COLLEGE PARK, Md. – No. 22 UCLA will play at Maryland this Friday evening, opening a two-game swing along the East Coast. The Bruins will be in action at Maryland (Xfinity Center) on Friday before playing at Rutgers on Monday, Jan. 13. Game time this Friday is set for 5 p.m. PT (8 p.m. ET). […]
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – No. 22 UCLA will play at Maryland this Friday evening, opening a two-game swing along the East Coast. The Bruins will be in action at Maryland (Xfinity Center) on Friday before playing at Rutgers on Monday, Jan. 13. Game time this Friday is set for 5 p.m. PT (8 p.m. ET). UCLA and Maryland have faced off in each of the past two seasons (in non-conference meetings), with the road team winning each tie – UCLA at Maryland in Dec. 2022, and Maryland at UCLA in Dec. 2023. This Friday’s game will be a Big Ten Conference game, nationally televised on FOX.
GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Xfinity Center
Capacity: 17,950
Tipoff Time: 5:05 p.m. PT (8:05 p.m. ET)
TV Network: FOX
TV Talent: Tim Brando (play-by-play), Donny Marshall (analyst)
Radio (UCLA Audio Network): AM 570
Radio Talent: Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Tracy Murray (analyst)
SIRIUS XM: Channels 106 or 195, and on the SXM App
UCLA’S TICKET INFORMATION (HOME GAMES)
Single-game tickets for UCLA’s eight remaining home games are on sale. Fans can secure tickets to each of the Bruins’ remaining home conference games in UCLA’s historic, inaugural year in the Big Ten. The Bruins are back in action at home on Friday, Jan. 17, hosting Iowa (6 p.m. PT).
Additional home matchups in Big Ten play will include Wisconsin (Tuesday, Jan. 21), Oregon (Thursday, Jan. 30), Michigan State (Tuesday, Feb. 4), Penn State (Saturday, Feb. 8), Minnesota (Tuesday, Feb. 18), Ohio State (Sunday, Feb. 23) and USC (Saturday, March 8) in the season finale for both schools.
Complete ticket information about UCLA men’s basketball is available here. Direct links to single-game ticket purchases can be viewed here. Fans can call (310) 206-5991 or email tickets@athletics.ucla.edu for more information. In addition, be sure to check out all of the game themes and upcoming promotions for the Bruins’ 2024-25 season.
CATCHING UP ON THE BRUINS
– The Bruins enter this Friday’s game at Maryland with an 11-4 overall record and 2-2 mark in Big Ten play.
– This marks the 106th basketball season at UCLA and the sixth year with head coach Mick Cronin at the helm.
– UCLA went 5-1 in the month of December but has dropped its past two games, both in January.
– The Bruins have gone 59-3 since the start of the 2019-20 season with holding the opposition to fewer than 60 points.
– This season, UCLA has compiled an 8-0 record when limiting the opposition to 65 or fewer points.
– Junior Tyler Bilodeau has averaged 14.7 points and 5.2 rebounds in 15 games, shooting 50.3 percent from the field.
– Sophomore Eric Dailey Jr. ranks second on the team in scoring (11.5 ppg) and third in rebounding (4.4 rpg).
– Through games played on Wednesday, Jan. 8, UCLA ranked No. 10 in the nation in scoring defense (61.5 ppg).
– Through Wednesday, Jan. 8, UCLA ranked No. 5 in the nation in turnovers forced per game (17.7).
– Through Wednesday, Jan. 8, the Bruins were No. 6, nationally, in turnover margin (+6.3).
– UCLA has limited the opposition to 65 points or fewer in eight of 15 games this season.
– Kobe Johnson (31 steals, 2.1 spg) ranked third in the Big Ten in steals per game (through Wednesday, Jan. 8).
– Including this Friday’s game at Maryland, UCLA will play four of its next six games away from Pauley Pavilion.
– UCLA’s program added nine incoming players this season – six transfer students and three freshmen.
– As head coach, Mick Cronin has led UCLA to an 126-57 record, now in his sixth season with the Bruins.
MOST RECENTLY
– UCLA has dropped consecutive games for the first time all season, having lost at home against No. 24 Michigan (94-75) on Tuesday evening. Michigan made 15 of 28 attempts from 3-point range (53.6%), including 7 of 15 in the second half.
– The Bruins have shot 33.3 percent from 3-point range in their last five games (going 6-for-48, 12.5% in the past two contests). UCLA shot 43.0 percent from long-range in six December contests (55-for-128).
– Trailing 53-40 with seven minutes remaining last Saturday, UCLA cut Nebraska’s lead to 61-58 with 24 seconds left in the game. The Bruins were unable to get any closer, falling by a 66-58 margin before 15,167 at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
– UCLA shot 4-for-28 from 3-point range at Nebraska after having tied a single-game high this season (12) by shooting 12-for-24 (50.0 percent) 3-pointers in a win over Gonzaga on Saturday, Dec. 28, in nearby Inglewood, Calif.
