LOS ANGELES – The UCLA men's basketball team will host Stanford in a Pac-12 matchup this Wednesday evening in Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Game time is 6 p.m. (PT). UCLA's game against Stanford will be nationally televised on ESPN2, with Roxy Bernstein and Sean Farnham calling the action.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom
Capacity: 13,800
Tipoff Time: 6:05 p.m. (PT)
Television: ESPN2
TV Talent: Roxy Bernstein (play-by-play), Sean Farnham (analyst)
Radio Broadcast (UCLA Sports Network): AM 1150
Radio Talent: Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Tracy Murray (analyst)
SIRIUS XM: SiriusXM 373 and on the SXM App
 
TICKET INFORMATION
Information about UCLA's ticket packages, plus single-game ticket sales, can be accessed online. Fans can call (310) 206-5991 or email tickets@athletics.ucla.edu for more information about tickets to UCLA men's basketball games. Additional information about season parking permits can be accessed here.
 
ENTRY TO PAULEY PAVILION, CLEAR BAG POLICY
Since the 2016-17 season, the UCLA Athletics Department has used a "clear bag policy" that limits the size and type of bags that may be brought into the arena (additional details and FAQ here). This is part of an effort to provide a safer environment for the public and to significantly expedite fan entry into Pauley Pavilion. Limiting the size and type of bags carried into the venue will assist in maintaining a safe and secure environment, as well as decreasing the time to enter the venue. The UCLA Athletics Department encourages fans not to bring any bags, but this policy is in place to help balance fan needs with the needs for improved safety and convenience.
 
UCLA VERSUS STANFORD
UCLA swept a two-game series against Stanford last season, including a 73-64 decision over the Cardinal in Los Angeles on Feb. 16, 2023. The Bruins have won their last four meetings against Stanford. The Cardinal last defeated UCLA, 73-72, in overtime in a game played in Santa Cruz, Calif., on Jan. 23, 2021. The Bruins have won six of their last nine meetings against Stanford over the previous five seasons (2018-19 through 2022-23).
 
THE ALL-TIME SERIES
The Bruins have compiled an all-time record of 151-97 against Stanford in a series that began back in 1925. From 1963 through 1978, UCLA recorded a stretch of 33 games where the Bruins logged a 31-2 record against Stanford. That 33-game span included a 17-game winning streak from Feb. 26, 1966 through March 2, 1974.
 
RECENT RESULTS
The Bruins will enter this Wednesday evening's game with a 6-7 overall mark, the first time in which the Bruins have entered the New Year with a sub-.500 winning record since 2009-10. That season, UCLA had gone 6-7 in nonconference play prior to opening Pac-10 action at Arizona on Jan. 2, 2010.
 
MOVING INTO JANUARY
UCLA's schedule has moved into Pac-12 play, with 18 regular-season contests remaining. The Bruins will play seven games in January and eight contests in February before closing the regular-season schedule with a trio of contests in early March.  UCLA's January schedule will include a stretch of four road contests in five games – at Utah on Thursday, Jan. 11, before returning home for a Sunday contest against Washington (Jan. 14), and three straight road games at Arizona State (Jan. 17), at Arizona (Jan. 20) and at USC (Jan. 27). Five of UCLA's final seven games this season will be played at home.
 
LOOKING AHEAD TO SATURDAY
The Bruins will close this week's two-game homestand against California on the evening of Saturday, Jan. 6. Game time is set for 7 p.m. (PT). UCLA and California met just once last season, with the Bruins securing a 78-43 victory over the visiting Golden Bears in Pauley Pavilion (Feb. 18, 2023). The Bruins have won their last 11 games against California. In addition, UCLA has won its last 11 contests against California in Pauley Pavilion (the Golden Bears defeated UCLA at the Los Angeles Sports Arena in 2012 while Pauley Pavilion was undergoing an 18-month renovation during the 2011-12 academic year).
 
THE LAST TIME OUT
UCLA lost at Oregon, 64-59, before a crowd of 7,268 at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore., on Saturday afternoon. The Bruins led the game by a 42-37 margin with 15:17 to play in regulation before the Ducks connected on back-to-back 3-pointers (at the 14:55 and 14:25 marks). UCLA trailed 60-59 in the final minute of the game but was unable to tie the contest or take the lead. Sophomore Adem Bona finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds, logging his third career double-double, while freshman Berke Buyuktuncel scored a career-high 12 points (connecting on 5 of 7 shots from the field).
 
BRUINS' YOUTH MOVEMENT
UCLA's 15-man roster includes seven true freshmen, one redshirt freshman (Jack Seidler), three true sophomores and one redshirt sophomore (Will McClendon). In all, the Bruins have 12 players in their first or second seasons on the court. In addition, the Bruins have four true freshmen who will not turn 19 years old until 2024 (Jan Vide, Aday Mara, Ilane Fibleuil and Brandon Williams). The Bruins' program added eight new faces in the summer – seven true freshmen and one transfer, junior Lazar Stefanovic (from Belgrade, Serbia, transferring from the University of Utah).
 
