WATCH: UCLA players preview early test against No. 5 Arizona
On the eve of its biggest early test of the season, 15th-ranked UCLA is plenty familiar with No. 5 Arizona after the former Pac-12 rivals met on a neutral court in Phoenix last season.
Before Thursday’s practice, UCLA guard Skyy Clark and wing Eric Dailey Jr. both recalled last year’s 57-54 victory.
Now, looking ahead to Friday’s meeting at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Clark said “it’s always nice being closer to home.“
“Having the fans close by,” Clark said, “it’s going to be a lot of good energy, for sure.”
This time, the Wildcats feature a new look lineup that includes three freshman starters. Among them is former five-star guard Brayden Burries, who was heavily recruited by the Bruins out of Eastvale (Calif.) Roosevelt.
But Clark is also looking forward to another meeting with Arizona senior guard Jaden Bradley.
“Yeah, they have a really good backcourt,” Clark said. “I’ve been playing against Jaden Bradley since, like, middle school. So I’m super familiar with him, then I’ve heard a lot about Brayden Burries as well.”
Skyy Clark media availability (11/13)
Dailey, meanwhile, is expecting another physical — and mental — battle.
“Just being ready to have your teammates’ back and ready to fight,” Dailey said.
“We definitely know what type of team they have, just how they’re coached. They’ve been having the same type of play style for many years. They got new players, but we’re still with the same concept of what we want to do. We kind of know their little things and their kind of play style, so we’re ready.“
