UCLA
California
UCLA Set to Host California on Saturday
January 04, 2019 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES – The Bruins will face California this Saturday before hitting the road next week to take on Oregon (Jan. 10) and Oregon State (Jan. 13). Last season, UCLA went 2-0 versus the Golden Bears. The Bruins won the game at Haas Pavilion, 107-84. Three weeks later, UCLA downed the Golden Bears 70-57 in Pauley Pavilion. UCLA has won its last three meetings against California and leads the all-time series by a 139-103 margin. In fact, the Bruins have gone 6-3 versus California over the previous four seasons. UCLA has won its last five home games against California.
GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom
Tipoff Time: 1:06 p.m. (PT)
Television: Pac-12 Network
TV Talent: J.B. Long (play-by-play), Don MacLean (analyst)
Radio (UCLA Sports Network): AM 570
Radio Talent: Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Tracy Murray (analyst)
SIRIUS/XM Radio Channels: Ch. 136 / Ch. 197
SIRIUS App Channel: Ch. 959
PAC-12 OPENER
Five players scored in double figures for the Bruins on Thursday night, as UCLA secured a 92-70 win over Stanford. The win marked UCLA's 13 consecutive victory over Stanford at home (12 games in Pauley Pavilion, and one game at the L.A. Sports Arena in 2012). Moses Brown (17 points, 10 rebounds) recorded his fifth double-double of the season. UCLA led Stanford at halftime 38-32 and outscored the visiting Cardinal in the second half by a 54-38 margin. Jaylen Hands had 15 points, six rebounds and four assists to pace the Bruins and help UCLA snap a four-game losing skid.
COACHING CHANGE
Murry Bartow will serve as UCLA's interim head coach, after Steve Alford was relieved of his head coaching duties on Dec. 31, 2018. Bartow, the son of former UCLA head coach Gene Bartow, arrived at UCLA in April 2018. He served as interim head coach at the University of South Florida in 2016-17 after having been a collegiate head coach for 18 seasons – 12 years at East Tennessee State (2003-04 through 2014-15) and six seasons at UAB (1996-97 through 2001-02).
SCORING IN DOUBLE FIGURES
Sophomore guard Kris Wilkes has scored in double figures in all 14 games this season. The 6-foot-8 guard from Indianapolis, Ind., has scored at least 20 points in four games. He tallied 21 points in a loss at Cincinnati (Dec. 19), registered 20 points in the team's loss to Belmont (Dec. 15) and had 22 points in a game against North Carolina in Las Vegas (Nov. 23). He scored a career-high 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a season-opening win against Purdue Fort Wayne (Nov. 6).
LEAGUE LEADER
Sophomore Jaylen Hands enters the weekend as the Pac-12's leader in total assists (97) and assists per game (6.9). The 6-foot-3 guard from San Diego has averaged 11.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 6.9 assists through the team's first 14 games. Hands also ranks third in the Pac-12 in assist-turnover ratio (2.4-to-1). Hands has tallied at least nine assists in six of UCLA's last nine games. He had at least 10 assists in three consecutive games (versus Hawai'i, Notre Dame and Belmont).
CRASHING THE BOARDS
Through Jan. 3, UCLA ranked No. 2 in the Pac-12 in rebounding offense (42.6 rpg) and was No. 4 in the league in rebounding margin (+5.7). In addition, the Bruins ranked No. 12 in the nation in total rebounds per game (42.6). Freshman Moses Brown (11.9 ppg, 8.9 rpg) ranks fourth in the league in rebounds per game, while redshirt freshman Jalen Hill (2.7 ppg, 6.2 rpg) ranks No. 14 in that category. Brown, a 7-foot-1 center from Queens, N.Y., currently leads all Pac-12 players in field goal percentage (67.6%) and ranks second in the league in blocks per game (2.4 bpg).
MULTIPLE DOUBLE-DOUBLES
UCLA has seen three players register double-doubles of the point-rebound variety this season (Moses Brown, Kris Wilkes and Cody Riley). In addition, Jalen Hill has recorded a team-high 20 rebounds (versus Presbyterian on Nov. 19). Brown has totaled a team-leading four double-doubles for UCLA.
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.
NEWS AND NOTES
- UCLA shot 51.5 percent (35-of-68) from the field in the Pac-12 victory over Stanford on Thursday (Jan. 3), the Bruins' highest team field goal percentage since shooting 57.1 percent against Saint Francis U on Nov. 16.
