UCLA
Utah
UCLA Returns Home, Hosts Utah on Thursday
January 07, 2018 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES – UCLA returns to action against Utah in Pauley Pavilion on Thursday, Jan. 11. Game time is 8 p.m. (PT). The Bruins (12-4, 3-1) have won five of their last six games, most recently securing a 107-84 win at California on Saturday, Jan. 6. This Thursday night's game will be nationally televised by ESPN2, with Dave Pasch and Bill Walton calling the action.
GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Pauley Pavilion (13,800)
Game Time: 8 p.m. (PT)
Television: ESPN2
TV Talent: Dave Pasch (play-by-play), Bill Walton (analyst)
Radio (UCLA Sports Network from IMG): AM 1150
Radio Talent: Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Tracy Murray (analyst)
SIRIUS/XM Channels: Ch. 84/Ch. 84
SIRIUS App. Channel: Ch. 84
DOWNLOAD THE UCLA APP
Be sure to download the UCLA Bruins Mobile App to your device, free of charge (download here). The official app of UCLA Athletics allows fans to receive in-game stats and live updates during events. Fans can also sign up to receive push notifications about gameday promotions, game times, live scoring and more. Fans can shop for UCLA gear with one click in addition to getting breaking news from UCLA Athletics. When searching iTunes or Google Play, use the term "UCLA Bruins" for more direct access.
PURCHASE TICKETS
Fans can purchase tickets to UCLA's upcoming home games by clicking here. To purchase a Bruin Fast Pass, click here to reserve your spot in Pauley Pavilion for only $99. Fans can also secure seats for any of the remaining UCLA home games by calling (310) 206-5991 or visiting uclabruins.com/tickets. Click here to download the men's basketball schedule directly to your calendar.
UCLA VERSUS UTAH
UCLA and Utah played each other just once last season and once in 2015-16. Last winter, the Bruins secured an 83-82 victory against the Utes at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City (Jan. 14, 2017). Utah defeated UCLA in the most recent meeting in Pauley Pavilion, edging the Bruins by a 75-73 on Feb. 18, 2016. UCLA will play at Utah on Thursday, Feb. 22. UCLA has posted a 9-7 all-time record against Utah and has won five of the eight meetings against the Utes since they joined the conference, prior to the 2011-12 school year. This Thursday's game will mark just the fourth game for Utah against UCLA in Pauley Pavilion (UCLA has gone 2-1 in Pauley Pavilion versus Utah).
WE'RE HOSTING DOG LOVERS NIGHT
Join the Bruins in Pauley Pavilion on Thursday for the "Dog Lovers Night" promotion. UCLA will be giving away pet bandanas to the first 1,000 fans. In addition, fans will have the opportunity to meet therapy dogs from the UCLA Health People-Animal Connection (PAC) program (more info here) inside the North entrance before the game. The Thursday night halftime entertainment in Pauley Pavilion will include performances from the Frisbee Dogs Flying Disc Show (more info).
LAST WEEKEND
UCLA dropped a 107-99 decision in double overtime at Stanford last Thursday, before responding with a 23-point victory (107-84) at California on Saturday afternoon. Stanford overcame a 12-point deficit in the final six minutes of Thursday's game, tying the game 85-85 with five seconds to play in regulation. UCLA forced a second overtime session at Stanford when Aaron Holiday nailed a three-pointer at the buzzer, tying the game 94-94. Holiday scored 31 points in the loss at Stanford and followed that with a 21-point effort at California less than 48 hours later.
THE LAST TIME OUT
UCLA made a season-best 17 three-pointers (on 30 attempts), scoring a season-high 107 points at California. That marked the first time Cal surrendered at least 100 points since losing at Washington, 109-77, on Feb. 10, 2011. In addition, the Bruins became the first team to score at least 100 points in Haas Pavilion against the Golden Bears since Arizona secured a 107-105 win on Feb. 5, 2011. UCLA logged its greatest single-game point total against California since defeating the Golden Bears, 113-93, in Berkeley on Feb. 27, 1976 (113 remains Cal's program record for most points allowed).
