STORYLINES
l The Bruins swept USC a year ago, winning 59-52 (12/30/14) at USC and 71-60 at UCLA (1/18/15).
l The Bruins are currently ranked No. 21 in the AP Poll, No. 24 in the College Sports Madness Poll and just outside the Top 25 in the USA Today Coaches Poll at No. 26 (44 points).
l The Pac-12 Conference is ranked No. 1 in the RPI with nine members in the Top 100 and seven teams in the Top 50. USC is at No. 2 followed by Stanford at No. 3 and Arizona State at No. 19. Washington (34), UCLA (37), California (41) and Washington State (42) round out the seven programs in the Top 50. Arizona (60) and Oregon State (73) complete the nine teams in the Top 100.
l Stanford currently has the No. 6 strength of schedule in the country while Arizona State is at No. 16. Colorado (21), USC (26) and UCLA (32) round out the five Pac-12 teams with strength of schedules rated in the Top 50 in the country.
STREAKS OF INTEREST
l The Bruins have won their last 10 games at home against unranked opponents.
l Nirra Fields has scored exactly 22 points in each of her last four outings.
l Jordin Canada has had at least two assists in 39 straight games & five or more in 10-of-11 games this year.
l Kari Korver has made at least one three-pointer in 22 straight games.
l Monique Billings has hauled in five or more rebounds in 12 straight games.
NATIONAL STATISTICS
As a team, UCLA ranks in the top 100 in 16 different categories: No. 4 Rebounds Per Game (48.6); No. 6 Defensive Rebounds Per Game (32.0); No. 12 Scoring Offense (83.1); No. 15 Rebound Margin (+12.0); No. 23 Offensive Rebounds Per Game (17.0); No. 26 Field Goal Pct. (.455); No. 26 Rebounds (535); No. 27 Steals Per Game (10.7); No. 42 Free Throw Attempts (244); No. 45 Steals (118); No. 56 Scoring Margin (+13.2); No. 59 Free Throws Made (165); No. 61 Three-Point Field Goal Pct. Defense (.275); No. 62 Assists Per Game (15.7); No. 75 Won-Lost Pct. (.727) and No. 82 Assists (173).
COACH RECORD
Head Coach Cori Close is in her fifth year with the Bruins after guiding UCLA to the WNIT title last season with a 62-60 win at West Virginia (Charleston, W.Va.). She sports an overall record of 80-63 (.559).
MORE NATIONAL STATISTICS
l Four different Bruins rank in the Top 100 in 14 national statistical categories.
l Jordin Canada ranks in the Top 100 in nine different categories: No. 19 Assists Per Game (6.1 apg); No. 23 Assists (67); No. 71 Points Per Game (17.6 ppg); No. 72 Assist Turnover Ratio (2.09); No. 76 Field Goals Made (75); No. 87 Steals (26); No. 94 Steals Per Game (2.36 spg); No. 94 Total Points (194) and No. 99 Field Goal Attempts (160).
l Monique Billings ranks in the Top 100 in one category: No. 55 Field Goal Pct. (.541).
l Kacy Swain ranks in the Top 100 in two categories: No. 67 Rebounds Per Game (9.1) and No. 81 Rebounds (100).
l Nirra Fields ranks in the Top 100 in two different categories: No. 62 Steals Per Game (2.50 spg) and No. 84 in Points Per Game (17.3 ppg).
FIELDS CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Senior guard Nirra Fields ranks No. 15 on UCLA's career scoring list with 1,519 points. She needs 18 to pass Necie Thompson (1,536 - 1981-83) for 14th. She is 9th in 20-point scoring games (31) and needs three more to move into 8th. She is 6th in three-point field goals made (114) and 2nd in attempts (389). She also moved into 8th in field goal attempts (1,485).
KORVER CLIMBING CAREER CHARTS
Junior guard Kari Korver is currently at No. 1 on UCLA's career free throw percentage list at 84.4 percent (114-for-135). She also ranks in the top 10 in all three categories for three-point shooting, ranking No. 4 in three-point percentage (.385), at No. 2 in makes (138) and at No. 5 in attempts (358).
CANADA NAMED TO NAISMITH WATCH LIST
UCLA sophomore point guard Jordin Canada is one of eight sophomores and one of eight Pac-12 players to be named to the Naismith Trophy's Early Season Watch List by the Atlanta Tipoff Club (announced Dec. 10). The watch list includes 50 of the top women's collegiate basketball players who will be in the conversation for the prestigious honor. Named in honor of Dr. James Naismith, inventor of the game of basketball, the Naismith Trophy recognizes the top Men's and Women's College Basketball Players of the Year. Canada is currently leading UCLA in scoring at 17.6 points per game, which ranks eighth in the Pac-12 and 71st in the country. She also paces the Bruins in assists at 6.1 apg, which ranks second in the league and 19th nationally.
BOMBS AWAY
The Bruins have two three-point shooting contest winners on the roster this year as freshman guard Kennedy Burke won the 2015 high school three-point shooting contest, a competition won by junior guard Kari Korver in 2012. Right now, the pair have combined to make 32 of the team's 49 three-pointers (Korver has made 26, Burke has made six).
BIG MACS ON CAMPUS
UCLA's roster features a school-record-tying four McDonald's All-Americans in 2015-16 as freshman forward Ashley Hearn joins sophomores Jordin Canada and Lajahna Drummer as well as senior guard Nirra Fields.
PRESEASON PROJECTIONS
UCLA was picked to finish fourth in the Pac-12 Conference women's basketball standings by the coaches (tied with California) and fifth by the media. The Bruins trail nationally-ranked Oregon State, Arizona State and Stanford in both polls. Both polls were nearly identical with only a one-place difference for Arizona State, Stanford and UCLA when comparing both polls. For the first time in the history of the poll, the league's coaches selected Oregon State to win the 2015-16 regular season. The Beavers received the maximum first place votes with 11 and 121 total points. Stanford, which had been voted to win the Pac-12 Conference 15-consecutive years prior to this year, collected 104 points for second in the polling, followed by Arizona State, which placed third with 102 points and one first-place vote.
BRUINS IN THE POLLS
UCLA is currently ranked 21st in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll with 137 points. The Bruins also received 44 points for 26th in the USA TODAY Sports Top 25 women's basketball coaches poll. UCLA has received votes in both polls every week in 2015-16. Several 2015-16 opponents are also ranked or receiving votes in the AP Top 25 Poll as South Carolina is at No. 2 and Notre Dame is at No. 3. Oregon State is ranked No. 10 while Stanford, California and Arizona State are right behind at 11th, 17th, and 19th, respectively. USC (36 points) and Oregon (14 points) also received votes in this week's AP poll. UCLA's season-opening opponent, St. John's, is receiving votes in this week's USA Today poll (eight points) as is Oregon (18 points and USC (seven points).
