SOCIAL MEDIA: WBB on Twitter | WBB on Facebook | WBB on Instagram
LOS ANGELES – No. 12/14 UCLA (22-7, 14-4) heads to Seattle for the 2016 Pac-12 Tournament where it has earned a first-round bye and a No. 3 seed. The Bruins will face the winner of No. 6 Oregon (20-9, 9-9)/No. 11 Arizona (12-18, 3-15) in the quarterfinals on Friday, March 4. Tip-off is slated for 2:00 p.m. PT/5:00 p.m. ET on the Pac-12 Networks.
GAME INFORMATION
Opponent: No. 6 Oregon (20-9, 9-9)/No. 11 Arizona (12-18, 3-15)
Venue: KeyArena at Seattle Center (17,072)
Game Date: Mar. 4, 2016
Game Time: 2:00 p.m. PT/5:00 p.m. ET
TV: Pac-12 Networks
Talent: Anne Marie Anderson (play-by-play), Tammy Blackburn (analyst), Jill Savage (sideline)
Internet Audio Broadcast: uclabruins.com
Talent: Dave Marcus (play-by-play)
STORYLINES
l The Bruins are currently ranked No. 12 in the AP Poll, No. 14 in the USA Today Coaches Poll and at No. 15 in the College Sports Madness Poll.
l The Pac-12 Conference is ranked No. 1 in the RPI with four members in the Top 10 and 10 members in the Top 100. Stanford is at No. 7, followed by Arizona State at No. 8, Oregon State at No. 9 and UCLA at No. 10. Washington (34), USC (55), Oregon (70), Utah (78), Washington State (87) and California (92) round out the 10 teams in the Top 100.
l UCLA currently has the No. 5 strength of schedule in the country while Stanford is at No. 6, California is at No. 10, Arizona State is at No. 11, USC is at No. 13, Colorado is at No. 14, and Washington is at No. 23. Arizona (27), Oregon State (35), Utah (36) and Washington State (50) round out the 11 Pac-12 teams with strength of schedules rated in the Top 50 in the country (as of Mar. 1, 2016).
SERIES HISTORY
UCLA is 15-13 (.536) all-time in the Pac-12 Tournament. The Bruins are 5-1 all-time in the Pac-12 Tournament as the No. 3 seed, winning its only title in 2006, defeating No. 1 Stanford 85-76 in overtime in the title game. The Bruins most recently were the three-seed in 2013, falling to No. 1 Stanford 51-49 in the championship game. UCLA Head Coach Cori Close is 3-4 all-time in the Pac-12 Tournament. Last year, the sixth-seeded Bruins defeated No. 11 Arizona, 80-62, before falling to the eventual champions, Stanford, 67-62, in the quarterfinals. The Bruins are 1-1 against Arizona and 1-0 vs. Oregon all-time in the Pac-12 Tournament.
UCLA won its only Pac-12 Tournament title in 2006, when it was also a three-seed. Only Stanford (11), UCLA (1), Arizona State (1) and USC (1) have won a Pac-12 Tournament Title.
TRENDING
l This is the 14th-straight week UCLA has been ranked in the AP Top 25.
l UCLA is a perfect 18-0 this year when leading at the half (4-7 when trailing).
l UCLA is 17-3 this year when outrebounding its opponent (5-4 when outrebounded).
l Jordin Canada has recorded at least one steal in 23 straight games.
l Nirra Fields has scored in double figures in 22 straight games.
l Jordin Canada has had at least five or more assists in 24 of the 28 games she has played this year.
NATIONAL STATISTICS
As a team, UCLA ranks in the top 100 nationally in 20 different categories: No. 8 Rebounds (1,264); No. 8 Three-Point Field Goal Pct. Defense (.258); No. 12 Rebounds Per Game (43.59); No. 14 Offensive Rebounds Per Game (16.0); No. 16 Free Throw Attempts (612); No. 22 Steals (294); No. 23 Scoring Offense (75.1); No. 24 Free Throws Made (423); No. 24 Steals Per Game (10.1); No. 41 Scoring Margin (+10.9); No. 43 Blocks (139); No. 43 Blocks Per Game (4.8); No. 44 Won-Lost Pct. (.759); No. 45 Turnover Margin (3.34); No. 57 Rebound Margin (+4.8); No. 58 Turnovers Forced (18.28); No. 69 Three-Point Field Goal Pct. (.335); No. 81 Field Goal Pct. Defense (.375); No. 83 Field Goal Pct. (.419) and No. 96 Turnovers Per Game (14.9).
MORE NATIONAL STATISTICS
l Four of the five Bruin starters rank in the Top 100 in 16 national statistical categories.
l Jordin Canada ranks in the Top 100 in eight different categories: No. 14 Assists Per Game (6.0 apg); No. 15 Assists (168); No. 43 Steals (70); No. 48 Steals Per Game (2.50 spg); No. 60 Assist Turnover Ratio (1.98); No. 88 Free Throws Made (103); No. 95 Free Throw Attempts (138) and No. 96 Field Goal Attempts (403).
l Nirra Fields ranks in the Top 100 in six categories: No. 67 Steals (65); No. 69 Steals Per Game (2.32 spg); No. 82 Field Goals Made (177); No. 85 Field Goals Attempted (410); No. 100 Points Per Game (16.5) and No. 100 Total Points (462).
l Kari Korver ranks in the Top 100 in one category: No. 53 Three Point Field Goal Pct. (38.6).
l Monique Billings ranks in the Top 100 in one category: No. 100 Blocked Shots (43).
