University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
UCLA
Oregon State
UCLA Prepares to Play at Oregon State on Thursday
January 20, 2020 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES – The Bruins will play at Oregon State on Thursday in a Pac-12 contest that will be nationally televised by FS1. Game time is 8 p.m. at Gill Coliseum (Corvallis, Ore.). UCLA will conclude its road trip with a game at No. 12 Oregon on Sunday afternoon. UCLA has gone 8-5 against Oregon State over the previous seven seasons. In all, UCLA leads the all-time series against the Beavers by a 97-39 margin.
The Bruins are seeking their first win at Oregon State since Dec. 30, 2016, when Lonzo Ball had 23 points, seven assists and six rebounds, and TJ Leaf scored 21 points and tallied 10 rebounds for UCLA.
GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Gill Coliseum
Venue Capacity: 9,301
Tipoff Time: 8:01 p.m. (PT)
Television: FS1
TV Talent: Aaron Goldsmith (play-by-play), Casey Jacobsen (analyst)
Radio (UCLA Sports Network): AM 570
Radio Talent: Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Tracy Murray (analyst)
XM Radio Channel: Ch. 380
SIRIUSXM Internet Channel: Ch. 970
ABOUT OREGON STATE
Under the direction of sixth-year head coach Wayne Tinkle (now in his 14th season as a college head coach), Oregon State has gone 12-6 with a 2-4 mark in Pac-12 action. Most recently, Oregon State absorbed a pair of road losses last week at Washington (64-56) on Jan. 16 and at Washington State (89-76) on Jan. 18. Tres Tinkle entered the week having averaged 19.7 points per game (the second-highest average in the Pac-12).
LAST TIME OUT
Chris Smith scored a team-leading 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds as UCLA defeated California, 50-40, on Sunday evening in Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. UCLA snapped a three-game losing streak and limited the opposition to the fewest points in a game since March 7, 2012, when the Bruins defeated USC (55-40) in the Pac-12 Tournament at Staples Center. California endured an 11-minute stretch in the second half without scoring any points. UCLA led at halftime, 22-21, and outscored the visiting Golden Bears by a 28-19 margin after the intermission.
UCLA recorded its lowest single-game point total (50) in a victory since defeating Washington State in Pullman, Wash., by a 50-30 margin on Feb. 9, 2006. Against Cal on Sunday night, the Bruins limited the Golden Bears to just seven field goals in the second half (Cal made 7 of 25 shots after halftime, shooting 28 percent).
NOTES ON THE BRUINS
- UCLA has gone 9-0 this season when limiting the opposition to 73 points or fewer.
- Junior Chris Smith has averaged 15.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists in the Bruins' five Pac-12 games.
- Freshman Jaime Jaquez Jr. (8.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg) has led the Bruins in scoring in three games this season.
- Sophomore Jalen Hill has averaged a team-leading 7.3 rebounds per game, which ranks eighth in the Pac-12.
- UCLA has had 11 players, including freshmen, establish new career highs in points scored this season.
- The Bruins led the Pac-12 in rebounding margin (+7.0 rpg), through games played Monday, Jan. 20.
- UCLA has out-rebounded the opposition in 16 of 18 games this year (currently averaging 38.2 rebounds per game).
- Through games played Sunday, Jan. 19, UCLA ranked No. 25 in the nation in rebounding margin (+7.0).
- In addition, UCLA ranked No. 27 in the nation (through Sunday, Jan. 19) in offensive rebounds per game (12.94).
UCLA'S LEADING SCORER
Junior guard Chris Smith enters this week as UCLA's leading scorer, having averaged 12.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game in all 18 contests. Smith has posted career-high percentages this season in overall field goals (47.6%), 3-pointers (34.3%) and free throws (85.7%). In fact, he ranked second among Pac-12 players in free throw percentage through Monday, Jan. 20. Smith has scored more points (222) and made more shots (78) this season than he did in 33 games last year. Smith's 3-point field goal percentage and free throw percentage has improved at UCLA in each of his three seasons.
DOUBLE-DOUBLES
Sophomore Jalen Hill ranks second on the team in scoring (9.9 ppg) and first in rebounding (7.3 rpg), entering Thursday's game against Oregon State. The 6-foot-10 forward/center registered his fourth double-double of the season last Wednesday against Stanford (14 points, 12 rebounds). Hill has tallied seven double-doubles in his career. He has scored at least 11 points in each of the Bruins' last three games (against USC, Stanford and Cal) and has shot 55.0 percent overall in 18 games this season. Hill has twice scored at least 20 points in a game this year (including 24 points against Hofstra, Nov. 21).
ABOUT COACH CRONIN
Midway through his first year as UCLA's head coach, Mick Cronin spent the previous 13 seasons as head coach at Cincinnati (his alma mater). Cronin was named The Michael Price Family UCLA Men's Head Basketball Coach in April of 2019 and entered the season with 16 years of experience as a college head coach. He guided Cincinnati to the NCAA Tournament in each of the previous nine seasons (and in 11 of 13 total years at Cincinnati). He has compiled an all-time record of 374-180, entering Thursday night's Pac-12 game at Oregon State.
