Few in basketball circles expected the Arizona State Sun Devils to be sitting in first place this late in the season.
Even fewer had UCLA pegged where the Bruins currently stand, a half game behind the front-running Sun Devils in the men's standings.
But the two will indeed square off at 9 p.m. Thursday at Pauley Pavilion with first-place on the line and the Pac-12 season in the stretch.
ASU (19-8, 10-4), selected to finish sixth in the preseason coaches poll, is the hottest team in the conference, having won seven straight games and nine of the last 10.