– The Bruins are believed to have one of the top-10-youngest teams in Division I basketball this season (by age). UCLA's average age at the start of the season was approximately 20 years and one month. UCLA freshman Brandon Williams is believed to be the third-youngest Division I player this season.
 
SCORING DEFENSE
Through games played on Sunday, Dec. 31, the Bruins ranked No. 13 in the country and first in the Pac-12 in fewest points allowed per game (62.2 ppg, through 13 games). UCLA's field goal percentage defense ranked No. 35, nationally, and No. 2 in the Pac-12 (39.3%, 269-for-785). Under fifth-year UCLA head coach Mick Cronin, the Bruins' scoring defense ranked No. 41 in the nation in 2021-22 (at 64.5 ppg) and No. 7 in the country last season (at 60.7 ppg). UCLA has allowed fewer than 70 points in 41 of their last 49 games, going 35-6 in those 41 contests (since the start of the 2022-23 season).
 
FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Bruins' freshman Sebastian Mack has been twice honored this year as the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week. Previously (Nov. 27), Mack had been named the Freshman of the Week after a strong showing in three consecutive games at the Allstate Maui Invitational in Honolulu. More recently, in two home contests on Dec. 22 and Dec. 28, he averaged 22.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game. He shot 45.8 percent from the field (11-for-24) and 42.9 percent from beyond the 3-point arc (3-for-7). Mack currently leads UCLA in scoring, having averaged 13.8 points per game this season.
 
LAST WEEK
The Bruins split a pair of Pac-12 road games at Oregon State (Thursday night, 69-62 win) and at Oregon (Saturday afternoon, 64-59 loss). UCLA has held the opposition to fewer than 70 points in 11 of 13 games. The Bruins have compiled a 6-2 record when holding the opponent to 65 points or fewer and have gone 0-5 when allowing more than 65 points. In week's two road games, sophomore Adem Bona averaged 14.0 points, 9.5 rebounds and 4.0 blocks per game. Bona shot 57.1 percent from the field (12-for-21), while Berke Buyuktuncel shot 70.0 percent in both games (7-for-10).
 
FROM LONG DISTANCE
Sophomore Will McClendon ranked No. 9 among Pac-12 players in 3-point field goal percentage (42.9%), through games played on Monday, Jan. 1. McClendon, who missed the 2021-22 season recovering from a torn ACL in his right knee, has made 15 of 35 attempts from 3-point distance, through all 13 games. He has made 10 of 20 attempts from 3-point range in UCLA's last six games (since a win over UC Riverside on Thursday, Nov. 30). McClendon scored 10 points in the Bruins' win at Oregon State on Thursday and has averaged 4.9 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.
 
BLOCKED SHOTS LEADERBOARD
Sophomore Adem Bona (12.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg) has totaled 80 blocks in 46 career games (1.74 per game). He stands 14 blocks shy of entering UCLA's career blocks top-10 leaderboard. Tony Parker (2013-16) registered 94 blocks during his four-year career (10th place), and Ed O'Bannon (1992-95) finished with 95 blocks en route to leading UCLA to the 1995 NCAA Championship (ninth on that list). Jelani McCoy (1996-98) set the program's career record with 188 blocks during his three-year collegiate career. Bona tallied a season-high five blocks in a loss at Oregon on Saturday, Dec. 30.
 
MORE ON SEBASTIAN MACK
Freshman Sebastian Mack has averaged a team-leading 13.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.8 steals in 13 games. The 6-foot-3 guard from Chicago has twice secured Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors this season. He ranks second among all Pac-12 players in most free throws made (64-for-81) and has twice made at least 13 free throws in a game. He was 13-for-13 in a loss to No. 4 Marquette (25 points on Nov. 20). Mack's 13-for-13 effort marked UCLA's first perfect free throw display by a freshman (at least 10 attempts), since Jordan Adams (16/16) in an 80-79 win over UC Irvine on Nov. 13, 2012.
 
– Sebastian Mack has made 13 free throws in two different games this season. Mack has become UCLA's first player since Arron Afflalo (in 2005-06) to have made at least 12 free throws in two or more games. Afflalo was 12-for-12 against Arizona State (1/7/2006) and went 13-for-16 against Arizona (2/4/2006).
 
NOTES ON PAULEY PAVILION
– This marks the 58th basketball season in which UCLA has played in Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins' arena opened in time for the 1965-66 basketball season. The first game in Pauley Pavilion took place on Dec. 3, 1965, as No. 1 UCLA took down Ohio State, 92-66. The Bruins spent 47 consecutive seasons in Pauley Pavilion before the venue was closed for an 18-month renovation. UCLA hosted 18 home games during the 2011-12 season at two venues in Southern California (14 games at the Los Angeles Sports Arena and four games at the Honda Center in Anaheim).
 
– UCLA's home game winning streak was snapped at 29 games by CSUN on Tuesday, Dec. 19 (CSUN defeated UCLA, 76-72). Prior to the game versus CSUN, UCLA had not lost at home since Jan. 13, 2022 (an 84-81 overtime loss to Oregon). The Bruins' 29-game streak at home had been the longest active streak in the nation. Since taking over as the Bruins' head coach in April of 2019, Mick Cronin has led UCLA to a 59-8 record in 67 home games.
 