– Eric Dailey Jr. (18 points, six rebounds, four steals) shot 4-for-5 from 3-point distance as UCLA outlasted Gonzaga, 65-62, before 12,272 fans at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif., on the afternoon of Saturday, Dec. 28.
MICHIGAN DEFEATS UCLA
Michigan recorded a 94-75 win over UCLA in Pauley Pavilion on Tuesday. The Wolverines, making their first visit to UCLA since Dec. 10, 2016, registered the most points by the opposition in Pauley Pavilion since the Bruins (ranked No. 3) dropped a 96-85 decision to No. 14 Arizona on Jan. 21, 2017. Michigan’s Vladislav Goldin tallied a team-best 36 points on 13-of-18 shooting from the field. UCLA trailed by 18 points late in the first half, cut down Michigan’s lead to 47-37 at halftime, and led 55-51 earlier in the second half. The visiting Wolverines shot 61.5 percent from the field (32-for-52), marking the first time a Bruins’ opponent shot 60 percent or better since March 3, 2021 (Oregon shot 60.8% in a win over UCLA in Eugene, Ore.).
BRUINS FALTER IN LINCOLN
Tyler Bilodeau (15 points) and Lazar Stefanovic (10 points) were UCLA’s only players on Saturday to score in double figures, as the Bruins lost at Nebraska (66-58). The game featured multiple double-digit scoring runs and a 24-24 tie at halftime. UCLA led 7-0 before Nebraska surged ahead, 15-7. The Bruins countered with a 15-0 run to secure a 22-15 advantage before the Cornhuskers closed the gap (24-24, at halftime). UCLA led Nebraska, 32-31, with 16 minutes remaining, when the home team used a 22-8 scoring run over the next eight-plus minutes to lead by a 53-40 margin (with 7:15 to play).
DECEMBER SUMMARY
– Prior to the win over Gonzaga (Dec. 28), UCLA scored a season-high 111 points in an 111-75 win over Prairie View A&M in Pauley Pavilion (Dec. 17). That marked the most points in a game under head coach Mick Cronin in six years at UCLA.
– The Bruins erased a 13-point deficit against Arizona on Saturday, Dec. 14, playing in Phoenix at Footprint Center. UCLA used a 21-5 scoring run in the final 11 minutes of the second half to overcome a 49-36 deficit (UCLA won, 57-54).
– Junior guard Dylan Andrews hit a banked-in 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds to play at Oregon on Sunday, Dec. 8, helping UCLA defeat the Ducks, 71-70, at Matthew Knight Arena. UCLA led in that game, 65-58, with four minutes to play.
– UCLA opened the month of December with a 69-58 victory at home against Washington, in the Bruins’ first official Big Ten game. The Bruins limited Washington to 3-of-16 shooting from 3-point distance in the victory.
BRUINS DEFEAT GONZAGA, 65-62
In a game that featured eight ties and three lead changes, UCLA prevailed against Gonzaga on Saturday, Dec. 28, securing a 65-62 victory at Intuit Dome. Bruins’ guard Skyy Clark was a perfect 4-for-4 at the free throw line in the game’s final 15 seconds. Sebastian Mack converted an old-fashioned 3-point play with 33 seconds left, giving UCLA a 61-60 cushion. After a missed 3-pointer by Gonzaga, Clark corralled the rebound and connected on both free throws to put the Bruins ahead, 63-60. Gonzaga’s Ryan Nembhard made a layup with 8.1 seconds left, drew a foul and missed the ensuing free throw.
TALENTED TYLER
Junior Tyler Bilodeau has averaged a team-leading 14.7 points per game and ranks second on the team in rebounding (5.2 rpg). Bilodeau has scored in double figures in 11 of UCLA’s 15 games, having reached the 20-point plateau in three contests. Last month in New York City, he totaled a career-high-tying 26 points in a loss to North Carolina. He has shot 50.3 percent from the field and 40.4 percent from 3-point distance, knocking down at least four 3-pointers in two games. He shot 5-for-6 from long-range in the Bruins’ 76-74 loss to North Carolina at Madison Square Garden (Dec. 21). Bilodeau, a 6-foot-9 forward from Kennewick, Wash., spent his first two collegiate seasons playing for Oregon State.
NATIONAL NUMBERS
Through games played on Wednesday, Jan. 8, UCLA ranked No. 10 in the nation in scoring defense (61.5 ppg), No. 5 in turnovers forced per game (17.7) and No. 6 in turnover margin (+6.3). In addition, the Bruins have ranked No. 30 in the nation in scoring margin (14.4 points per game). Looking at shooting percentages, the opposition has shot 41.0 percent against UCLA (No. 80, nationally) and 31.5 percent from 3-point range (No. 118, nationally). The latest national metrics on KenPom.com have listed UCLA at No. 5 in the nation in defensive efficiency and No. 78 in offensive efficiency. Kobe Johnson, averaging 2.07 steals per game, ranks No. 47 in the country in that statistical category.
