The No. 15 Ohio State Buckeyes (10-1, 2-0) travel to Chicago to take on the UCLA Bruins (7-4) as part of a double-header in the CBS Sports Classic. The second game will feature No. 19 Kentucky (8-2) against No. 9 North Carolina (8-2). The Buckeyes come into this game on a 4-game winning streak, having survived less-than-stellar performances against Bucknell and Youngstown State over the last eight days. UCLA, meanwhile, has lost two in a row, with losses to Belmont (74-72) and at Cincinnati (93-64) in the past eight days.
Opening Tip
Who: UCLA vs. Ohio State
What: Men’s Basketball
Where: Chicago, Illinois — United Center
When: 3:00 pm (CBS)
Why: Because being in these types of games is good for recruiting (as long as you win.)
Line: Ohio State -5
The Buckeyes
Three-Point Territory
+ Andre Wesson lost two of his front teeth and cracked another in a collision during the Bucknell game Dec. 15 at Value City Arena. Wesson went hard to the floor and had an opponent fall on him resulting in hard contact with the court. Wesson was whisked back to the training room by Ohio State basketball athletic trainer Jeff Deits and team physician Grant Jones. Deits, a former athletic trainer for the Ohio State men’s hockey team, issued Wesson a mouth piece that allowed him to return to the game. Wesson immediately received dental care following the game and will receive additional dental care to repair and replace the lost and damaged teeth using the Chandigarh dental solutions online for this. The last time out vs. Youngstown State, Andre’s younger brother, Kaleb, briefly left the game vs. the Penguins after getting an elbow to the face causing one of his teeth to puncture his upper lip. Deits and Dr. Jones again administered treatment, this time a lone stitch, allowing Kaleb to return to the game and ultimately score a game- and career-high 31 points.
+ The Buckeyes and Bruins have meet 10 times since the first matchup Dec. 31, 1936 in Los Angeles. Ohio State won that game (48-39) and four of the first five meetings. UCLA has won the last five in the series, including an 86-73 in as part of the CBSSports Classic in 2016. Th at game was played in Las Vegas Dec. 17, 2016. In games played on neutral courts, UCLA is 3-1 vs. the Buckeyes.
+ No Ohio State opponent has made more than 23 field goals this season in a game vs. the Buckeyes. Opponents are shooting 37.1 percent from the field against the Ohio State defense (231-622). Foes are connecting on just 29.7 percent from beyond the 3-point arc (71-239).
The UCLA Bruins
What You Should Know
+ UCLA dropped a 93-64 decision at Cincinnati on Wednesday, playing at the Bearcats’ newly-renovated Fifth Third Arena before a standing-room only crowd of 12,689. The Bruins trailed at halftime, 48-31, after having taken a 17-9 lead in the game’s first eight minutes. Cincinnati used a 28-4 scoring run during a five-minute span prior to halftime and never saw its lead fall to any fewer than 14 points in the second half. Kris Wilkes led UCLA with 21 points, connecting on 6 of 12 shots
+ Sophomore guard Kris Wilkes has scored in double figures in all 11 games for UCLA this season. The 6-foot-8 guard from Indianapolis, Ind., has scored at least 20 points in four games this season. He tallied 21 points against Cincinnati last Wednesday, registered 20 points in the team’s loss to Belmont last Saturday (Dec. 15) and had 22 points in the Bruins’ game against North Carolina in Las Vegas (Friday, Nov. 23). Wilkes scored a career-high 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in UCLA’s season-opening win against Purdue Fort Wayne (96-71) on Tuesday, Nov. 6.
+ Sophomore guard Jaylen Hands leads all Pac-12 players in assists (80) and assists per game (7.3), through games played Thursday. Hands has averaged 11.6 points and 3.8 rebounds per game, starting all 11 contests for UCLA. Over the team’s last six games, he has recorded 60 assists and 18 turnovers (which equals a 3.3-to-1 assist-turnover ratio). He has totaled at least 10 assists in four of UCLA’s last five games, including a career-high 12 assists on Wednesday night in a loss at Cincinnati (Dec. 19). He has twice dished 11 assists this season (vs. Hawai’i on Nov. 28 and vs. Notre Dame on Dec. 8).
+Through Thursday, Dec. 20, UCLA ranked No. 2 in the Pac-12 in rebounding offense (42.9 rpg) and was No. 5 in the league in rebounding margin (+5.3). In addition, the Bruins ranked No. 8 in the nation, through Wednesday, Dec. 19, in total rebounds per game (42.9) and were No. 63 in rebounding margin. Freshman Moses Brown (11.8 ppg, 9.4 rpg) ranks fourth in the league in rebounds per game, while redshirt freshman Jalen Hill (3.1 ppg, 6.4 rpg) ranks No. 12 in that category. Brown also ranks second in field goal percentage (66.7%) and third in blocks (2.6 bpg).
+ UCLA’s 17-person roster includes eight players who measure at least 6-foot-8. Freshman Moses Brown (7-foot-1, 245 pounds) is the Bruins’ tallest player since the late Mike Lanier (7-foot-7, 310 pounds) competed as a reserve center for UCLA in 1991-92 and 1992-93. UCLA redshirt junior Alex Olesinski and redshirt freshman Jalen Hill both stand at 6-feet-10, while freshmen Shareef O’Neal and Kenneth Nwuba, sophomore Chris Smith and redshirt freshman Cody Riley all stand at 6-foot-9. Sophomore guard Kris Wilkes rounds out the eight-person group at 6-foot-8.