FIELDS CLIMBING THE BRUIN CHARTS
Senior guard Nirra Fields ranks sixth on UCLA's career scoring list with 1,808 points. She needs six points to pass Natalie Williams (1,813 - 1991-94) for 5th and 22 points to pass Noelle Quinn (1,829 - 2004-07) for 4th. She is tied for 6th in 20-point scoring games (36) and needs two more to move into 5th. She is 4th in three-point field goals made (133) and 3rd in attempts (434). She is currently 3rd in field goal attempts (1,742) and is 8th in made field goals (690). She is also 9th in steals with 254 and 9th in free throws attempted (455).
KORVER CLIMBING CAREER CHARTS
Junior guard Kari Korver is currently at No. 1 on UCLA's career free throw percentage list at 83.3 percent (140-for-168). She also ranks in the top 10 in all three categories for three-point shooting, ranking No. 4 in three-point percentage (.387), at No. 2 in makes (173) and at No. 2 in attempts (447).
CANADA NAMED TO 2015-16 JOHN R. WOODEN LATE SEASON TOP 20
UCLA point guard Jordin Canada was one of six sophomores and one of three Pac-12 players to be named to the 2015-16 John R. Wooden Award Late Season Top 20 (announced Feb. 17). After not appearing on either the Preseason Top 30 or the Midseason Top 20 lists, Canada appears on the Late Season Top 20. Likewise, players not on this most recent list are still eligible for the final ballot, which will consist of 15 top players. The list is chosen by a poll of national women's college basketball media members. The Wooden Award All-American Team, consisting of the nation's top five players, will be announced the week of the Final Four.
CANADA NAMED TO NAISMITH WATCH LIST
Jordin Canada was 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.
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 77 of the team's 128 three-pointers (60.2% -- Korver has made 61, Burke has made 16).
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 (2015) joins sophomores Jordin Canada (2014) and Lajahna Drummer (2014) as well as senior guard Nirra Fields (2012).
FOUR BRUINS EARN PAC-12 CONFERENCE HONORS
Senior guard Nirra Fields earned All-Pac-12 honors for the third time in her career and she also picked up Honorable Mention All-Defensive Team plaudits. Sophomore point guard Jordin Canada, the 2015 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, earned her first All-Pac-12 honors and was also named to the five-member All-Defensive Team. Sophomore Monique Billings garnered Honorable Mention All-Pac-12 accolades and Kennedy Burke was named to the five-person All-Freshman Team.
THREE BRUINS ON PAC-12 ALL-CENTURY TEAM
Three Bruin Elite, Ann Meyers (1975-78), Denise Curry (1977-81) and Natalie Williams (1990-94), were named to the Pac-12 Women's Basketball All-Century Team on Monday (Feb. 29). Meyers is considered to be the pioneer of collegiate women's basketball. She was the first female athlete ever to earn a four-year scholarship to UCLA, and finished her collegiate career as the first four-time All-American in her sport. In her senior season (1978), she led UCLA to the AIAW national championship, won the Broderick Award as the women's basketball player of the year and went on to win the prestigious Broderick Cup as the Collegiate Female Athlete of the Year in any sport. Curry, a three-time All-American, set a collegiate record by scoring in double figures in all 130 games she played for the Bruins. She also set 14 school records in her career and still ranks No. 1 in career scoring (3,198) and rebounding (1,310) in addition to four other categories. She played in two Final Fours and helped lead UCLA to the 1978 AIAW National Championship as a freshman and won a gold medal at the 1984 Olympic Games. Williams, a 2004 UCLA Hall of Fame inductee, dominated the backboards like no other player. Her career average of 12.8 rebounds is more than 2.5 rebounds higher than any other Bruin and ranked first in Conference history until this year. She led the Pac-10 in rebounding three times (the three highest averages in league history) and twice led the Pac-10 in scoring. Williams, a two-time first-team All-American, won an Olympic gold medal in 2000.
BRUINS IN THE POLLS
UCLA is currently ranked 12th in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll with 437 points. The Bruins also received 379 points for 14th in the USA TODAY Sports Top 25 women's basketball coaches poll. UCLA has received votes in both polls every week in 2015-16. The Bruins have been ranked for 14 straight weeks. Several 2015-16 opponents are also ranked or receiving votes in the AP Top 25 Poll as Notre Dame is No. 2 and South Carolina is at No. 3. Oregon State is ranked No. 8 while Arizona State is No. 10. Stanford is at No. 11 while James Madison (1 point) received votes in the AP Poll this week. St. John's (2 points), UCLA's season-opening opponent and JMU (1 points), the team UCLA beat in its second game of the season, also received points in this week's USA Today Coaches Poll.