University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
UCLA
Notre Dame
UCLA Looks Ahead to Saturday's Game at Notre Dame
December 09, 2019 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES – UCLA will play at Notre Dame on Saturday, Dec. 14, in what will be the 50th game in the all-time series between these two basketball programs. The Bruins have gone 29-20 against Notre Dame. Last season (Dec. 8, 2018), UCLA defeated Notre Dame 65-62, snapping a 62-62 tie with a 3-point basket by Kris Wilkes with just 0.7 seconds left on the clock. UCLA has not played at Notre Dame since the conclusion of a home-and-home series on Dec. 19, 2009 (Notre Dame won, 84-73).
GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center
Venue Capacity: 9,149
Tipoff Time: 12:01 p.m. (PT) / 3:01 p.m. (ET)
Television: ABC
TV Talent: Dave Pasch (play-by-play), Bill Walton (analyst)
Radio (UCLA Sports Network): AM 570
Radio Talent: Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Tracy Murray (analyst)
XM Channel: Ch. 373
SIRIUSXM Internet Channel: Ch. 373
IT'S A HISTORIC SERIES
UCLA (7-3) and Notre Dame (7-3) faced each other every season from 1966-67 through 1995-96. The two schools played two games every season from 1971-72 through 1983-84. Since the series between UCLA and Notre Dame ended after the 1995-96 season, the two programs have played a pair of home-and-home series – one in Feb. 2004 and Feb. 2005 and another series during the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons.
LOOKING BACK TO 1974
Notre Dame snapped UCLA's historic 88-game winning streak on January 19, 1974. The Bruins had entered that game ranked No. 1, while Notre Dame was undefeated and ranked No. 2. Notre Dame handed the Bruins a 71-70 defeat, taking advantage of a 12-0 scoring run to close the game. One week later (Jan. 26), the Bruins downed Notre Dame, 94-75, in Pauley Pavilion as Bill Walton made 16 of 19 shots (finishing with 32 points).
NOTES ON THIS SEASON'S TEAM
- UCLA has four players who have averaged at least 10 points per game, led by sophomore Cody Riley (11.6 ppg).
- Freshman Jaime Jaquez Jr. has scored at least 15 points in three of the team's last four games.
- Through the last five games, Cody Riley has averaged a team-leading 13.0 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.
- UCLA has had 11 players, including freshmen, establish new career highs in points scored this season.
- The Bruins led all Pac-12 teams in rebounding margin (+8.9 rpg), through games played on Sunday, Dec. 8.
TALENTED FRESHMAN
Freshman Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored a season-high 18 points in a victory over San Jose State on Sunday, Dec. 1. He registered his first career double-double against Chaminade (Nov. 26), totaling 17 points and 12 rebounds in that win. After having scored 10 points through the Bruins' first six games (1.7 ppg), Jaquez Jr. has averaged 14.5 points and 7.3 rebounds in the team's last four contests. In addition, Jaquez Jr. has shot 65.8 percent from the field in those four games.
IN THE FRONTCOURT
Sophomores Cody Riley and Jalen Hill have been the Bruins' most effective frontcourt players. Riley has averaged 11.6 points and 5.9 rebounds per game and recorded his third career double-double last Sunday against Denver, totaling career highs in points (21) and rebounds (11). Hill has averaged 11.4 points and a team-leading 7.7 rebounds per game, heading into Saturday's contest against Notre Dame. Through Sunday's games, Hill ranked seventh in the league in rebounding (7.7), seventh in shooting percentage (59.1%) and was tied for first in offensive rebounds per game (3.30).
RILEY'S PROGRESSION
Cody Riley averaged 5.5 points and 4.1 rebounds last season. His overall shooting percentage has improved from 47.4% one year ago to 55.4% this season. The 6-foot-9 forward who grew up in Kansas City, Kan., has scored in double figures in six games this season (including five of the team's last six contests).
CRASHING THE BOARDS
Through games played on Sunday, Dec. 8, UCLA led the Pac-12 in rebounding margin (+8.9) and was first in the league in rebounding defense (29.1 rebounds per game by the opposition). In addition, UCLA ranked No. 20 in the country in rebounding margin and was No. 64, nationally, in total rebounds (380).
SEVERAL TRENDS
The Bruins have out-rebounded the opposition in all 10 games this season. In addition, UCLA has gone 5-0 when committing fewer fouls and when turning the ball over less than the opposition. The Bruins have gone 7-0 when holding the opposing team to 70 points or fewer, through 10 games.
BENCH PRODUCTION
UCLA has been playing as many as 11 players in several games this season. Over the past five contests, UCLA has averaged 26.2 points per game off the bench, equating to approximately 35 percent of the team's total points. UCLA's reserves have outscored the opposition's bench in six of 10 games this season. The Bruins have had five different players enter the game off the bench and score at least 10 points – Prince Ali, Jules Bernard, Jaime Jaquez Jr., David Singleton and Chris Smith. Bernard has scored 20 points and 16 points off the bench this season.
UCLA'S FRESHMAN POINT GUARD
Tyger Campbell, a redshirt freshman point guard, has averaged 7.9 points, 3.9 assists and 2.0 rebounds through 10 games. The 5-foot-11 guard from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has shot 42.2 percent from the field and 36.0 percent from 3-point range (9-for-25). He recorded 15 points and five assists in his first collegiate game, versus Long Beach State on Nov. 6. Campbell also scored in double figures (15 points) in the Bruins' 71-54 win against UNLV on Nov. 15.
