LOS ANGELES – The crosstown rivalry renews on the basketball court as UCLA (14-6, 5-4 Big Ten) takes on USC (12-7, 4-4 Big Ten) at the Trojans’ Galen Center on Monday evening. Game time is set for 7 p.m. (PT). UCLA’s game at USC will be nationally televised on FS1, with Jason Benetti and Bill […]
LOS ANGELES – The crosstown rivalry renews on the basketball court as UCLA (14-6, 5-4 Big Ten) takes on USC (12-7, 4-4 Big Ten) at the Trojans’ Galen Center on Monday evening. Game time is set for 7 p.m. (PT). UCLA’s game at USC will be nationally televised on FS1, with Jason Benetti and Bill Raftery providing the call. Last season, UCLA and USC split a pair of regular-season meetings, with each team winning on its rival’s home court. The Bruins won at USC, 65-50, on Jan. 27, 2024.
GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Galen Center (Los Angeles)
Capacity: 10,258
Tipoff Time: 7:10 p.m. (PT)
Television: FS1
Television Talent: Jason Benetti (play-by-play), Bill Raftery (analyst)
Radio (UCLA Audio Network): AM 1150
Radio Talent: Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Tracy Murray (analyst)
SIRIUS XM: Channel 386 and on the SXM App
UCLA’S TICKET INFORMATION (HOME GAMES)
Single-game tickets for UCLA’s six 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 next week this Thursday (Jan. 30).
Additional home matchups in Big Ten play include 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 have won three consecutive games after having absorbed four consecutive losses in early January.
– UCLA has gone 5-1 in games decided by five points or fewer, including Friday’s 65-60 victory at Washington.
– This marks the 106th basketball season at UCLA and the sixth year with head coach Mick Cronin at the helm.
– UCLA has gone 3-4 in the month of January after compiling a 5-1 record through December.
– The Bruins have gone 59-3 since the start of the 2019-20 season when holding the opposition to fewer than 60 points.
– This season, UCLA has posted a perfect 9-0 mark when holding the opposing team to 65 or fewer points.
– Junior Tyler Bilodeau has averaged 13.9 points and 4.6 rebounds in 20 games, shooting 50.5 percent from the field.
– Sophomore Eric Dailey Jr. ranks second on the team in scoring (11.7 ppg) and third in rebounding (4.2 rpg).
– Through games played Saturday, Jan. 25, UCLA ranked No. 25 in the nation in scoring defense (64.5 ppg).
– Through Saturday, Jan. 25, UCLA ranked No. 7 in the nation in turnovers forced per game (16.7).
– Through Saturday, Jan. 25, the Bruins were No. 10, nationally, in turnover margin (+5.1).
– UCLA has limited the opposition to 65 points or fewer in nine of 20 games this season.
– Kobe Johnson (37 steals, 1.85 spg) ranked seventh in the Big Ten in steals per game (through Saturday, Jan. 25).
– Following this Monday’s contest at USC, the Bruins will play three straight home games in Big Ten play.
– 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 129-59 record, now in his sixth season with the Bruins.
NOTES ON THE SEASON
– UCLA has averaged 81.3 points per game in the three-game winning streak, shooting 51.5 percent from the field and 39.0 percent from 3-point range. Six UCLA players during that win streak have averaged at least 10.0 points per game.
– The Bruins’ 94 points scored in the 94-70 win over Iowa marked the most points in a conference game by any UCLA team since the Burins won at Oregon State, 94-55, on Feb. 26, 2023.
– UCLA shot 62.1 percent in the victory over Iowa, marking the Bruins’ best percentage since the start of the 2019-20 season (under head coach Mick Cronin). UCLA shot 61.7 percent in a win over Oregon State on Jan. 15, 2022.
– The Bruins have shot 45.5 percent overall and 28.5 percent from 3-point range in seven January contests. UCLA shot 46.2 percent overall and 43.0 percent from beyond the 3-point arc in six December contests (55-for-128).
– The Bruins have tallied an assist-turnover ratio of 1.6-to-1 in 14 wins this year, while posting a ratio of 0.9-to-1 in six losses. Likewise, the Bruins have surrendered an average of 59.1 points per game in 14 wins (and 77.0 ppg in six losses).
