Up next for UW men’s basketball: No. 25 UCLA

Scouting report: No. 25 UCLA.
Game info: 8 p.m. Monday at Alaska Airlines Arena (10,000).

TV: Fox Sports 1 (Aaron Goldsmith and Casey Jacobson).
Radio: KOMO 1000 AM and FM 97.7 (Bob Rondeau and Jason Hamilton).

Record: 9-4.
RPI: 62.
Stats/schedule: Click here.
Game notes: UCLA and Washington.

Coach: Steve Alford, 51, is 59-27 (.686) in his third season with the Bruins. During his first two seasons with the Bruins, he led UCLA to two Sweet 16 appearances and one Pac-12 Tournament crown (2014). Alford is 522-262 (.666) during a 25-year career that includes a six-year stint at New Mexico (2007-13) at New Mexico where he was 155-52 (.749), including three NCAA tourney appearances. Prior or New Mexico, Alford coached eight years (1999-07) at Iowa where he was 158-106 (.589) with three NCAA tourney appearances. He got his Division I start at Missouri State where he had a 78-48 (.61) record in four years (1995-99), including a NCAA tourney Sweet 16 run in 1999. Alford began coaching in 1991 at Division III Manchester College and spent four years (1991-95) there.

As a player, the 6-2 guard led Indiana to a 1987 national championship. He was a first-team all-Big Ten three times and was Indiana’s all-time leading scorer when he graduated. Alford played four years in the NBA before retiring in 1991. He led his teams to at least 22 wins in each of the last seven seasons.

Prediction: Picked to finish fifth in the Pac-12 preseason media poll.

Series: UCLA has won the last five matchups and leads 96-40 in a series that began Dec. 30, 1936. UW coach Lorenzo Romar, a former Bruins assistant from 1993-96, is 11-14 against UCLA.  Alford is 2-1 against Washington, including an 82-64 loss in the 2010 NCAA tournament when he was with New Mexico.

Last meeting: The injury-depleted Huskies, who started a four-guard lineup due to the absence of big man Shawn Kemp Jr., was no match for UCLA during an 88-66 defeat at Pauley Pavilion on Feb. 25, 2015. Washington was down 46-25 at halftime, trailed by as much as 31 points and couldn’t get any closer than 19 after the break. Andrew Andrews had 18 points Nigel Williams-Goss 17 while the rest of the Huskies combined for 31 points.
Previous game: UCLA defeated McNeese State 67-53 on Dec. 22.
Point spread: The Bruins are favored 1.0 points.
PLAYERS TO WATCH:

— Bryce Alford, a 6-3 junior guard, leads UCLA with 16.5 points and 5.5 assists per game. He’s always been a streaky shooter, but this season he’s 41.2 percent from the field and 38.5 percent on three-pointers. Alford is capable of big scoring nights. He scored a personal best 31 against Oregon as a freshman in 2014. His season high is 27.

— Isaac Hamilton, a 6-5 junior guard, has scored at least 18 points in each of the last five games. He’s averaging 15.3 points this season.

— Tony Parker, a 6-9 senior, ranks second in the Pac-12 with seven double-doubles. He’s also the league’s second leading rebounder averaging 10.3 per game. Parker is deadly in the paint where he shoots 58.1 percent and averages 13.8 points. He struggles at the free throw line where he’s 46.2 percent.

OVERVIEW:

— It was a rocky start for UCLA, which was upset 84-81 in overtime at home to Monmouth. The Bruins were 3-3 before winning six of its last seven games, including an 87-77 victory over then-No. 1 Kentucky on Dec. 3 and a 71-66 win over then-No. 20 Gonzaga on Dec. 12.

— UCLA’s nonconference schedule is rated the toughest in the nation by basketball analyst Ken Pomeroy. The Bruins have played four ranked teams.

— It’s been a 10-day layoff for UCLA, which last played Dec. 22.

— The Bruins average 79 points, which ranks ranks 82nd nationally. They allow 74.4 points, which is 240th.

— Freshman  Aaron Holiday is the younger brother of former Husky standout Justin.

— Sophomore Thomas Welsh is a 7-foot center who collected a career-high 14 rebounds in his last outing. He’s made a big jump in scoring. Last season he averaged 3.8 points and this season he’s averaging 12.8.

— All five starters average at least 10 points. The Bruins play primarily an eight-man rotation that includes reserves F Jonah Bolden, F Alex Olesinski and G/F Noah Allen.

STARTING LINEUP: