UCLA
USC
UCLA to Host Crosstown Rival USC on Thursday
February 25, 2019 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES โ The Bruins will host a "Blue Out" this Thursday night, taking on crosstown rival USC in Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Game time is 6 p.m. (PT). The UCLA-USC game will be nationally televised on ESPN, with the radio broadcast available in the Los Angeles area on AM 570 (KLAC). UCLA has compiled a 142-109 all-time record against USC, having won 10 of the last 15 meetings.
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GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom
Venue Capacity: 13,800
Tipoff Time: 6:05 p.m. (PT)
Television: ESPN
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)
SIRIUS/XM Radio Channels: Ch. 81 / Ch. 81
SIRIUS App Channel: Ch. 81
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ABOUT THIS WEEK'S MATCHUP
The Bruins will play their final regular-season home game this Thursday, taking on USC. UCLA and USC enter Thursday's contest with identical overall records (15-13) and Pac-12 marks (8-7). USC defeated UCLA at the Galen Center last month by an 80-67 margin. The Trojans led UCLA at halftime in that game, 36-33. Prince Ali and Jaylen Hands each scored a team-leading 15 points in that game at USC (Jan. 19, 2019).
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LAST SATURDAY'S WIN
Jaylen Hands scored all of his game-high 27 points in the second half to lead UCLA past Oregon, 90-83, last Saturday night. The Bruins trailed by 16 points at halftime (44-28) and by as many as 19 early in the second half (47-28) before using a 25-8 scoring run over the next 7:30 to lead, 55-53, with 10:36 to play. UCLA outscored the Ducks in the second half, 62-39, marking the Bruins' highest-scoring half all season. Kris Wilkes and Jules Bernard each totaled 20 points.
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HALFTIME DEFICIT
UCLA erased a 16-point halftime deficit (44-28) against Oregon on Saturday. That marked the largest halftime deficit that the Bruins had overcome since Jan. 29, 2005, when the Bruins downed crosstown rival USC at the Los Angeles Sports Arena, 72-69, after having trailed by 18 points at the break (USC led, 43-25). Earlier this season, UCLA trailed at Oregon by as many as 17 points with 6:40 to play in the second half (UCLA won, 87-84, in overtime at Matthew Knight Arena).
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3-POINT BARRAGE
The Bruins shot 63.5 percent from 3-point territory in last Saturday's win, connecting on 14 of 22 shots. That marked UCLA's best single-game 3-point percentage since setting the school record on Nov. 29, 2013, when the Bruins made 76.5 percent of their 3-pointers against Northwestern (13-for-17, in a game in Las Vegas, Nev.).
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HOT HANDS
Jaylen Hands' 27-point second half marked the most points scored in one half by a UCLA player since Feb. 10, 2005, when Dijon Thompson scored 27 of his 39 points in the first half against Arizona State (UCLA won that game, 95-76, in Pauley Pavilion). Hands' seven 3-pointers, on 10 attempts, tied the school record for most 3-pointers made in one half (tied with Bryce Alford and Isaac Hamilton, who each accomplished the feat in January 2017
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MORE ABOUT THE BRUINS
- The Bruins have three regular-season games to play โ versus USC (Feb. 28), at Colorado (March 7) and at Utah (March 9).
- Sophomore Jaylen Hands has averaged a team-leading 21.4 points in the last five games (50.0% from 3-point range).
- Freshman Jules Bernard has scored in double figures in five of the past six games (career-high 20 points versus Oregon).
- Sophomore Kris Wilkes, UCLA's leading scorer (17.2 ppg), has scored in double figures in 26 of 28 games this season.
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ROLLER COASTER
UCLA has overcome deficits of 19 points (Feb. 23) and 17 points (Jan. 10) in the second half against Oregon this season. Back on Jan. 10, UCLA trailed by nine points in the game's final minute, tying the contest at 80-80 to force overtime. Conversely, UCLA saw a 22-point lead with 12:10 to play in the second half fade away against Utah on Feb. 9. Trailing 92-90, Utah's Parker Van Dyke nailed a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to give the Runnin' Utes a dramatic 93-92 win at UCLA.
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SCORING AND REBOUNDING
UCLA ranks No. 2 in the Pac-12 in scoring (78.1 ppg) and rebounding (40.9 rpg) and is third in rebounding margin (+5.1). Through games played Sunday, Feb. 24, the Bruins ranked No. 10 in the nation in rebounding and No. 36 in rebounding margin. Through Sunday's Pac-12 games, freshman Moses Brown (10.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg) ranked fourth in the league in rebounding, first in offensive boards per game (3.5), and third in blocks per game (1.9) and field goal percentage (62.6%).
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ASSIST LEADER
Sophomore Jaylen Hands leads all Pac-12 players in total assists (179) and assists per game (6.4). Hands has averaged 13.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 6.4 assists in 28 games and currently ranks fifth in the Pac-12 in assist-turnover ratio (2.1-to-1), through games played Monday, Feb. 25. He has recorded at least nine assists in seven games and tallied 10 (or more) assists in three consecutive games in December (vs. Hawai'i, Notre Dame and Belmont).
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3-POINT THREAT
Freshman David Singleton leads the team in 3-point percentage (46.6%), having made 27 of 58 attempts. Singleton has shot 46.2% from 3-point distance in Pac-12 play. Jason Kapono owns the school record for 3-point field goal percentage by a freshman (82-for-173, 47.4% in 1999-00), with a minimum of one 3-pointer made per game (Singleton currently falls short of the statistic minimum). Singleton would rank second in that freshman percentage category, if he were to qualify.
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STANDING TALL
Eight of UCLA's 17 players measure at least 6-foot-8. Freshman Moses Brown (7-foot-1) is the Bruins' tallest player since the late Mike Lanier (7-foot-7) competed as a reserve for UCLA in 1991-92 and 1992-93. Redshirt junior Alex Olesinski and redshirt freshman Jalen Hill are 6-feet-10, while freshmen Shareef O'Neal and Kenneth Nwuba, sophomore Chris Smith and redshirt freshman Cody Riley are 6-foot-9. Sophomore Kris Wilkes rounds out the list at 6-foot-8.
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LOOKING AHEAD
The Bruins will close their regular-season schedule next week, playing at Colorado on Thursday, March 7, and at Utah on Saturday, March 9. The Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas is scheduled the following week (March 13-16). UCLA's most recent victory at Colorado occurred Jan. 12, 2017 (UCLA won, 104-89). The Bruins have compiled a 3-3 all-time record against Colorado when playing in Boulder, Colo. The Bruins' most recent win at Utah took place Jan. 14, 2017 (UCLA won, 83-82). UCLA has registered a 3-5 all-time record against the Runnin' Utes in Utah and leads the overall series, 10-9.
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MORE ABOUT MOSES
Moses Brown is on pace to become the fourth UCLA freshman in seven seasons to lead the team in rebounds (currently with 237 total rebounds, averaging 8.5 rebounds per game). TJ Leaf (287, 8.2 rpg) led the team in total rebounds as a freshman in 2016-17, while Kevon Looney (331, 9.2 rpg) finished the 2014-15 season as UCLA's most prolific rebounder. As a freshman in 2012-13, Kyle Anderson led the squad with 302 rebounds (averaging 8.6 per game). Brown's rebounding average (8.5 rpg) is the best by a UCLA freshman since Looney registered a team-high 9.2 rebounds per game in 2014-15.
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STREAKING
UCLA has made at least one 3-pointer played in its last 650 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 197 of 202 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).
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