– UCLA limited Gonzaga to a season-low 62 points in the Bruins’ 65-62 win at Intuit Dome (Inglewood, Calif.) on Saturday, Dec. 28. Gonzaga has averaged 89.2 points per game, the second-highest scoring average in the nation (through Jan. 25).
– 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).
GLANCING AT THE SERIES VERSUS USC
The Bruins are back in action at USC on Monday, Jan. 27 (game time is 7 p.m., PT). UCLA has won four of its last six games against USC, after the Trojans had reeled off five consecutive wins in the series (Jan. 11, 2020 through Feb. 12, 2022). Last season, UCLA and USC split a pair of regular-season games in Pac-12 play – the road team won each game. UCLA defeated the Trojans, 65-50, at Galen Center on Jan. 27, 2024. Dylan Andrews shot 7-for-15 from the field in the Bruins’ 15-point victory, totaling 20 points and four assists. USC defeated UCLA in Pauley Pavilion, 62-56, on Feb. 24, 2024.
BALANCED SCORING IN WIN AT WASHINGTON
Four Bruins scored in double figures as UCLA defeated Washington, 65-60, in a Big Ten game at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle on Friday night. The Bruins led by as many as 11 points with just over 11 minutes to play in regulation. Washington cut the Bruins’ cushion down to 60-57, before Dylan Andrews nailed a 3-pointer with 16 seconds to go. Andrews’ 3-point basket push the Bruins’ advantage to 63-57 and UCLA held on for the team’s third straight win. UCLA led at halftime, 36-32. Skyy Clark and Aday Mara each led UCLA with 12 points (Mara had a career-best five blocks in the win).
LOOKING AHEAD
With 11 games to play on the regular-season schedule, UCLA will play three of its next four games at home. All four of those contests will take place in Los Angeles, including Monday’s showdown at USC. Later in the week, UCLA will return to Pauley Pavilion for a three-game homestand against Big Ten foes Oregon, Michigan State and Penn State. The Bruins have two more two-game road trips away from the West Coast (vs. Illinois and Indiana, and vs. Purdue and Northwestern). UCLA will return to the road to face Illinois in Champaign, Ill., on Tuesday, Feb. 11 (game at State Farm Center).
LAST WEEK
Sophomore center Aday Mara, who stands at 7-foot-3 and grew up in Zaragoza, Spain, averaged 17.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.5 blocks in the Bruins’ wins against Wisconsin (in Pauley Pavilion) and Washington (in Seattle). Mara averaged 25.6 points in the two games, logging a career-high 30 minutes in UCLA’s 65-60 win at Washington. He shot 70.6 percent from the field (12-for-17) across both contests and was 10-for-16 at the free throw line (62.5%). Mara totaled a career-best 22 points in the 85-83 win at home against Wisconsin, scoring 15 of his team-best 22 points in the second half. Three nights later, he registered 12 points, seven rebounds and a career-high five blocks against Washington.
UCLA OUTLASTS WISCONSIN, 85-83
Skyy Clark made a pair of free throws in the final seven seconds of the game on Tuesday, helping push the Bruins’ margin to 84-80. UCLA held on to defeat Wisconsin, 85-83, and secure their second Big Ten victory in five nights. Sophomore Aday Mara scored a career-best 22 points (including 15 points in the second half), and Sebastian Mack added 19 points. Mara made 7 of 7 shots from the field, notching the 20-point milestone in a game for the first time in his collegiate career. UCLA trailed by nine points late in the first half and by a 41-36 margin at halftime against the visiting Badgers.
BRUINS CRUISE PAST IOWA
Five Bruins scored in double figures as the Bruins took down Iowa, 94-70, on Friday, Jan. 17, inside Pauley Pavilion. UCLA raced to a 57-24 halftime lead, the Bruins’ largest halftime advantage since taking a 34-point cushion against James Madison on Nov. 15, 2012 (UCLA won that game, 100-70, having led at halftime, 63-29). Eric Dailey Jr. scored a career-high 23 points, connecting on 8 of 12 shots, while Tyler Bilodeau added 18 points. William Kyle III scored a season-high 12 points, sinking 6 of 7 shots. In addition, Dylan Andrews had 13 points and Skyy Clark finished with 12 points.
