UCLA
USC
UCLA Men's Basketball to Play at USC on Saturday
January 15, 2019 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES – UCLA and USC resume their crosstown rivalry on Saturday (1 p.m.) at USC's Galen Center. The Bruins are seeking their fifth straight win over USC, a streak that began with a 102-70 win over the Trojans at Pauley Pavilion on Feb. 18, 2017. The Bruins have gone 8-4 in 12 previous meetings against USC at Galen Center, an arena that opened for the 2006-07 season. Last year, UCLA went 2-0 against USC with an 82-79 win at Pauley Pavilion (Feb. 3) before securing an 83-72 comeback victory over the Trojans at Galen Center (March 3).
GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Galen Center (Los Angeles)
Tipoff Time: 1:07 p.m. (PT)
Television: CBS
TV Talent: Spero Dedes (play-by-play), Bill Raftery (analyst)
Radio (UCLA Sports Network): AM 570
Radio Talent: Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Tracy Murray (analyst)
XM Radio / SIRIUS App Channels: Ch. 381 / Ch. 972
LAST WEEK IN OREGON
Prince Ali and Kris Wilkes each averaged 17.5 points in the Bruins' two road games last week, as UCLA earned an 87-84 overtime win at Oregon (Jan. 10) before absorbing a 79-66 loss at Oregon State on Sunday (Jan. 13). Ali scored a team-leading 22 points, connecting on 7 of 10 shots, as the Bruins stormed back from a 74-65 deficit with less than 58 seconds to go in the win at Oregon. Five UCLA players scored in double figures in that victory. Wilkes scored a team-high 21 points as one of three UCLA players to score in double figures in the Bruins' 13-point loss at Oregon State.
NOW THAT'S HISTORIC
UCLA trailed by as many as 17 points (65-48, at 6:53 in the second half) at Oregon on Thursday, Jan. 10, before mounting a furious, late comeback. The Bruins were down, 72-59, with 2:31 to play. UCLA's comeback marked the largest deficit overcome in the final minute of a Pac-12 game and tied the sixth-largest deficit overcome in the final minute in NCAA Division I history (according to ESPN Stats & Info).
SCORING IN DOUBLE FIGURES
Sophomore guard Kris Wilkes has scored in double figures in all 17 games. The 6-foot-8 guard from Indianapolis, Ind., has become the first player to accomplish that feat since then-freshman TJ Leaf scored in double figures in UCLA's first 21 games in 2016-17. Wilkes has averaged 17.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 17 contests. He has scored at least 20 points in five games this season (and in 11 career contests). Wilkes finished with a team-leading 21 points in the Bruins' 79-66 loss to Oregon State last Sunday evening and averaged 17.5 points in the team's two road games last week.
ASSIST LEADER
Sophomore Jaylen Hands leads all Pac-12 players in total assists (112) and assists per game (6.9). The 6-foot-3 guard from San Diego has averaged 11.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 6.6 assists through 17 games. Hands ranks second in the Pac-12 in assist-turnover ratio (2.2-to-1), through games played Monday, Jan. 14. He has recorded at least nine assists in six games and tallied at least 10 assists in three straight games in December (versus Hawai'i, Notre Dame and Belmont).
CRASHING THE BOARDS
UCLA led the Pac-12 and ranked No. 6, nationally, in total rebounds per game (42.9) through Monday, Jan. 14. In addition, the Bruins ranked No. 3 in the Pac-12 and No. 39, nationally, in rebounding margin (+6.0). Freshman Moses Brown (11.9 ppg, 9.0 rpg) entered the week ranking No. 4 in the Pac-12 in total rebounds per game (9.0) and was first in overall field goal percentage (67.7%). Brown, a 7-foot-1 center, also ranked No. 3 in the conference in blocks per game (2.2).
STANDING TALL
UCLA's 17-person roster includes eight players who measure at least 6-foot-8. Freshman Moses Brown (7-foot-1, 245 pounds) is the Bruins' tallest player since the late Mike Lanier (7-foot-7, 310 pounds) competed as a reserve center for UCLA in 1991-92 and 1992-93. UCLA redshirt junior Alex Olesinski and redshirt freshman Jalen Hill both stand at 6-feet-10, while freshmen Shareef O'Neal and Kenneth Nwuba, sophomore Chris Smith and redshirt freshman Cody Riley all stand at 6-foot-9. Sophomore guard Kris Wilkes rounds out the eight-person group at 6-foot-8.
