New York, NY (Sportsbooks) - A third place finish in the 2K Sports Classic Benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer is on the line this evening, as the fourth- ranked UCLA Bruins meet the Southern Illinois Salukis at Madison Square Garden.
The Bruins were the first highly ranked team to be knocked off this season, dropping a 55-52 decision to Michigan in the semifinals of this event on Thursday. It was a shocking result for UCLA, which defeated Prairie View A&M (82-58) and Miami-Ohio (64-59) in its regional matchups. Following this game, the Bruins will return back to the West Coast to host Florida International on November 29th.
As for SIU, it was handled much easier in its semifinal round contest, falling to 10th-ranked Duke, 83-58 last night. The Salukis had earned their spot at MSG by defeating California-PA (66-52) and Massachusetts (80-73) in the regional's, but were no match for the highly-touted Blue Devils. Upon conclusion of this game, SIU will stay on the road to face Western Kentucky on Wednesday.
The Salukis and Bruins have met twice on the hardwood, with UCLA winning both of those meetings.
The Bruins turned the ball over 17 times and shot poorly at the foul line (5- of-11), as they were stunned by Michigan last night. UCLA has had its share of struggles at the charity stripe early on, hitting just 57.1 percent of its attempts on the season. The Bruins were able to keep things close last night by shooting 42.0 percent from the floor and winning the battle on the boards, 38-25, but it wasn't enough in the end. Darren Collison and Jrue Holiday each scored 13 points to pace UCLA in defeat, while Nikola Dragovic posted 11 points off the bench. On the season, Collison tops the roster in scoring with 16.0 ppg and he is also dishing out 4.0 apg to pace the team in that department as well.
The Salukis shot a dismal 35.1 percent from the field and were outscored 54-35 in the second half of their loss to Duke last night. SIU was also outscored at the foul line, 40-12, and dominated on the boards, 42-28, in the setback. On a positive note, the Salukis did manage to force 19 turnovers and they have fared very well in that department this season, generating 20.3 tpg. Carlton Fay guided SIU in the loss with 17 points and three rebounds, while Kevin Dillard posted 10 points and seven assists. On the year, Fay leads the team in scoring (12.0 ppg), as well as rebounding (6.3 rpg). Dillard checks in with 11.5 ppg.