TALENTED TYLER
Junior Tyler Bilodeau has averaged a team-leading 13.9 points per game and ranks second on the team in rebounding (4.6 rpg). Bilodeau has scored in double figures in 14 of 20 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 (Dec. 21). He has shot 50.5 percent from the field and 39.6 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. 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 Saturday, Jan. 25, the Bruins ranked No. 25 in the country in scoring defense (64.5 ppg), No. 7 in turnovers forced per game (16.7) and No. 10 in turnover margin (+5.1). In addition, the Bruins have ranked No. 45 in the nation in scoring margin (11.1 points per game). Looking at shooting percentages, the opposition has shot 42.6 percent against UCLA (No. 131, nationally) and 32.8 percent from 3-point range (No. 163, nationally). The latest national metrics on KenPom.com have listed UCLA at No. 16 in the nation in defensive efficiency and No. 66 in offensive efficiency.
SKYY’S THE LIMIT
Junior guard Skyy Clark has tallied an assist-turnover ratio of 2.4 through 20 games (55 assists, 23 turnovers). Clark joined the Bruins’ program in the summer of 2024 after having averaged a team-leading 13.2 points per game as a sophomore at Louisville last season. He enters Monday’s game at USC with the Bruins’ second-highest assist total (55), behind Kobe Johnson (62). Clark had 12 points, six rebounds and three assists in UCLA’s 65-60 win at Washington on Friday. He shot 3-for-5 from 3-point range against the Huskies (8-for-18 from 3-point range in the last three games, 50.0%).
TOP DEFENDER
Senior guard Kobe Johnson has totaled 193 steals in 111 career games (1.74 spg). He enters Monday’s game with a team-best 37 steals (Skyy Clark has totaled 29), having registered 1.85 steals per game in 20 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, at Footprint Center in Phoenix 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). More recently, Arizona lost to Texas Tech, 70-54, on Saturday, Jan. 18 (tying that 54-point total). Since UCLA’s 57-54 win over Arizona last month, the Wildcats have won nine of 10 games, improving their overall record to 13-6.
MINUTES DISTRIBUTION
Now past the halfway mark in the Bruins’ season (after 20 games), no players on UCLA’s roster have averaged more than 29 minutes per game, as senior Kobe Johnson has led the team in minutes (averaging 28.7 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.
CONSECUTIVE THREE-POINTERS
UCLA has made at least one 3-pointer in each of its last 50 games. The Bruins went 0-for-6 from long range in a 78-58 win against Long Island University early last season in Pauley Pavilion (on Nov. 15, 2023). That game snapped a streak of 792 consecutive contests with at least one made 3-pointer by UCLA. That 3-point streak began after the Bruins finished 0-for-14 from 3-point distance in a home loss to No. 2 Stanford (78-63) on Feb. 3, 2000. The Bruins’ single-game 3-point record stands at 19 made 3-pointers (going 19-for-31) in an 104-89 win at Colorado on Jan. 12, 2017.
ROAD WARRIORS
Since the start of the 2021-22 season, UCLA has compiled a 38-28 record in 66 games played away from home (57.6 win percentage). Over the previous two seasons, UCLA went 21-16 in games played away from home (14-6 in 2022-23, 7-10 in 2023-24). Earlier this season, the Bruins earned a 73-71 win at No. 12 Oregon on Dec. 8. That marked UCLA’s first win on the road against a top-20-ranked program since an 87-60 win at No. 20-ranked Maryland on Dec. 14, 2022.
TURNOVER MARGIN
Through Saturday, Jan. 25, the Bruins ranked No. 10 in the nation in turnover margin (+5.1), having committed 232 turnovers and forced 333 turnovers by the opposition. Looking back at recent seasons, the Bruins ranked No. 2 nationally at the conclusion of the 2022-23 season in turnover margin (+5.6). UCLA’s 2021-22 squad finished at No. 11 nationally in turnover margin (+4.2). This year’s team ranks leads the Big Ten and ranks No. 7 nationwide in turnovers forced per game (16.65). The Bruins forced a season-high 30 turnovers in a victory against Southern Utah (Tuesday, Nov. 26).
