► Saturday’s first matchup features the 17^th ranked University of Washington Huskies, who will enter the contest with a record of 6-1. The club’s only loss came on the road in overtime to the 23^rd ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders.

► Georgetown, who will play their first game in California since 2001 this Saturday, improved to 6-0 overall with a 73-46 win over American on Saturday, Dec. 6. The Hoyas moved up to No. 15 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll and No. 13 in the ESPN/USA Today Top 25 Coaches poll.

► UCLA Head Coach Ben Howland earned his 300th victory of his career with the 72-54 win over DePaul in the 15th Annual John R. Wooden Classic. His current record is 311-157.

► Ben Howland is the first UCLA coach since John Wooden to win three straight conference championships and the only other coach at UCLA other than Wooden (nine) to make three straight trips to the final four.

► Mississippi State’s All-SEC senior Jarvis Varnado recently because the 31st member of Mississippi State's 1,000-point club, he also holds the record of 10th most shots blocked in NCAA history.

Classic Quote of the week:

John R. Wooden
“It's not so important who starts the game but who finishes it.”

Past Wooden Classic Facts