UCLA
Arizona State
No. 4 UCLA to Host Arizona State on Thursday Evening
February 27, 2023 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES โ No. 4-ranked UCLA (25-4, 16-2 Pac-12) will close the regular season with a pair of home games this week against Arizona State on Thursday and Arizona on Saturday. The Bruins' home game against Arizona State this Thursday will begin at 6 p.m. (PT) and will be nationally televised on ESPN. UCLA has won five of its last six contests against Arizona State, including a 74-62 victory at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe, Ariz., earlier this season (Thursday, Jan. 19).
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GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom
Capacity: 13,800
Tipoff Time: 6:05 p.m. (PT)
Television: ESPN
TV Talent: Roxy Bernstein (play-by-play), Corey Williams (analyst)
Radio Broadcast (UCLA Sports Network): AM 1150
Radio Talent: Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Tracy Murray (analyst)
SIRIUS XM, SIRIUS XM App Channels: Channels TBD
PAC-12 CHAMPIONS
UCLA's 60-56 win at Colorado on Sunday afternoon clinched the 2023 Pac-12 regular-season championship. With a three-game lead (over USC and Arizona) in the Pac-12 Conference standings and just two games remaining, the Bruins were able to secure the league title in outright fashion. The Bruins will enter this Thursday's game with a 16-2 record in Pac-12 play. Prior to the 2020-21 season, the conference had utilized an 18-game league schedule (before shifting to a 20-game league schedule). The Bruins have not won as many as 17 conference games since the 1994-95 season (finished 16-2 and the record shifted to 17-1 after California had to forfeit one win). UCLA has never won as many as 18 league games in one season.
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ABOUT THE BRUINS
โ The Bruins have won the Pac-12 regular-season title for the first time since 2013 (UCLA's 32nd conference title).
โ UCLA has won at least 20 games for the third consecutive season and for the eighth time in the last 12 seasons.
โ The Bruins have entered the week with a 16-2 mark in Pac-12 play (and a three-game lead in the league standings).
โ UCLA's 16-2 start through 18 Pac-12 games marks the program's best conference record since the 2007-08 season.
โ Jaime Jaquez Jr. has averaged 22.2 points and 8.4 rebounds and shot 50.6 percent in UCLA's last five games.
โ The Bruins have averaged 71.8 points and limited the opposition to 59.4 points in the team's last five contests.
โ Sporting a 25-4 record, UCLA has recorded its best start through 29 games since the 2016-17 season (was 26-3).
โ The Bruins finished February with an undefeated record (8-0) for the first time since the 2016-17 season.
โ UCLA has won 23 consecutive home games, marking the nation's longest active home winning streak.
โ UCLA has limited the opposition to fewer than 70 points in 25 of 29 total contests this season.
โ UCLA ranks No. 7, nationally, and No. 1 in the Pac-12 in fewest points allowed per game (59.7).
โ The Bruins have committed fewer turnovers than their opponent in 28 of 29 games this season.
โ UCLA has posted a 14-1 record this season when committing fewer than 10 turnovers in a game.
โ UCLA has gone 15-0 in home contests this season and has posted a 10-4 record in road and neutral site games.
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THE LAST TIME OUT
โ UCLA clinched the Pac-12 regular-season title in outright fashion with a 60-56 victory at Colorado on Sunday, Feb. 26.
โ Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 17 points and Tyger Campbell registered 14 points in the Bruins' 60-56 win at Colorado.
โ The Bruins overcame a 10-point first half deficit at Colorado and trailed, 30-28, at halftime on Sunday afternoon.
โ UCLA has won eight consecutive games and 22 of their last 24 contests.
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UPCOMING THIS WEEK
โ UCLA's games against Arizona State and Arizona will mark the Bruins' final two contests of the regular season.
โ The Bruins outscored Arizona State by a 27-9 margin over the final 11 minutes in a 74-62 win in Tempe on Jan. 19.
โ UCLA is seeking its first perfect home record (currently 15-0) since the 2006-07 season (UCLA went 16-0 at home).
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ALL-AMERICA CANDIDATE
โ Senior Jaime Jaquez Jr. (17.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg) is one of five Pac-12 players to rank among the league's top 10 leaders in both scoring and rebounding ... Jaquez Jr. has scored at least 10 points in 26 of the UCLA's 29 games.
โ Jaquez Jr. has scored at least 20 points in 10 games this season ... Jaquez Jr. has totaled six double-doubles this season ... he has averaged 16.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 15 home games this season.
โ Jaquez Jr. ranks No. 19 on UCLA's career scoring list and No. 17 in total rebounds ... he has become the 10th UCLA player in the school's history to rank among the top 20 leaders in both scoring and rebounding.