- The Bruins have made at least 15 free throws in six games. The team made a season-high 18 free throws in a 65-62 victory over Notre Dame (Dec. 8) and shot a season-best 76.2 percent from the line against Presbyterian (16-for-21).
- Kris Wilkes has scored in double figures in all 14 games for UCLA this season. He leads all current UCLA players in most career points (693), career field goals made (247), career three-pointers made (85) and career free throws made (114).
- Kris Wilkes' game-winning shot against Notre Dame (Dec. 8) was UCLA's first near-buzzer-beater to win a game since Jan. 7, 2016, when Bryce Alford made a 3-pointer to put UCLA ahead of No. 7 Arizona, 87-84, with 1.8 seconds remaining.
- In Dec. 2018, Jaylen Hands became the first UCLA player with multiple games of at least 10 assists in the same season since Lonzo Ball finished his freshman year (2016-17) with seven games of at least 10 assists.
- Prince Ali is the oldest player on UCLA's roster (currently a redshirt junior) and has played in 76 career games, the highest career total of any current Bruin. Ali leads all current UCLA players in career minutes played (1,442).
- Prince Ali made a career-high five three-pointers (on six attempts), totaling a career-high 23 points, in the team's victory over Hawai'i (Nov. 28). Ali was a perfect 4-for-4 from three-point range before the 16:00 mark in the first half that night.
- Moses Brown became UCLA's first player with at least 19 points and 17 rebounds in his collegiate debut since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then Lew Alcindor) tallied a then-school-record 56 points and grabbed 21 rebounds on Dec. 3, 1966.
- Moses Brown had eight blocks in the team's win against Saint Francis U (Nov. 16). Since the school began to officially record blocks in 1978-79, only three other players at UCLA have recorded at least eight blocks in one game.
- Jalen Hill tallied a season-best 20 rebounds in the team's victory over Presbyterian (Nov. 19). That marked the highest single-game rebound total by a Bruin since Kevin Love had 21 rebounds at Oregon State on Jan. 26, 2008.
- UCLA has made a season-high 10 three-pointers in two games – against North Carolina in Las Vegas (Nov. 23) and at home against Hawai'i (Nov. 28). The Bruins shot a season-best 50.0 percent in the win over Hawai'i (10-for-20).
- Presbyterian attempted 45 three-pointers in UCLA's 80-65 victory (Nov. 19). That marked the highest total ever attempted against UCLA since the NCAA adopted the three-point line (prior to 1986-87). Presbyterian made 13 of 45 attempts.
PAC-12 PLAY
UCLA went 11-7 in Pac-12 play last season, one year after having gone 15-3 in league action. Over the past five seasons (2013-14 through 2017-18), UCLA has compiled a Pac-12 record of 55-35. The Bruins have recorded double-digit victories in conference action in 12 of the last 14 years, with 15 wins in 2016-17, 16 wins in 2007-08 and 15 victories in 2006-07. The Bruins last won the Pac-12's regular-season title in 2013, going 13-5 in league games that year.
FRESHMEN GUARDS
Freshmen David Singleton and Jules Bernard have played in all 14 games, appearing off the bench. Both players hail from the Los Angeles area. Bernard, a 6-foot-6 guard who played at Windward School (Los Angeles), has registered 5.9 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. Singleton, a 6-foot-4 guard who excelled at Bishop Montgomery High School (Torrance, Calif.), has averaged 4.3 points and 1.4 rebounds per game. Singleton has shot 50 percent (11 for 22) from 3-point range.
THE ROAD AHEAD
Following this week's two games in Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom (vs. Stanford, vs. California), the Bruins will hit the road next week to play at Oregon (Jan. 10) and at Oregon State (Jan. 13). Last season, UCLA split a pair of regular-season games against Oregon, with each team winning the game at its home venue. UCLA also went 1-1 in its two regular-season matchups with Oregon State, dropping the game in Corvallis before securing a victory at home in mid-February.
STREAKING
UCLA has made at least one 3-pointer played in its last 636 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 183 of 188 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).
MAKING AN IMPACT
Redshirt freshman Cody Riley has averaged 8.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, having played in each of UCLA's last 11 contests. After missing the first three games of the season (jaw injury), Riley has shot 49.3 percent from the field and has connected on 3 of 6 attempts from 3-point range. The 6-foot-9 forward who starred at nearby Sierra Canyon High School (Chatsworth, Calif.), registered his first collegiate double-double at Cincinnati (11 points, 10 rebounds).