ON DECK, BRUINS AT RUTGERS
UCLA’s road trip on the East Coast will conclude at Rutgers on Monday, Jan. 13, as the Bruins will be playing at Rutgers for the first time in program history. UCLA has gone 2-1 in three prior meetings against Rutgers – with one game at a neutral site (1976 NCAA Tournament), one game in UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion (1979) and one game played in East Rutherford, N.J. in December of 1981. UCLA outlasted Rutgers by a 106-92 margin in the third-place contest of the 1976 Final Four at The Spectrum in Philadelphia. This marks UCLA’s second trip to the East Coast this season, as the Bruins lost to North Carolina, 76-74, in the CBS Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York last month (Saturday, Dec. 21).
SKYY’S THE LIMIT
Junior guard Skyy Clark has recorded an assist-turnover ratio of 2.6 through 15 games this season (totaling 39 assists and 15 turnovers). He has committed eight turnovers through the Bruins’ last nine games, spanning nearly 233 minutes. Clark enters UCLA’s game on Friday with the team’s second-highest assist total (39) behind guard Kobe Johnson (50). He registered 11 points, a career-best nine rebounds and a career-high-tying seven assists in a 65-62 win against Gonzaga. Clark scored a season-best 15 points in UCLA’s comeback victory over Arizona on Saturday, Dec. 14, in Phoenix.
TOP DEFENDER
Senior guard Kobe Johnson has totaled 187 steals in 106 career games (1.8 spg). He will enter Friday’s game with a team-best 31 steals (Skyy Clark has totaled 23), having registered nearly 2.1 steals per game in 15 contests as a senior. Johnson had six steals in a win over Cal State Fullerton (Nov. 22), the third time in his career he has logged six in a game. Hailing from Milwaukee, Wis., Johnson earned Pac-12 All-Defensive Team honors the past two seasons at USC. Over the previous two seasons (64 games), he averaged 10.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.2 steals per contest while at USC.
ON THE DEFENSIVE END
Arizona’s 54 points scored on Saturday, Dec. 14, were the fewest by the Wildcats’ program since Feb. 8, 2020, when UCLA secured a 65-52 win over Arizona at McKale Center in Tucson, Ariz. The 54 points scored by Arizona were the fewest in a game by the Wildcats in head coach Tommy Lloyd’s career in Tucson (now in his fourth season). Arizona was held to its fewest made field goals (19) in 14 games this season (19-for-42, 45.2%). UCLA has limited the opposition to 19 made field goals or fewer in seven of 15 games (Boston University and Southern Utah were held to 14 made shots). Since UCLA’s 57-54 win over Arizona last month, the Wildcats have won five consecutive games (improving to 9-5 overall).
ROAD VICTORY IN EUGENE
The Bruins’ 73-71 win at No. 12-ranked Oregon on Sunday, Dec. 8, marked the program’s first road win over a top-20 ranked opponent since No. 16 UCLA won at No. 20 Maryland, 87-60, on Dec. 14, 2022. Prior to the win in 2022, UCLA won at No. 18 Colorado, 70-63, on Feb. 22, 2020 (during a stretch of the year where the Bruins won 11 of 13 games). The Bruins have not played a road game at a top-10 ranked opponent since losing to No. 7 Arizona, 76-66, at the McKale Center in Tucson, Ariz., on Feb. 3, 2022 (the Bruins were ranked No. 3 in the nation heading into that game).
NOTES ON PAULEY PAVILION
The Bruins have gone 8-1 in Pauley Pavilion this season, now in their 59th campaign playing in the longtime UCLA basketball venue. Pauley Pavilion opened for the 1965-66 season. The first game in Pauley Pavilion took place on Dec. 3, 1965, as No. 1 UCLA defeated Ohio State, 92-66. UCLA spent 47 seasons in Pauley Pavilion before the venue was closed for an 18-month renovation (closed in March of 2011). UCLA hosted 18 home games during the 2011-12 season at the Los Angeles Sports Arena (14 games) near downtown L.A. and at the Honda Center in Anaheim (four games) before returning to Pauley Pavilion in Nov. 2012. This marks the 13th year in the “new” configuration of Pauley Pavilion.
Last year, CSUN snapped UCLA’s 29-home-game winning streak with a 76-72 win over the Bruins (Dec. 19, 2023). Prior to that game, UCLA had not lost at home since an overtime setback (84-81) to Oregon on Jan. 13, 2022. UCLA’s 29-game home streak had been the longest active streak in the country. Since taking over as UCLA’s head coach prior to the 2019-20 season, Mick Cronin has guided the Bruins to a 72-14 record in 86 home games (83.7% win percentage).
MINUTES DISTRIBUTION
While it’s nearly halfway through the Bruins’ season (after 15 games), no players on UCLA’s roster have averaged more than 28 minutes per game, as junior Tyler Bilodeau has led the team in minutes (averaging 27.7 mpg). Since UCLA began recording minutes in 1978-79, the Bruins have always had at least one player average 30.0 or more minutes per game (by the end of the year). In 2019-20, then-freshman guard Tyger Campbell finished the year as the Bruins’ leader in minutes per game, at exactly 30.0 mpg. This year’s team has nine players who have averaged at least 10.0 minutes per contest.