3-POINT SHOOTING
Sophomore David Singleton ranked fifth in the Pac-12, through Dec. 8, in 3-point percentage (52.6, 10 of 19). He opened the season having made two of seven attempts but has nailed eight of his last 12 attempts. He sank a career-high five 3-pointers (six attempts) in the victory over Chaminade (Nov. 26), finishing that game with a career-high 15 points. Singleton missed UCLA's game against Denver on Sunday after having landed awkwardly on his left foot/ankle in practice last week.
GLANCING AT THE CAREER LIST
While he's only a sophomore, David Singleton has put himself within striking distance of UCLA's career top 10 list in 3-point field goal percentage. UCLA's official career list has a minimum of 100 attempts (to qualify, and Singleton has made 45 of 94 career attempts). Pooh Richardson ranks No. 1 on the school's career 3-point percentage list (46.4 percent), while Singleton has made 47.9 percent of his career 3-point attempts.
AT THE FREE THROW LINE
The Bruins have shot 71.0 percent from the free throw line through 10 games, a noticeable improvement from last season, when the team made just 63.3 percent of its total free throws. UCLA has shot 77.0 percent or better in three of 10 games this season. Last year, UCLA shot a season-high 76.2 percent (16/21) in a win against Presbyterian on Nov. 19, 2018. Through games played Sunday, Dec. 8, UCLA ranked seventh in the Pac-12 in free throw percentage (71.0 percent).
TOPS IN THE PAC-12
Sophomore Chris Smith has made 34 of 36 free throw attempts (94.4 percent). Through Sunday, Dec. 8, Smith continued to lead the Pac-12 in free throw percentage. He entered the 2019-20 season having shot 65.5 percent in the previous two seasons (66 games) from the free throw line (72 for 110).
FIFTH-YEAR SENIORS
Redshirt seniors Prince Ali (10.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg) and Alex Olesinski (1.3 ppg, 1.9 rpg) are the first players at UCLA to have spent more than four years on the team since Michael Roll was a fifth-year senior in 2009-10. Roll finished his UCLA career as the program's all-time leader in games played (147 games, 2005-06 through 2009-10). Recent fifth-year seniors who didn't spend all five seasons in Westwood have included Travis Wear (senior in 2013-14), David Wear (senior in 2013-14) and Larry Drew II (senior in 2012-13) Both Ali and Olesinski have fulfilled their undergraduate degree requirements.
NEWS AND NOTES
- Senior Prince Ali, UCLA's top returning scorer from last season's team, enters this Saturday's game having scored 769 career points (7.8 ppg in 98 career contests). He currently leads UCLA's team in most career points scored. Junior Chris Smith ranks second in that category, having scored 451 career points through 76 career games.
- UCLA outscored San Jose State by 29 points (93-64) on Sunday, Dec. 1. The Bruins recorded their largest margin of victory since early last season, when UCLA downed Saint Francis U by 37 points in Pauley Pavilion (95-58) on Nov. 16, 2018. UCLA's 93 points were the most in a game since defeating USC in overtime last season, 93-88 (Feb. 28, 2019).
- UCLA forced 20 turnovers in the win against San Jose State on Sunday, Dec. 1. That marked the first time since March 1, 2017, in which the Bruins had forced 20 or more turnovers by their opponent. UCLA defeated Washington, 98-66, as the Huskies committed 20 turnovers. Lonzo Ball had four steals in the Bruins' 32-point win against Washington.
- Former UCLA center Moses Brown, who was a freshman with the team last season, has become the 95th former UCLA player to have played in the NBA. Brown, a 7-foot-1 center from New York City, made his NBA debut with the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday, Nov. 12. He tallied three rebounds in four minutes of action in a game versus Sacramento.
- UCLA limited Chaminade to 23.3 percent shooting from the field in the Bruins' second game of the Maui Jim Maui Invitational (Tuesday, Nov. 26). That marked the first time UCLA had limited an opponent to 25 percent (or lower) since Dec. 3, 2014, when the Bruins held Cal State Fullerton to just 13-of-54 shooting in a game in Pauley Pavilion (24.1 percent).
- Jules Bernard, a sophomore from Los Angeles, scored 20 points off the bench in UCLA's 77-61 victory against UC Santa Barbara (Nov. 10). He tied his career high (points) in that game, having also logged 20 points off the bench in the Bruins' 90-83 victory at home against Oregon last season (Feb. 23, 2019), in what was UCLA's second-to-last home contest.
- Looking at UCLA's 15-man roster, 10 of the team's student-athletes either grew up in the Southern California region or attended high school in the Los Angeles area. Cody Riley (listed as Kansas City, Kan.), moved to the Los Angeles area when he was in middle school and attended Sierra Canyon High School (Chatsworth, Calif.).
- The largest single-game point total of any current UCLA player belongs to sophomore Jalen Hill, who had a career-best 24 points in a loss to Hofstra (Nov. 21, 2019) in Pauley Pavilion. The largest single-game rebound total of any returning Bruin also belongs to Hill, who tallied 20 boards in a win against Presbyterian last season (Nov. 19, 2018).
- Sophomore David Singleton finished his freshman campaign (2018-19) ranking No. 6 on the school's single-season list for highest 3-point percentage (46.7%). He made 35 of 75 shots from 3-point range, logging the second-highest percentage of any player in the Pac-12 (behind California's Matt Bradley, who shot 47.2%, making 50 of 106 attempts).
