LOS ANGELES – The Bruins (14-12, 5-8) take on Colorado (19-8, 8-6) on Saturday night in a Pac-12 game that will be nationally televised by Fox Sports 1. Game time is 8 p.m. (PT). UCLA and Colorado have not faced each other this season. Last year, UCLA went 1-1 against the Buffaloes, losing a game at Colorado before winning the game in Pauley Pavilion.
GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Pauley Pavilion (13,800)
Tipoff Time: 8:07 p.m. (PT)
Television: Fox Sports 1
TV Talent: Aaron Goldsmith (play-by-play), Steve Lavin (analyst)
Radio: AM 570
Radio Talent: Bill Roth (play-by-play), Darrick Martin (analyst)
SIRIUS/XM Channels: Ch. 83/Ch. 197
ABOUT THE BRUINS
- The Bruins have gone 14-12 and have five regular-season games remaining, three at home and two on the road ... three of UCLA's wins this season have come against teams ranked in the Associated Press top-25 poll – No. 1 Kentucky (Dec. 3), at No. 20 Gonzaga (Dec. 12) and No. 7 Arizona (Jan. 7).
- Most recently, UCLA dropped a 75-73 decision to Utah in Pauley Pavilion on Thursday, Feb. 18 ... Isaac Hamilton scored a season-high 25 points ... the Bruins trailed 67-53 with nearly seven minutes to play in the second half and rallied to within two points (70-68) with 2:30 to play in the contest (Hamilton scored 10 points in a four-minute span).
- The Bruins are currently amidst a seven-game stretch that features five road games ... following this Saturday's home game against Colorado (Feb. 20), UCLA will return to the road next week to face California (Feb. 25) and Stanford (Feb. 27) ... the Bruins' games at California and Stanford are their final two regular-season road contests.
- UCLA is the only Pac-12 team to have at least two scorers in the conference's top 10 (Isaac Hamilton is fourth with 16.8 ppg and Bryce Alford ranks sixth with 16.2 ppg) ... UCLA and Colorado are the only Pac-12 teams with two players among the league's top 10 rebounders (Tony Parker is third with 8.9 rpg, Thomas Welsh ranks seventh with 8.3 rpg).
SATURDAY'S SHOWDOWN
With just five games left in the regular-season schedule, UCLA will host Colorado at 8 p.m. (PT) this Saturday in Pauley Pavilion. Since the Buffaloes joined the Pac-12 in the summer of 2011, UCLA has recorded a 5-1 record against Colorado. Last season, the two schools split a pair of regular-season contests, with each school winning the game on its home court. Most recently, Colorado (19-8, 8-6) dropped a 79-72 decision at USC on Wednesday, Feb. 17. Four Colorado players scored in double figures, with Josh Scott scoring a team-leading 17 points off the bench.
STREAKIN'
Junior guard Isaac Hamilton has scored in double figures in 22 consecutive games for UCLA, the longest such streak since 2007-08, when freshman Kevin Love scored at least 10 points in all 39 games. Hamilton has scored in double figures in each of UCLA's 13 Pac-12 games. Prior to Hamilton's streak of 22 straight games, freshman Shabazz Muhammad scored in double figures in each of UCLA's final 19 games during the 2012-13 campaign. Hamilton currently ranks fourth among all Pac-12 scorers, having averaged 16.8 points per game in 26 starts.
FRESHMAN PLAYMAKER
Aaron Holiday, a freshman guard who starred at nearby Campbell Hall High School, has averaged 10.8 points, 3.8 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game, starting all 26 contests. Holiday has scored in double figures in 10 of the team's last 12 games (had a streak of nine consecutive contests with at least 10 points). Holiday ranks second on the team in 3-point field goal percentage (39.5). In addition, he has made 28 of his last 34 free throw attempts (82.4 percent), shooting 73.2 percent overall from the free throw line (60 for 82).
BRUINS ON THE BOARDS
Tony Parker and Thomas Welsh rank first and second, respectively, among all Pac-12 players in offensive rebounds. Parker, who ranks third in the league in total rebounds per game (8.9 rpg), has registered 3.6 offensive boards per game. Welsh, the league's seventh-leading rebounder (8.3 rpg), has averaged 3.2 offensive rebounds per contest. Parker and Welsh have each recorded nine double-doubles, tied for the fifth-highest total among Pac-12 players. The Bruins' duo has grabbed 41.7 percent of UCLA's total rebounds (438 of 1050).
SCORE AND DISTRIBUTE
Bryce Alford has scored 16.2 points per game and a team-leading 5.4 assists per game. UCLA's second-leading scorer, Alford ranks second in the Pac-12 in assists per game (5.4) and third in assist-turnover ratio (2.5). He has not committed more than three turnovers in any of the team's last 12 games, logging 68 assists and 17 turnovers over that span (4.0 assist-turnover ratio). With a conference-leading 140 assists, he has become UCLA's first player since Earl Watson (1998-2001) to have dished at least 100 assists in each of his first three seasons.
1,000 POINT CLUB
Bryce Alford and Tony Parker have each crossed the 1,000 point mark at UCLA this season. Alford, currently at 1,271 career points, accomplished the feat during UCLA's 71-66 victory at No. 20 Gonzaga on Dec. 12. Parker scored career point No. 1,000 against Washington in Pauley Pavilion (Jan. 28). Parker became the fourth UCLA player in the last three seasons to have recorded his 1,000th career point (joining Alford, Jordan Adams and Norman Powell). Parker is also tied for No. 21 on the school's all-time rebounds list (663, tied with Jamaal Wilkes).
WHO'S ON DECK
Following this Saturday's game against Colorado, the Bruins will play their final two regular-season road games. UCLA heads to northern California to face California on Thursday, Feb. 25, before taking on Stanford on Saturday, Feb. 27. Last season, UCLA split a pair of regular-season games against California, with each team winning the game on its home court. The Bruins swept the regular-season series versus Stanford. Under the direction of second-year head coach Cuonzo Martin, California has gone 18-8 this season, posting a perfect 16-0 record at home (Haas Pavilion).
SOPHOMORE SURGE
Sophomore center Thomas Welsh has significantly improved his production as a starter for the Bruins this season, averaging 11.5 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. Last summer, he helped the USA Basketball U-19 men's team win the gold medal at the FIBA World Championships on the island of Crete in Greece. As a freshman for the Bruins last season, Welsh averaged 3.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per game as a key contributor off the bench. This year, Welsh ranks third among Pac-12 players in field goal percentage (59.4), having made 129 of 217 total shot attempts.