30-WIN SEASONS
Coach Cronin guided Cincinnati to consecutive seasons with 30-plus wins in 2017 and 2018, earning National Coach of the Year honors from Sporting News (2018). He entered this season having compiled the most head coaching victories (365) among active head coaches, under the age of 50, at the NCAA Division I level.
UCLA'S LAST ROAD TRIP
Nearly three weeks ago, UCLA split a pair of games at Washington (W, 66-64) and Washington State (L, 79-71 in OT) to open Pac-12 play. In the win over Washington, Jake Kyman made 7 of 12 attempts from 3-point distance. Kyman nailed the game-winning 3-pointer with under nine seconds to play in the second half. He became UCLA's first player to make at least seven 3-pointers since Jaylen Hands went 7-for-10 from long range in a 90-83 win over Oregon on Feb. 23, 2019.
REBOUNDING MARGIN
UCLA will enter this Thursday night's game with a rebounding margin of +7.06, which is the team's best such margin since 2007-08. That year, UCLA went 35-4 and advanced to the NCAA Final Four with a rebounding margin of +8.2. Over the past 30 seasons, UCLA has only had four teams post rebound margins of at least 6.0 or better. UCLA's 1995-96 squad recorded a rebounding margin of +6.0, and the Bruins' 1993-94 team had a rebounding margin of +7.7.
SINGLETON FROM 3-POINT RANGE
Sophomore David Singleton currently ranks No. 4 on UCLA's career list for highest 3-point percentage (minimum of 100 career 3-point attempts). Singleton has made 43.9% of his career 3-point attempts (shooting 50 for 114) through 49 games. UCLA's all-time leader in that category is former four-year standout Pooh Richardson (52-for-112, 46.4%). Two years ago, Aaron Holiday concluded his three-year career at the No. 5 slot on the career list (180-427, 42.2%).
FRESHMAN POINT GUARD
Tyger Campbell missed the entire 2018-19 season, as he recovered from a torn ACL in his left knee (sustained on Oct. 7, 2018, in practice). He enters this Thursday's game having averaged 7.2 points and 4.5 assists per game. Campbell has registered 81 assists and 34 turnovers, compiling an assist-turnover ratio of 2.38 in 18 contests. Campbell has scored in double figures in six games this season. He recorded a career-high 18 points against Cal State Fullerton (Dec. 28).
GENERATING OFFENSE
UCLA has seven of its players this season lead the team in scoring in at least one game. Most recently, junior Chris Smith posted team highs in points (17) and rebounds (8) as the Bruins outlasted California, 50-40, on Sunday evening. Three weeks ago, freshman Jake Kyman registered his first-ever double-digit scoring effort with 21 points against Washington. He made 7 of 12 shots, all from 3-point distance, in the 66-64 win at Washington. Smith, who has averaged 12.3 points per game, has led the Bruins in scoring in seven of 18 games (no other player has led the team in scoring in that many games).
FIFTH-YEAR SENIORS
Redshirt seniors Prince Ali (8.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg) and Alex Olesinski (1.6 ppg, 2.0 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
- 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.).
- UCLA has out-rebounded the opposition in 16 of 18 games. The Bruins were out-rebounded earlier this month by USC (35-31) and California (35-33). USC became the first team this season (in UCLA's 16th game of the year) to have out-rebounded the Bruins. Sophomore Jalen Hill will enter the week as UCLA's leading rebounder (7.3 rpg). Hill ranks eighth among all Pac-12 players in rebounding. He has amassed a team-best 331 career rebounds.
- The Bruins have two players, entering this Thursday's game, who have scored at least 500 career points (Prince Ali and Chris Smith). Ali has scored a team-best 814 career points in 105 games (averaging 7.8 points per game). Smith has registered 559 career points through 84 games (averaging 6.7 points per contest).
- Freshman Jake Kyman set the school's single-game record for most 3-pointers by a freshman (7), as he made 7 of 12 attempts from long range in the team's 66-64 win at Washington on Thursday, Jan. 2. Kyman is UCLA's only freshman and just the ninth player in school history to have made seven or more 3-point field goals in one game.
- UCLA's 22 offensive rebounds in the win at Washington (Jan. 2) marked the team's highest single-game offensive rebound total since Jan. 1, 2016. The Bruins had 23 offensive boards in a double overtime loss (96-93) at Washington on Jan. 1, 2016, to open Pac-12 action. In that game back in 2016, the Bruins totaled 59 rebounds against the Huskies.
- The Bruins' 50 points scored in a 50-40 win over California on Sunday, Jan. 19, marked UCLA's lowest point total in a victory since winning at Washington State (50-30) on Feb. 9, 2006. UCLA had not limited the opposition to 40 points (or fewer) since a 55-40 win over USC in the Pac-12 Tournament at Staples Center on March 7, 2012.
- 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 current Bruin also belongs to Hill, who tallied 20 boards in a win against Presbyterian last season (Nov. 19, 2018).