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RUNNING THE POINT
Led by point guard Tyger Campbell (12.5 ppg, 4.7 apg), the Bruins have registered an assist-turnover ratio of 1.44-to-1, which ranked No. 18 in the nation through Sunday, Feb. 27. Campbell's assist-turnover ratio (2.7) ranks No. 28 in the nation and No. 1 in the Pac-12. The Bruins have committed fewer turnovers than their opponent in 28 of 29 games this season. Through Sunday's games, UCLA ranked No. 1 in the nation in turnover margin (+6.0 per game). Among Pac-12 programs, Arizona State had compiled the league's second-best turnover margin (+2.45, through 29 contests).
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PROGRAM'S BEST STARTS
UCLA's 25-4 start through 29 games stands as one of the program's best starts to a college basketball season over the past 40 years. The Bruins opened their 2016-17 campaign with 26 wins in 29 games and concluded the regular-season schedule with a 28-3 record (heading into the Pac-12 Tournament). The Bruins also went 26-3 to open the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons, a pair of campaigns that ended with trips to the NCAA Final Four. UCLA's 14-game winning streak earlier this season marked the Bruins' longest such streak since winning 14 in a row near the end of the 2007-08 season.
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20-WIN PLATEAU
UCLA has won at least 20 games in 54 seasons, having notched win No. 20 at Oregon State on Thursday, Feb. 9. The Bruins' program has won at least 20 contests in 46 of the past 57 seasons (1967 through 2023). UCLA won at least 20 games in 17 consecutive seasons from 1966-67 through 1982-83. The Bruins have registered at least 20 victories in each of the last three seasons (22 in 2020-21, 27 last season and 20 this season). UCLA has not won 20 games in three consecutive seasons since the 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15 campaigns.
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โ Coach Cronin has been named as one of 15 head coaches to the late season watch list for the Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year Award. In his 20th year as a head coach, Cronin has guided his teams to at least 20 victories in 14 seasons (includes at least 20 wins in 12 of the past 13 seasons).
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GLANCING AT THE METRICS
UCLA has been ranked No. 2 in the Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings (KenPom.com), trailing No. 1 Houston. Through Monday's games (Feb. 27), the Bruins had the No. 22-ranked adjusted offensive efficiency rating and the No. 2-ranked adjusted defensive efficiency ranking. Ranked No. 4 in this week's AP and USA Today Sports coaches polls, UCLA has been ranked in each of the last 36 AP polls (since the start of the 2021-22 season).
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ELITE COMPANY
Senior Jaime Jaquez Jr. has been named as one of 20 players in the nation to the John R. Wooden Award late season watch list. In addition, he's one of 10 players who has been named to the midseason watch list for the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award. He ranks No.ย 4 in the Pac-12 in scoring (17.0 ppg) and No. 5 in rebounding (8.0 rpg). On UCLA's all-time lists, he ranks No. 19 in scoring and No. 17 in total rebounds. He is one of just 10 UCLA players to rank among the school's top 20 scoring and rebounding lists. Jaquez Jr. has totaled six double-doubles this season (and 15 in his UCLA career).
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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 on Saturday, 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.
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TOP POINT GUARD
Senior Tyger Campbell has been listed as one of 10 players to the midseason watch list for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award. Campbell (12.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 4.7 apg) was one of the award's five finalists last season. The 5-foot-11 guard from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, ranks No. 1 in the Pac-12 in assist-turnover ratio (2.7) and No. 4 in assists per game (4.7). 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 statistic has been regularly tracked at UCLA since the start of the 1973-74 season.
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OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS
Not only do the Bruins rank No. 1 among all Pac-12 schools in offensive rebounds per game (11.72), but UCLA also leads the conference in having taken far more shots than shot attempts against (net difference of 222 more attempts). No other Pac-12 program has taken at least 100 more shots than they have attempted. Through Sunday, Feb. 27, the Bruins ranked No. 54, nationally, in offensive rebounds per game (11.72 o-rpg). The Bruins have taken more shot attempts than their opponent in each of the past three seasons (2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22, all under Coach Cronin).
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ROAD WARRIORS
The Bruins have gone 10-4 in 13 road and neutral site contests. 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. Against Maryland, UCLA led 39-11 with 3:30 remaining before halftime. Playing at Stanford earlier this season (Dec. 1, 2022), UCLA raced to a 17-0 lead and won the game, 80-66. Since the start of the Bruins' 2021-22 season, UCLA has gone 23-11 in games played away from home. Last year, the Bruins tallied a 13-7 record in road and neutral site games.
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JAYLEN THE SPARK PLUG
Junior Jaylen Clark has registered career-high averages across the board during his junior season โ 13.0 ppg, 6.1 rpg and a Pac-12-best 72 steals (averaging 2.57 steals per game). The 6-foot-5 guard from Riverside, Calif., was named as one of 15 players to the Naismith Men's Defensive Player of the Year watch list late January. Clark scored a season-high 24 points in a win against Denver (Dec. 10, 2022). Clark has registered at least three steals in 16 of 28 games played. He totaled a career-best seven steals against Sacramento State in the Bruins' season-opening win on Nov. 7, 2022.