HOLIDAY'S HEROICS
Aaron Holiday enters this Thursday's game having averaged a team-high 19.4 points per game. Even more impressive, the junior guard from Chatsworth, Calif., has registered 24.8 points per game in four Pac-12 contests this season. He has twice scored at least 30 points this season (career-high 33 versus Washington State on Dec. 29, and 31 points at Stanford on Jan. 4). Holiday has shot 50.0% in the Bruins' four Pac-12 games, making 12 of 21 attempts from three-point range (57.1%). The former standout at Campbell Hall High School has scored in double figures in 15 of UCLA's 16 games this season.
33 POINTS AGAINST WSU
Aaron Holiday (33 pts, 11 rbs on Dec. 29 against Washington State) became UCLA's first player to record at least 33 points and 11 rebounds in a game since Feb. 26, 1995. Ed O'Bannon had team highs of 37 points and 13 rebounds in UCLA's 100-77 win over Duke in Pauley Pavilion, connecting on 14 of 22 shots.
30-POINT CLUB
Aaron Holiday has become just the third UCLA player in the last 20 seasons (1998-99 through 2017-18) to have scored at least 30 points in two or more games in a single season. Jordan Adams had a pair of 30+ point games as a sophomore in 2013-14. Bryce Alford had two games with at least 30 points as a senior in 2016-17.
QUITE THE COMEBACK
UCLA closed its 74-53 victory against Washington (Dec. 31) by outscoring the visiting Huskies, 26-1, over the game's final eight minutes. UCLA trailed UW at halftime, 36-28, and saw the Huskies' cushion swell to 14 points (43-29) with 17:11 to play in the second half. From that point, UCLA outscored UW by a 45-10 margin the rest of the way. UCLA limited the Huskies to 17 second-half points, as Washington shot 6-for-35 (17.1 percent) in the second half. Washington made just 2 of 27 three-point attempts, the lowest percentage by any UCLA opponent since Jan. 5, 2013 (when Stanford was 0-for-13).
YOUTH MOVEMENT
Five of the Bruins' eight primary rotation players did not see action on the court for UCLA last season. Prince Ali and Alex Olesinski (redshirt sophomores) played as true freshmen in 2015-16 but took redshirt years in 2016-17. Freshmen Jaylen Hands, Chris Smith and Kris Wilkes have played vital roles midway through the Bruins' 2017-18 campaign. Wilkes (13.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg) and Hands (11.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg) are UCLA's second and fourth-leading scorers, respectively. Smith has scored in double figures three times, most recently totaling 10 points in UCLA's home victory against South Dakota (Dec. 19).
1,000 POINT CLUB
Aaron Holiday and Thomas Welsh each reached the heralded 1,000-career-point milestone in a win versus Washington State (Dec. 29). With a 23-point first half, Holiday became the 55th player in program history to have scored 1,000 or more points wearing a UCLA uniform. In the second half of the game, Welsh became the 56th player to achieve that milestone. Holiday's 23 points in the first half against WSU marked the largest first-half point total by a Bruin since Jan. 18, 2017, when Isaac Hamilton erupted for 25 first-half points versus Arizona State (Hamilton finished with 33 total points).
HE'S OUR PRINCE
Prince Ali enters this Thursday's game versus Utah having averaged 10.6 points per game. Ali has shot 45.5 percent from three-point range for the Bruins (20-of-44). The former resident of The Bronx, N.Y., ranked sixth in the Pac-12 Conference in three-point percentage, through Saturday, Jan. 6. Ali has connected on at least one three-pointer in 11 of the Bruins' 16 games. He spent his four years of high school in Florida, attending The Sagemont School in Weston, Fla., for his final two years. During his junior season, Ali was teammates with then-senior Gyorgy "G.G." Goloman (2013-14).
THREE-POINT SUCCESS
UCLA made 17 of 30 three-pointers last Saturday at California (56.7%), logging the Bruins' highest single-game three-point percentage since making 19 of 31 triples (61.3%) in a win last season at Colorado (Jan. 12, 2017). The 19 made three-pointers at Colorado set the school's single-game record. This season's squad has shot at least 50 percent from three-point range in three contests (also against Central Arkansas on Nov. 15 and versus Wisconsin on Nov. 21). Thomas Welsh made a career-high four three-pointers, while Alex Olesinski nailed a career-best three triples against California.
