LOS ANGELES – UCLA (11-6, 2-2) takes on crosstown rival USC (14-3, 3-1) on Wednesday evening in Pauley Pavilion. Game time is 8 p.m. The Bruins' game will be nationally televised on ESPN2. Most recently, UCLA won two home games last week against No. 7 Arizona and Arizona State.
GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Pauley Pavilion (13,800)
Tipoff Time: 8:05 p.m. (PT)
Television: ESPN2
TV Talent: Dave Pasch (play-by-play), Bill Walton (analyst)
Radio: AM 570
Radio Talent: Bill Roth (play-by-play), Darrick Martin (analyst)
SIRIUS/XM Channels: Ch. 81/Ch. 81
GETTING TO THE GAME
Tickets are available by ordering online or calling the UCLA Central Ticket Office at 310-UCLA-WIN (825-2946). The Pauley Pavilion Box Office (north side) will be open by 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday prior to the 8 p.m. tipoff. Additional information about directions to Pauley Pavilion, parking and tickets can be found through our Gameday Info website.
ABOUT THE BRUINS
- The Bruins have gone 11-6, most recently having defeated No. 7 Arizona (87-84) last Thursday and Arizona State (81-74) on Saturday ... UCLA evened its Pac-12 record to 2-2 and improved its home record to 9-1.
- UCLA's five starters are averaging at least 10.0 points per game ... junior guard Bryce Alford leads the team and ranks third in the Pac-12 with 17.4 points per game, having scored at least 20 points in six games this year.
- Junior guard Isaac Hamilton has scored in double figures in each of the Bruins' last 13 games ... Hamilton led UCLA with 26 points in the team's 81-74 win over Arizona State on Saturday (has averaged 20.5 ppg in four Pac-12 games).
- UCLA is the only program in the Pac-12 with at least two players in the top 10 in rebounding ... Tony Parker (13.0 ppg, 9.9 rpg) and Thomas Welsh (12.8 ppg, 8.8 rpg) rank third and sixth in the Pac-12, respectively.
UCLA VERSUS USC
The Bruins have compiled a 138-105 all-time record against USC, having won each of the last six games and 10 of the last 11 meetings. UCLA posted a 3-0 record against USC last season. UCLA has won each of its last two games against USC in Pauley Pavilion. The Trojans' most recent win over UCLA took place Jan. 30, 2013, in Pauley Pavilion. USC outlasted the Bruins in overtime that night, 75-71.
ALFORD EARNS WEEKLY AWARD
- Junior guard Bryce Alford was named the Pac-12's Player of the Week on Monday, having registered 21.5 points and 5.0 assists in the Bruins' two wins ... Alford had 25 points in the win over Arizona last Thursday, making the game-winning and tie-breaking 3-point shot with just 1.8 seconds to play in regulation (UCLA 87, Arizona 84).
- Two days after UCLA defeated Arizona, Alford registered 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting in an 81-74 win against Arizona State ... he made a 3-pointer with 24 seconds to play, extending UCLA's lead from 74-77 to 80-74 ... Alford and teammate Isaac Hamilton have each averaged 20.5 points per game in four Pac-12 games.
- In a Pac-12 game at Washington on Jan. 1, Bryce Alford hit three late, critical 3-pointers to help force two overtime sessions ... his 3-pointer with 17 seconds to go in regulation cut UW's lead to 69-68 ... his 3-pointer with 7.1 seconds left in the second half tied it, 71-71 ... his 3-pointer with 13 seconds to play in the first overtime tied the game, 83-83.
HAMILTON STAYS HOT
- Junior guard Isaac Hamilton enters the week ranking seventh in the Pac-12 in scoring (16.5 ppg) ... Hamilton leads all Pac-12 players in field goals made (108), having shot 48.9 percent overall this season.
- Hamilton has scored in double figures in each of the team's last 13 games, totaling at least 20 points in five games this season ... he had a 27-point game at Washington State (Jan. 3) and a 26-point effort versus ASU (Jan. 9).
