UCLA hosts Washington State at Pauley Pavilion on Saturday. The game gets underway at 10 p.m. EST and you can catch it on Pac-12 Network. The Bruins are 8-1 against the Cougars over the last four years. The last time they played they won 78-46 on Mar. 1, 2012.

UCLA is second in the conference and Washington State is 10th. Both teams continue to jockey for position.

The Bruins got past Washington 59-57 on Feb. 7 with the help of 22 points and 8 rebounds from Shabazz Muhammad. His 18.6 points per game is the highest mark on the team. For the Cougars, DaVonte Lacy finished with 21 points in the 72-68 loss to USC on Feb. 7. He is averaging 9.7 points and 2.6 rebounds per game.

There are two key statistical areas where UCLA has an advantage. The Bruins have the upper hand over the Cougars in assists, 17 per game to 11 per game. UCLA also has an advantage in scoring, 76 points per game to 63 points per game. Washington State ranks second in their conference in defensive rebounding percentage at 73.0 percent, which also places them 25th in the country.

Washington State StatSmack

  • Shabazz Muhammad is ranked 6th in the Pac 12 in points.
  • Winning is in our blood. UCLA has a better record in close games than Washington State this season (6-2 vs 1-5).
  • The UCLA steals leader (Jordan Adams, 44 steals) has more steals than the Washington State steals leader (Royce Woolridge, 23 steals).
  • UCLA has a more potent offense, scoring more points (76.0 per game vs 63.7 per game) than Washington State this season.
  • Diaper Dandies love us. UCLA has recruited more McDonald's All-Americans out of high school than Washington State (32 vs 0).
  • AP voters think more highly of UCLA and have put us in the AP Top 25 more often over the past 10 years than Washington State (85 vs 34).
  • The UCLA blocks leader (Travis Wear, 26 blocks) has more blocks than the Washington State blocks leader (Brock Motum, 20 blocks).
  • UCLA has a much better Kiplinger In-State Ranking than Washington State (#13 vs #98).
  • We beat real teams. UCLA has more wins against the RPI Top 50 than Washington State this season (4 vs 0).
  • UCLA has more Final Four appearances over the last 10 years than Washington State (3 vs 0).
  • UCLA takes less vacation, with more NCAA Tournament appearances over the last 10 years than Washington State (6 vs 2).