Utah looking for road win at UCLA, where Ute Riley Battin used to hang out

Utah Utes forward Riley Battin (21) celebrates a Ute basket in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

When Battin was younger, UCLA was one of his favorite teams along with Ohio State, where his father went to school

LOS ANGELES — After coming so close to grabbing a big Pac-12 road win Thursday night at USC, the Utah basketball team will try for a split of their Los Angeles road trip when it takes on UCLA Sunday (1 p.m.) at Pauley Pavilion.

The Utes have fallen to 10th place in the Pac-12 standings at 3-5 and are in desperate need of their first road victory in conference play and first true road win since beating Nevada back on Nov. 5.

“They get a lot of punch from their two big guys and they’re a long, physical, rebounding team. The theme stays the same — if you get caught up in the defensive transition it’s a problem. We have to stay true to the rebounding and transition for sure” — Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak on UCLA

One player, who is especially looking forward to Sunday’s game, is sophomore forward Riley Battin, who hails from nearby Oak Park, northwest of Los Angeles.

When Battin was younger, UCLA was one of his favorite teams along with Ohio State, where his father went to school.

“I used to go to UCLA games and grew up as a fan of theirs,” Battin said. “One of our family friends had season tickets so he’d take me and we’d watch a lot of their games.”

Battin’s favorite player was Kevin Love, who starred at UCLA in 2007-08 before going on to a successful NBA career.

“I had a Kevin Love jersey that I wore a lot when I was in elementary school. I really admired him as a player and try to add things to my game like him,” said Battin, who has grown up to be about the same height as Love, at 6-foot-9.

Battin had his own cheering section on Thursday night when the Utes led USC most of the game before falling in the final minute 56-52. His biggest problem on this trip has been finding enough tickets for his supporters.

“I’m trying to get as many tickets from the guys as I can,” he said. “It’s always a great time to go home and play in front of my friends and family so it’s exciting.”

UCLA, which was picked to finish just ahead of Utah in the Pac-12 preseason poll, has had a roller-coaster season and stands 11-10 overall and 4-4 in conference play.

The Bruins have league wins over Washington and Oregon State on the road as well as a 72-68 victory over No. 20 Colorado on Thursday. They also have lost at home to USC and Stanford and to Oregon by 21 on the road.

First-year coach Mick Cronin has been searching for a consistent lineup all season with nine different starters and only one, freshman guard Tyger Campbell (6.6 ppg), who has started every game.

Six-foot-9 junior Chris Smith, who scored 30 points against Colorado, is the only Bruin averaging in double figures at 13.0 points per game. Other projected starters along with Smith and Campbell, are sophomore forward Jalen Hill (9.7 ppg, 7.0 rpg), freshman forward Jaime Jaquez (8.7 ppg) and sophomore guard David Singleton (3.7 ppg).

Michael Owen Baker, AP

UCLA guard Chris Smith (5) shoots over Colorado guard Tyler Bey (1) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020, in Los Angeles. UCLA won 72-68.

Senior guard Prince Ali (8.3 ppg) and sophomore forward Cody Riley (7.6 ppg) have started 14 and 15 games, respectively, this season and are each averaging around 20 minutes per game.

Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak said his team will face some of the same issues it had with USC, going against a team with a big front line and quick guards.

“It’s a little bit of the same thing, with a front court that’s big and athletic,” he said. “They get a lot of punch from their two big guys and they’re a long, physical, rebounding team. The theme stays the same — if you get caught up in the defensive transition it’s a problem. We have to stay true to the rebounding and transition for sure.”

After Sunday’s game, the Utes will return home for games against Stanford Thursday night and Cal on Saturday.

GAME NOTES: The Utes will be flying home during the Super Bowl Sunday afternoon and hope to be able to see the second half ... Krystkowiak predicts San Francisco will win the game because it has the better defense ... Last year, the Utes took a 93-92 victory here, coming back from a 20-point second-half deficit to win on Parker Van Dyke’s 3-pointer at the buzzer ... The overall series between Utah and UCLA is tied at 10-10 and is 6-6 in Pac-12 play ... The Bruins had a win over Southern Utah 76-61 and a loss to BYU, 78-63 in the preseason.

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