UCLA
Arizona
No. 5 UCLA to Play at No. 11 Arizona on Saturday
January 20, 2023 | Men's Basketball
TUCSON, Ariz. – No. 5-ranked UCLA (17-2, 8-0 Pac-12) returns to the court at No. 11-ranked Arizona (16-3, 5-3 Pac-12) this Saturday. The Bruins' game at 11 a.m. PT (12 p.m. MT) will be nationally televised on ABC at Arizona's McKale Center. UCLA has won its last 14 consecutive games. In addition, the Bruins have opened 8-0 in Pac-12 play for the second time in the last three seasons. UCLA has not won its first nine consecutive conference games since going 9-0 to open the Pac-10 schedule in 1982-83.
GAME INFORMATION
Venue: McKale Center (Tucson, Ariz.)
Tipoff Time: 11:02 a.m. PT (12:02 p.m. MT in Arizona)
Television: ABC
TV Talent: Dan Shulman (play-by-play), Jay Bilas (analyst), Holly Rowe (sideline)
Radio Broadcast (UCLA Sports Network): AM 570
Radio Talent: Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Tracy Murray (analyst)
SIRIUS XM, SIRIUS XM App Channels: Ch. 81, Ch. 81
BRUINS AT ARIZONA ON SATURDAY
last season, UCLA and Arizona split their two regular-season meetings with each team winning its home contest. Arizona defeated UCLA in the Pac-12 Tournament championship game, 84-76, in Las Vegas. Last year, the Bruins lost at Arizona (76-66) on Feb. 3, 2022, snapping a streak of four consecutive wins against the Wildcats at the McKale Center. Over the past five seasons, UCLA has compiled a 7-3 record against Arizona (going 4-0 in games played in Pauley Pavilion).
PROGRAM'S BEST STARTS
This marks the first season since 2016-17 in which the Bruins have won at least 17 of their first 19 games. In 2016-17, UCLA opened with a 19-1 record through their first 20 contests. The Bruins' 14-game winning streak is the longest by any UCLA team since 2007-08 (when the Bruins won 14 consecutive games en route to a third consecutive Final Four appearance). Last season, UCLA went 16-2 before losing a pair of road games at Arizona and Arizona State.
LOW TURNOVERS
Led by point guard Tyger Campbell (13.8 ppg, 4.5 apg), UCLA has registered an assist-turnover ratio of 1.51-to-1, which ranked No. 13 in the nation through Thursday, Jan. 19. The Bruins have committed fewer turnovers than their opponent in all 19 games this season. Through Thursday's contests, UCLA ranked No. 3 in the nation in turnover margin (+7.1 per game), the best turnover margin among any Pac-12 program (Arizona State was second in the Pac-12 at +1.37 per game).]
KEY NOTES ABOUT UCLA
– The Bruins have won their last 14 consecutive games since losing back-to-back contests to No. 19-ranked Illinois (79-70) and No. 5-ranked Baylor (80-75) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Through Thursday's games, the Bruins were one of just three NCAA Division I schools to have won their last 10 or more straight games. In order, those current winning streaks include College of Charleston (19 games), Florida Atlantic (17) and UCLA (14).
– Senior Jaime Jaquez Jr. has led the Bruins in scoring (16.3 ppg) and rebounding (7.0 rpg) and is one of five players in the Pac-12 Conference to rank among the top 10 leaders in both scoring (No. 5) and rebounding (No. 9). Jaquez Jr. currently ranks among UCLA's all-time "top 25" leaders in scoring (1,453 points) and rebounds (671). He totaled 23 points, 13 rebounds, a career-high five blocks, and four steals in UCLA's 68-54 win over Colorado last Saturday evening.
– The Bruins have limited the opposition to 57.4 points per game during the 13-game winning streak (holding the opposition to 29.5% from 3-point range). Looking at recent lengthy winning streaks, UCLA last won 14 games late in the 2007-08 season. That winning streak ended with a loss to Memphis in the NCAA Final Four on April 5, 2008. The Bruins have not won more than 14 consecutive games since winning their final 19 games in 1995 to capture the NCAA Championship.
– Three weeks ago, the Bruins notched their first "road sweep" of Washington State and Washington since the 2016-17 season. UCLA has opened Pac-12 play with eight straight wins (four home games, four road contests) for the second time in the past three seasons (also in 2020-21). UCLA last won its first nine consecutive league games in 1982-83 (that team opened 9-0 before losing its 10th Pac-10 contest at Oregon State on Feb. 12, 1983).
