to score in a season of transition with seven freshmen and three sophomores. The Bruins have been held under 70 points in five of their last six games and have dropped four in a row. They made 31.5 percent of their shots against Maryland, going 1 of 14 from the 3-point line.

Freshman Sebastian Mack is the team’s leading scorer at 15.2 points per game but is making just 38.9 percent from the field and 26.9 percent of his 3-pointers.

“Look, nobody feels sorry for you,” said Cronin, who has long been known for his defensive principles. “You’ve got to get better and find a way.”

While UCLA looks for a way forward, the Beavers (8-3) will try to stay on the path to success. Playing at home has been that so far as the Beavers are 8-0 on campus, including a 76-57 win on Dec. 21 over Idaho State.

Jordan Pope paced Oregon State with 25 points, going 5 of 8 from the 3-point line. Pope has averaged 16.9 points and 3.4 assists. Dexter Akanno contributes 11.7 points and Tyler Bilodeau scores 11.5.

To have a chance at some success in the conference, though, the Beavers will have to improve on offense. They are hitting just 43.8 percent from the field and 29.3 percent from the 3-point line. But they are holding opponents to 40.1 percent and 30.7 percent, respectively.

The Bruins have won six of the teams’ last seven meetings, including a 62-47 decision last season at Corvallis.

–Field Level Media