UCLA
Colorado
UCLA to Play at Colorado on Sunday
February 23, 2018 | Men's Basketball
UP NEXT FOR THE BRUINS
UCLA plays at Colorado on Sunday, Feb. 25, in the Bruins' second-to-last game of the regular season. The Bruins (19-9, 10-6) will close their regular-season schedule at USC on Saturday, March 3. UCLA has won five of their last seven games, having dropped an 84-78 decision at Utah on Thursday evening. The Bruins have compiled an 11-3 all-time record against Colorado. Earlier this season, UCLA lost to Colorado in Pauley Pavilion, 69-59.
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GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Coors Events Center (11,064)
Tipoff Time: 1:05 pm PT (2:05 pm MT)
Television: ESPNU
TV Talent: Roxy Bernstein (play-by-play), Corey Williams (analyst)
Radio (UCLA Sports Network from IMG): AM 570
Radio Talent: Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Tracy Murray (analyst)
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BACK IN JANUARY
Aaron Holiday scored 20 points, Kris Wilkes totaled 19 points and Prince Ali added 13 points and nine rebounds as the Bruins shot 52 percent (12-of-23) from 3-point range in an 83-64 win over Utah on Jan. 11 in Pauley Pavilion. UCLA led at halftime, 41-33, and never saw its advantage fall to any fewer than eight points in the second half.
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LAST WEEK
Junior guard Aaron Holiday earned Pac-12 Player of the Week honors for the second time this season (more information here). Holiday averaged 23.0 points and 8.0 assists in the Bruins' two victories last week. Holiday helped UCLA to a 75-68 win over Oregon State on Thursday (Feb. 15), logging his third career double-double (17 pts, 10 rbs). The former standout at Campbell Hall High School registered a team-leading 29 points and had six assists in UCLA's 86-78 overtime win against Oregon on Saturday evening.
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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.
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VERSUS COLORADO
With a road game coming up at Colorado on Sunday, the Bruins are just one win shy of reaching the 20-win plateau for the fifth time in the last six seasons. Last year (Jan. 12, 2017), the Bruins won their lone meeting versus Colorado in Boulder, Colo., by an 104-89 margin. In that game, UCLA made a school record 19 three-pointers (31 attempts) as Bryce Alford shot 9-for-14 from three-point range.
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LAST MEETING AGAINST COLORADO
Thomas Welsh scored 20 points, connecting on 9 of 10 shots, in UCLA's 69-59 loss to Colorado in Pauley Pavilion on Jan. 13, 2018. The Buffaloes led at halftime, 39-29, and never trailed in the second half. George King scored a game-leading 26 points for Colorado and was the Buffaloes' only player to score in double figures.
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UCLA EDGED AT UTAH, 84-78
UCLA dropped an 84-78 decision at Utah on Thursday night, marking the Bruins' second loss in their last seven games. Aaron Holiday scored a team-leading 23 points and Thomas Welsh totaled 15. UCLA nearly erased a 14-point deficit (54-40), trimming Utah's cushion to just one point (70-69) with over two minutes to play in the game.
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HOLIDAY'S HEROICS
Aaron Holiday ranked third among all Pac-12 players in scoring (19.5 ppg), through Thursday, Feb. 22. Holiday has totaled at least 20 points in 15 games. He entered his junior season having scored at least 20 points in just three previous games (all as a sophomore in 2016-17). Among the league's leaders in multiple categories, Holiday currently ranks second in assists per game (5.8), fourth in three-point percentage (42.6%) and tied for eighth in free throw percentage (83.7%).
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Since the Pac-12 began to consistently record assists in 1983-84, six players have registered at least 19 points and five assists per game (Holiday would become the seventh if his pace continues). In addition, no UCLA player has averaged at least 19 points per game through a full season since 1997-98 (J.R. Henderson, 19.0 ppg in 33 games).
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JUST AS IMPRESSIVE
No UCLA guard has registered 19 or more points per game in one season since Reggie Miller averaged 22.3 points per game as a senior in 1986-87. Bill Walton (1973-74) is the only previous UCLA player to have ever logged at least 19.0 points and 5.0 assists per game in one season.
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30-POINT CLUB
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.
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SENIOR CENTER
Thomas Welsh, a 7-foot center from Redondo Beach, Calif., has totaled 16 double-doubles in 28 games. That marks the Bruins' highest single-season double-doubles total since Kevin Love registered 23 as a freshman in 2007-08. Welsh, who had a career-high 17 rebounds in last week's Thursday night win versus Oregon State, has become UCLA's only player to ever record at least 900 career rebounds and make more than 30 career three-pointers. He's made 37 of 94 three-point attempts after having attempted one (which he made) in three prior college seasons (took place on March 4, 2017).
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NOTES ON UCLA
Aaron Holiday ranks first among all Pac-12 players (in conference games only) in scoring, having averaged 21.0 points in the Bruins' 16 league games (through games played Feb. 22). In addition, Holiday has made 45 of 89 three-point attempts in Pac-12 action, converting at a 50.6% clip (the No. 1 three-point percentage among all Pac-12 players).
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The Bruins have shot 50.0% or better in nine games (going 8-1 in those contests). UCLA shot a season-best 58.2% in the team's 107-84 win at California (Jan. 6). Two weeks ago, UCLA shot 51.6% (32-for-62) in a road win at No. 13 Arizona (Feb. 8). UCLA leads all Pac-12 programs (league games only) in three-point field goal percentage (39.4 percent).
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UCLA has shot 72.4 percent from the free throw line, through 28 games. The Bruins made just 67.2 percent (180/268) of their free throws through their first 11 games, but have since shot 75.8 percent (294/387) through their last 17 games. The Bruins made a season-best 92.0 percent (23-for-25) of their free throws in a home win over Stanford (Jan. 27).
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Aaron Holiday and Thomas Welsh both reached the heralded 1,000-career-point milestone in a Pac-12 victory against Washington State earlier this season (Dec. 29, 2017). In a 33-point, 11-rebound performance, Holiday crossed the 1,000 point marker in the first half of the game. Welsh reached the milestone in the second half of UCLA's victory that night.
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Aaron Holiday is tied for eighth in the Pac-12 in total free throw percentage (83.7%) and has made the second-largest free throw total (139) among Pac-12 players. Holiday (139/166) is just 27 free throws shy of cracking UCLA's single-season top-10 list for most free throws made. Jordan Adams made 158 free throws and Kyle Anderson made 137 in 2013-14.
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