UCLA set to be without starting guard vs. Washington State

UCLA point guard Tyger Campbell has been ruled out for tonight’s game against Washington State due to a violation of team rules, per Jon Rothstein. Jules Bernard got to start tonight in Campbell’s place and Jaylen Clark has also gotten more minutes early.

Thus far with 14:30 left in the first half, UCLA leads tonight’s game 15-5. Jaylen Clark has come out on fire early, scoring eight of the Bruins’ first 15 points.

In the Bruins’ matchup last year against the Cougars, Washington State prevailed 81-73.

Campbell is one of the best point guards in America and his loss is a massive one for the Bruins. He currently averages 12 points per game and 4.6 assists per game. He was critical in the Bruins’ run to the Final Four last season and they’re going to need him again if they wish to do damage this year in March Madness.

UCLA is coming off a hard-fought loss to the USC Trojans. They lost that game 67-64. Campbell dropped 27 points in that one, connecting on six of his twelve shots from the field and hitting 13-of-his-14 free throw attempts. It’ll be interesting see how the Bruins’ fare tonight without him.

UCLA currently sits at 17-5 overall and 9-4 in the Pac-12. While they’ve had a very good season thus far, they haven’t looked quite like the national championship contender many preseason pundits expected. They’re currently third place in the Pac-12 standings. Jaime Jaquez has been playing on injured ankles lately for the Bruins. He’s going to need to get fully healthy for the team to make a strong run in March.

UCLA’s most impressive win of the season came against Arizona when they defeated the Wildcats 75-59 on Jan. 26. Arizona won the rematch of the two teams, 76-66 on Feb. 3. There’s no question this UCLA roster is talented and loaded. It will be interesting to see if they can play up to their potential the rest of the season and when it matters the most–March.