– The Bruins ranked No. 3 in the Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings (KenPom.com), through games played on Thursday, Jan. 19. UCLA has compiled the No. 12-ranked offensive efficiency and are No. 5 in the defensive efficiency category (one of three schools to rank among the top 15 in both categories). Ranked No. 5 in the AP poll and USA Today Sports Coaches poll this week, UCLA has been ranked in each of the last 30 AP polls (since the start of the 2021-22 season).
ELITE COMPANY
Senior Jaime Jaquez Jr. has been named as one of 25 top players in the nation to the midseason watch list for the Wooden Award. Through Thursday's games, Jaquez Jr. ranked No. 5 in the Pac-12 in scoring (16.3 ppg). Jaquez Jr. ranks No. 24 on the Bruins' all-time scoring list and No. 21 on UCLA's all-time rebounds list (671 total rebounds). He's one of just 11 UCLA players to rank among the school's top 25 lists in career scoring and rebounding. Jaquez Jr., who hails from Camarillo, Calif., has averaged 12.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 116 career games (108 career starts).
JAQUEZ JR. AND DAVID GREENWOOD
Since the NCAA (and UCLA) began to record the "block" and "steal" statistic at the start of the 1978-79 season, the only UCLA players to tally at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and three steals in one game have been Jaime Jaquez Jr. and David Greenwood. Jaquez Jr. had 23 points, 13 rebounds, five blocks and four steals in a home victory against Colorado (last Saturday, on Jan. 14). Greenwood is UCLA's only other player, on record, to have come close to that. He registered 22 points, 18 rebounds, four blocks and three steals in UCLA's 85-83 home win versus Arizona State on Feb. 15, 1979.
TOP POINT GUARD
Senior Tyger Campbell opened the season on the watch list for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award, having been named one of five finalists for that award last season. He has averaged 13.8 points and 4.5 assists per game in all 19 contests for the Bruins this season. Campbell currently ranks second among all Pac-12 players in assist-turnover ratio (2.58). He has become one of eight UCLA players to have logged at least 1,000 career points and 500 career assists in the Bruins' uniform (the assist stat has been regularly tracked at UCLA since the start of the 1973-74 season).
10 STEALS, 10 BLOCKS
UCLA totaled 15 steals and 11 blocks last Saturday in the team's 68-54 win against Colorado. That marked the first time since Feb. 9, 2012, in which the Bruins totaled at least 15 steals and 11 blocks in a game. The Bruins also had 15 steals and 11 blocks in a 72-61 win against Stanford at the Los Angeles Sports Arena on Feb. 9, 2012. Since the start of the 2010-11 season (425 games), UCLA has had at least 10 steals and 10 blocks in just five games. The Bruins totaled 17 steals and 12 blocks in the team's season opener in 2010-11 (versus Cal State Northridge on Nov. 12, 2010).
UCLA'S ROSTER CONSTRUCTION
The Bruins returned five of their primary 11 contributors from last year's team. UCLA went 27-8 overall last season, advancing to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16. Key returners include seniors Tyger Campbell, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kenneth Nwuba and David Singleton and junior Jaylen Clark. Each of those student-athletes played in at least 20 games in 2021-22. All five competed in the 2021 NCAA Tournament (the First Four to the Final Four). UCLA also has returned two redshirt freshmen in forward Mac Etienne and guard Will McClendon, who both missed last season with knee injuries (torn ACL).
ROAD WARRIORS
The Bruins have gone 6-2 in eight total road and neutral site contests, this season. In addition to a 74-49 double-digit win at Washington on New Year's Day (Sunday, Jan. 1), the Bruins also notched an 87-60 victory at Maryland on Dec. 14. Other substantial road wins, as of late, included a 67-56 win at Marquette in Dec. 2021 (UCLA led at halftime, 35-21) and at Oregon State in March of 2022 (UCLA won that game, 94-55). Playing at Stanford this season (Dec. 1, 2022), the Bruins raced to a 17-0 lead and won by an 80-66 margin. Against Maryland, UCLA led 39-11 with 3:30 to play before halftime.
– Last season, UCLA went 13-7 in road/neutral site games. Since the start of the Bruins' 2021-22 season, UCLA has compiled a 19-9 record in 28 games played away from home.
JAYLEN THE SPARK PLUG
Junior Jaylen Clark has been a key contributor for the Bruins. He has averaged 14.0 points and 6.8 rebounds per game (18 contests). Clark wil enter the weekend as the Pac-12 leader in steals (48 steals, 2.67 spg). In addition, the 6-foot-5 guard has totaled 34 assists and 16 made 3-pointers. Last season, Clark had a five-game stretch as a sophomore (Feb. 2022) where he had averaged 14.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 2.4 steals (UCLA went 4-1 in those five contests).