- Earlier this season, Hamilton had a streak of five straight games with at least eight field goals made, the longest such streak by any UCLA player since 1991, when Tracy Murray did that in six consecutive games.
SKILLED SOPHOMORE
- Thomas Welsh grabbed a season-high 16 rebounds last Saturday in the Bruins' 81-74 win over Arizona State ... Welsh had 14 rebounds in the second half (UCLA was out-rebounded in the first half by a 23-12 margin).
- After having averaged 3.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per game as a freshman, Welsh has registered 12.8 points and 8.8 rebounds per contest this season ... his 58.0 field goal percentage ranks seventh in the Pac-12.
- Welsh has totaled seven double-doubles this season, tied for the sixth highest total in the Pac-12 ... he scored a team-leading 21 points and had 11 rebounds in UCLA's win over No. 1 Kentucky on Dec. 3, 2015.
LONE SENIOR
- Tony Parker leads the team with eight double-doubles, tied for the second-highest total among Pac-12 players ... Parker enters this week's game versus USC having registered 13.0 points and 9.9 rebounds per game.
- Parker, the only senior on the Bruins' roster, has scored in double figures in 13 of 17 games, logging a season-high 19 points twice (versus Monmouth on Nov. 13 and against Louisiana-Lafayette on Dec. 15).
- Parker stands just 26 rebounds shy of breaking into UCLA's all-time top 25 rebounds list ... former UCLA standout Tracy Murray currently ranks 25th (627 rebounds) ... Parker has totaled at least 10 rebounds in nine games this year.
CHALLENGING SLATE
Among Pac-12 teams, UCLA's non-conference schedule was rated the most challenging by KenPom.com. Overall, the Bruins have played five games against teams ranked in the top 20 of the AP poll – No. 1 Kentucky (W, 87-77, Dec. 3), and No. 5 Kansas in the Maui Invitational (L, 92-73, Nov. 24), at No. 20 Gonzaga (W, 71-66, Dec. 12), versus North Carolina in Brooklyn (L, 89-76, Dec. 19), and No. 7 Arizona (W, 87-84, Jan. 7). Through Sunday's games, 10 of the 12 Pac-12 programs had RPI figures between No. 1-61 (including UCLA, at No. 45).
WHAT'S DOWN THE ROAD
Following this Wednesday evening's game against USC, the Bruins will play at Oregon State (Jan. 20) and Oregon (Jan. 23). Last season, the Bruins dropped back-to-back games on the road at Oregon State and Oregon before securing victories against both schools back at UCLA in mid-February. UCLA has posted a 92-36 all-time record against Oregon State, splitting the last six contests versus the Beavers. Prior to a loss at OSU on Jan. 19, 2012, the Bruins had recorded 13 consecutive wins against the Beavers. UCLA has not won at Oregon State's Gill Coliseum since Jan. 13, 2011.
BMW CROSSTOWN CUP
For the second consecutive year, UCLA and USC are facing off in the season-long, multi-sport BMW SoCal Crosstown Cup competition. The “Crosstown Cup” is awarded annually to the athletic department with the most success against the other in head-to-head matchups in all sports during an academic year. Ten points are available for each of the 19 men's and women's sports in which the schools compete, with 10 points for a single sport awarded to the winner of the most head-to-head contests in that sport (if UCLA and USC split the season series, 1-1, each school is awarded five points).
YEAR THREE
Steve Alford is currently in his third season as UCLA's head coach and his 25th year as a college basketball head coach. In his third year at UCLA, Alford has led the Bruins to a 61-29 overall record. After guiding the Bruins to the Pac-12 Tournament title and a Sweet 16 appearance in 2014, Alford helped UCLA engineer a second consecutive trip to the Sweet 16 last March. He has led his teams to at least 22 wins in each of the last eight years, including at least 28 wins in three of the previous four seasons (107-36 record over the previous four years).