STREAKING
UCLA has made at least one 3-pointer played in its last 639 games. That 3-point streak began after the Bruins went 0-for-14 from 3-point territory in a 78-63 loss at No. 2-ranked Stanford on Feb. 3, 2000 (Maples Pavilion). UCLA has made at least three 3-pointers in 186 of 191 games since the start of the 2013-14 season. The Bruins made a school single-game-record 19 three-pointers (on 31 attempts) at Colorado on Jan. 12, 2017 (UCLA won that game, 104-89).
VERSATILE PLAYER
Sophomore Chris Smith made his first collegiate start in UCLA's Pac-12-opening win against Stanford (Jan. 3). Smith, a 6-foot-9 guard who was born in Chicago, Ill., has averaged 7.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. Against Stanford, he played a career-high 30 minutes. Two days later, he totaled a career-high-tying 15 points and registered five rebounds and three steals in UCLA's 98-83 win over California. Smith, who grew up in Fort Worth, Texas, will enter Saturday's game at USC having shot 40.7 percent from the field and 30.2 percent from 3-point territory (30-for-40).
FRESHMEN GUARDS
Freshmen David Singleton and Jules Bernard have played in all 17 games, appearing off the bench. Both players hail from the Los Angeles area. Bernard, a 6-foot-6 guard (Windward School in Los Angeles), has registered 5.9 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. Bernard has scored in double figures in two games. He scored a career-high 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds in a win over Saint Francis U (Nov. 16). Singleton, a 6-foot-4 guard (Bishop Montgomery High School in Torrance, Calif.) has averaged 4.5 points and 1.4 rebounds per game, shooting 46.7 percent from 3-point distance.
HE'S OUR PRINCE
Redshirt junior Prince Ali will enter Saturday's game at USC having averaged 10.4 points in 17 games. He has registered 15.0 points and 3.3 rebounds in four Pac-12 games this season. In the Bruins' two road games last week, Ali averaged 17.5 points while connecting on 5 of 10 shots from 3-point territory. He shot 57.9 percent from the field in those two games, making 11 of 19 shots. Ali scored a team-leading 22 points and was 7-for-10 from the field in last Thursday night's overtime victory at Oregon (UCLA won, 87-84). Ali has totaled 590 career points and 174 career rebounds.
SHOOTING OVER 50 PERCENT
UCLA has gone 6-0 this season when shooting at least 50 percent. In three Pac-12 victories, UCLA shot at least 50 percent. Last Thursday evening, the Bruins shot 51.7 percent in an 87-84 overtime win at Oregon (Jan. 10). When UCLA's opponents have shot at least 50 percent, the Bruins have gone 0-2 (vs. Michigan State on Nov. 22, at Cincinnati on Dec. 19). UCLA shot a season-best 57.1 percent in the third game of the season, a 95-58 victory at home against Saint Francis U (Nov. 16).
STREAKING AGAINST USC
The Bruins have compiled a 142-108 all-time record against USC (that total reflects one USC victory that was vacated by the Trojans from 2007-08). While UCLA has won the last four games in the all-time series, USC won the prior four games against UCLA (including three contests in 2015-16). Prior to USC's four-game winning streak, UCLA had secured six consecutive victories against the Trojans (from Feb. 2013 through March 2015). Over the past 10 seasons (2008-09 through 2017-18), UCLA has compiled a 14-9 record against USC.
THE BRUINS WHEN ...
Since the start of the 2013-14 season, UCLA has gone 103-12 when leading at halftime (spanning 191 games). During that same span, the Bruins have gone 21-47 when trailing at halftime and 3-5 when tied at the break. UCLA's largest halftime deficit overcome during that stretch has been nine points (twice) – the Bruins trailed Oregon State, 38-29, on March 2, 2014 and trailed Oregon, 48-39, on Feb. 9, 2017. When the Bruins have built a 10-point lead (or larger) at any point in the game, UCLA has gone 113-14. Conversely, when trailing by 10 or more points in a game, UCLA has gone 11-51.