PRECISION FROM 3-POINT RANGE
Fifth-year senior guard David Singleton has averaged a career-best 10.8 points per game (19 contests). He ranks No. 2 among all Pac-12 players in 3-point shooting percentage (45.6%), having connected on 41 of his 90 long-range attempts. In addition, Singleton's career 3-point percentage (44.2%) currently ranks No. 3 among all UCLA players in program history. Singleton ranked No. 2 in the Pac-12 last season in 3-point shooting percentage (45.1%) and as a true freshman in 2018-19 (46.7%). He has now made at least 37 attempts from 3-point distance in each of his five seasons on the court at UCLA.
THREE-POINT STREAK
UCLA has made at least one 3-pointer in its last 772 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 315 of 324 games since the start of the 2013-14 season. The Bruins made a school single-game-record 19 three-pointers, on 31 attempts, in a 104-89 win at Colorado on Jan. 12, 2017. UCLA's previous 3-point record was set earlier that season, as the Bruins made 18 of 30 attempts in the regular-season opener against Pacific (Nov. 11, 2016).
HISTORY & TRADITION
The 2022-23 school year marks the 104th season in which UCLA has fielded a men's basketball team (first season was 1919-20). In addition, this is the 57th season in which the Bruins have called Pauley Pavilion their home. The arena opened at the start of the 1965-66 season, and UCLA spent the next 46 seasons playing home games in Pauley Pavilion. The arena was closed for an 18-month renovation during the 2011-12 school year, re-opening in Nov. 2012. In all, the Bruins have won a nation-leading 11 NCAA Championships and have advanced to the NCAA Final Four 19 times.
HOME GAMES, PAC-12 CONTESTS
– The Bruins went 14-1 at home last season, winning their final eight games in Pauley Pavilion. UCLA has won its last 19 home games, which is the second-longest home winning streak in the nation (behind Auburn, at 28 games). Last season, the Bruins' only loss at home was an 84-81 overtime setback against Oregon on Thursday, Jan. 13 (2022). Since taking over as UCLA's head coach (fall of 2019), Mick Cronin has led the Bruins to a 49-6 record in home games.
– With the COVID-19 pandemic prompting teams to close their arenas to fans, none of UCLA's home games in 2020-21 were played in front of a crowd. Likewise, three of UCLA's games in January of 2022 were played before no fans (arena was limited to players' family members only). Including a seven-game home win streak to close the 2019-20 home schedule, UCLA has won its last 30 home contests with fans in Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom.
– Since the start of the 2020-21 season, UCLA has compiled a 36-11 mark in the Pac-12 (13-6 in 2020-21, and 15-5 last season). The Bruins have won 28 of their last 30 home games in Pac-12 action. UCLA dropped a game at home to USC in March of 2021 and against Oregon (overtime) last season on Jan. 13, 2022. The Bruins won their final seven home Pac-12 games in 2019-20, during Coach Cronin's first season as UCLA's head coach.
– UCLA has gone 11-0 in home contests this season. The Bruins have six home Pac-12 games remaining on the schedule (the next home game is against Washington on Thursday, Feb. 2). This season, the Bruins' 20-game Pac-12 schedule does not include a home game versus Oregon State and doesn't feature a road game at California. UCLA opened its Pac-12 schedule in early December with wins at Stanford (80-66) and at home versus Oregon (65-56).
THE BRUINS WHEN ...
Since the start of the 2017-18 season, the Bruins have gone 92-17 when leading at halftime (through 183 games). During that span, UCLA has gone 28-41 when trailing at halftime (3-2 when tied at the break). UCLA's largest halftime deficit overcome in that stretch has been 16 points – UCLA trailed at home against Oregon, 44-28, on Feb. 23, 2019, and outscored the Ducks in the second half (62-39) to win, 90-83. When the Bruins have built a 10-point lead (or larger) at any point in the game, UCLA has gone 98-12. When trailing by 10 or more points in a game, UCLA has gone 18-42.
LIMITING THE TURNOVERS
Through games played on Thursday, Jan. 19, the Bruins ranked No. 6 (nationally) in fewest turnovers per game (9.9). UCLA has committed nine or fewer turnovers in 11 of 19 games this season. Last year, UCLA concluded the season ranked No. 2 in fewest turnovers per game (8.9), while Wisconsin ranked No. 1 in that category (8.7). UCLA committed just one turnover in the 75-68 win over USC last season (March 5, 2022), the fewest turnovers by a Pac-12 team in one game (on record). UCLA has consistently recorded assist and turnover stats since the start of the 1973-74 season.