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PRECISION FROM 3-POINT RANGE
Fifth-year senior guard David Singleton has averaged career highs this season in scoring (9.2 ppg) and rebounding (2.9 rpg). He currently ranks No. 1 in the Pac-12 in 3-point shooting percentage (43.2%, connecting on 57 of 132 attempts). His career 3-point percentage (43.7%) ranks No. 5 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 34 attempts from 3-point distance in each of his five seasons on the court at UCLA.
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THREE-POINT STREAK
UCLA has made at least one 3-pointer in its last 782 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 324 of 334 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).
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POSTSEASON SUCCESS
UCLA has compiled a 7-2 NCAA Tournament record over the past two seasons. The Bruins went 5-1 in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, advancing from the First Four to the Final Four. There was no NCAA Tournament in March of 2020 (COVID-19). UCLA is one of six teams to have advanced to the Sweet 16 or farther in 2021 and 2022 (other five schools are Arkansas, Gonzaga, Houston, Michigan and Villanova). No school advanced to the Final Four in both 2021 and 2022. Only Arkansas and Houston moved on to the Elite Eight in 2021 and 2022. Gonzaga, Houston and Michigan are the only programs to have advanced to the Sweet 16 or farther in 2019, 2021 and 2022.
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NOTES ON PAULEY PAVILION
This marks the 57th basketball season in which UCLA has played in Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. The Bruins' home arena opened in time for the 1965-66 season. The first game in Pauley Pavilion took place on Dec. 3, 1965, as the No. 1-ranked Bruins defeated Ohio State, 92-66. UCLA spent 47 consecutive seasons in Pauley Pavilion before the venue was closed for an 18-month renovation. The Bruins played 18 home games in 2011-12 at two venues in Southern California (14 games at the Los Angeles Sports Arena and four games at the Honda Center in Anaheim).
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โ UCLA has gone 15-0 at home this season and went 14-1 in 15 home games last year. The Bruins won their final eight home games last season and have strung together a streak of 23 consecutive home victories. UCLA has won its last 23 home games, which is the longest home winning streak in the nation. UCLA's only loss at home last season was an overtime defeat (84-81) to Oregon on Jan. 13, 2022. Since taking over as the Bruins' head coach in 2019, Mick Cronin has led the Bruins to a 53-6 record in 59 home games.
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โ 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 34 home contests with fans in Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom.
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โ Through 15 home games this season, the Bruins have averaged 77.5 points per game and have limited the opposition to 56.2 points per game. UCLA has won its 15 home contests by an average margin of 21.3 points per game. UCLA's most narrow victory in those 14 contests took place against USC โ the Bruins won, 60-58, on Thursday, Jan. 5. The Bruins largest margin of victory at home this season occurred against Pepperdine โ UCLA won, 100-53, on Wednesday, Nov. 23. Only four of the Bruins' 15 home wins have been by nine or fewer points (vs. Oregon, Stanford, USC and Washington).
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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 all, the men's basketball program has won a nation-leading 11 NCAA Championships and has advanced to the NCAA Final Four 19 times. As an athletics department, UCLA has won 120 team NCAA titles. That total ranks second in the nation behind Stanford (131). Most recently, the UCLA women's soccer team captured its second NCAA title by defeating North Carolina, 3-2, in double overtime in the 2022 NCAA Championship (played at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C.).
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UCLA IN PAC-12 PLAY
Since the start of the 2020-21 season, UCLA has compiled a 44-11 mark in the Pac-12 (13-6 in 2020-21, 15-5 last season and 16-2 this year). The Bruins have won 32 of their last 34 home games in Pac-12 action. UCLA dropped a game at home to USC in March of 2021 and in overtime against Oregon last season on Jan. 13, 2022. The Bruins won their final seven home Pac-12 games in 2019-20, during Coach Cronin's first year as UCLA's head coach.
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THE BRUINS WHEN ...
Since the start of the 2017-18 season, the Bruins have gone 97-18 when leading at halftime (through 193 games). During that span, UCLA has gone 30-43 when trailing at halftime (3-2 when tied at the break). UCLA's largest halftime deficit overcome in that stretch has been 16 points โ 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 105-13. When trailing by 10 or more points in a game, UCLA has gone 18-44.
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LIMITING THE TURNOVERS
Through games played on Sunday, Feb. 26, the Bruins ranked No. 16 in the nation in fewest turnovers per game (10.2). UCLA has committed nine or fewer turnovers in 15 of 29 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 at home against 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.
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"THE HUNGRY DOG GETS THE BONE"
Under head coach Mick Cronin, UCLA has established a team competition to see which player can accumulate the most deflections (a defensive stat, compiling how often a player can get their hands on the ball). At the conclusion of the season, the UCLA player who has tallied the most deflections will be awarded with a large dog bone as the award. As a freshman (2020) and sophomore (2021), Jaime Jaquez Jr. was award the Hungry Dog Award for the most deflections. Last season, then-senior Myles Johnson was honored with the Bruins' Hungry Dog Award.
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