– Last season, the Bruins went 17-0 at home. Two seasons ago (2021-22), the Bruins compiled a 14-1 record in 15 home games. UCLA won its final eight home games in 2021-22, all 17 last year, and their first four of the 2022-23 home schedule. Before last season, UCLA's program had not gone undefeated at home since the 2006-07 campaign (going 16-0 in Pauley Pavilion). UCLA's 1995 NCAA title-winning team compiled a 15-0 home record.
 
– The Bruins' 29-game home winning streak had marked the longest such streak at UCLA since registering a program-record 98-game home winning streak in the 1970s. The Bruins won 98 straight home games from Dec. 4, 1970, through Feb. 19, 1976. UCLA had a 25-game winning streak in 2006 and 2007 and won 23 consecutive games from Feb. 1994 through Jan. 1996 (includes one game that California later forfeited).
 
– With the COVID-19 pandemic prompting teams to close arenas to fans, none of UCLA's home games in 2020-21 were played in front of a crowd. Likewise, three home games in January of 2022 were played before no fans (arena was limited to players' family members only). Prior to the loss to CSUN, UCLA had won its previous 40 home contests with fans present in Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. UCLA had lost to Stanford on Jan. 15, 2020, by a 74-59 tally.
 
RECENT HISTORY
– UCLA has advanced to the NCAA Tournament in each of the past three seasons. The Bruins earned their 19th NCAA Final Four appearance in 2021, securing a No. 11-seed in the 68-team field and advancing from the "First Four" to the Final Four. In 2022 and 2023, UCLA won its first and second-round matchups before losing in the Sweet 16. In all, UCLA's program has advanced to the NCAA Tournament 52 times and has won a nation-leading 11 NCAA championships.
 
– Mick Cronin is midway through his fifth year as the Bruins' head coach (The Michael Price Family UCLA Men's Head Basketball Coach). Now in his 21st season as a college head coach, Coach Cronin has guided UCLA's program to an 105-43 overall record. He has led the Bruins to a combined 59-20 record in Pac-12 play (now in his fifth season). UCLA's 31 victories last season were the most by any Bruins' squad since UCLA posted a 31-5 record in 2016-17.
 
LEADING THE WAY
– Bruins' head coach Mick Cronin has guided the program to an 105-43 overall record (now in his fifth season at UCLA).
– This marks the 21st season as a college head coach for Coach Cronin (also at Murray State and Cincinnati).
– Over the past three seasons, Coach Cronin has guided UCLA to a 9-3 record in three NCAA Tournament appearances.
– Coach Cronin has earned Pac-12 Coach of the Year honors in 2020 and 2023.
– Coach Cronin was named as one of 10 semifinalists for last season's Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year Award.
– Coach Cronin has led his teams to at least 20 wins in 14 of his 20 previous seasons as a college head coach.
– Coach Cronin's teams have averaged 25.7 victories per season over the last 13 years (2010-11 through 2022-23).
– Coach Cronin has twice led his teams to 31 victories (last season at UCLA, and in 2017-18 at Cincinnati).
 
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES ON UCLA
– UCLA's bench has outscored the opposition's bench in nine of 13 games this season (UCLA has gone 5-4 in those nine contests) ... last Thursday evening, UCLA's bench combined for 21 points in a 69-62 victory at Oregon State.
 
– The Bruins have played games along the East Coast in three consecutive seasons (at Philadelphia, to face Villanova earlier this year) ... at Maryland and in New York City last season, and in Philadelphia for the NCAA Tournament in March 2022.
 
– The Bruins have outrebounded the opposition in 10 of 13 games (5-5 record in those 10 contests) ... UCLA recorded a season-high 55 rebounds (including 17 offensive boards) in a win over Chaminade in Honolulu on Tuesday, Nov. 21.
 
– Prior to this season, UCLA had registered a 46-13 record in Pac-12 play the previous three years ... last year, UCLA went 18-2 in Pac-12 play, seucring its first regular-season conference title since 2013 (under then-head coach Ben Howland).
 
– The Bruins have won 34 of their last 36 home Pac-12 contests, with the two losses taking place against USC in March of 2021 (no fans in Pauley) and versus Oregon in overtime in January of 2022 (also, no fans in Pauley).
 
– Maryland's Jahmir Young registered 37 points against UCLA on Dec. 22, becoming the first player to score at least 37 points in a game against UCLA since De'Aaron Fox totaled 39 for Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament (March 24, 2017).
 
STANDING TALL
UCLA's 15-man roster this season includes five players who stand at least 6-foot-9-inches tall. Freshman center Aday Mara, from Zaragoza, Spain, stands at 7 feet and 3 inches. During the Bruins' 2018-19 season, then-freshman Moses Brown measured at 7-foot-1 (Brown now plays for the Portland Trail Blazers). Mara becomes the Bruins' tallest player since the late Mike Lanier (7-foot-7, 310 pounds) competed as a reserve center for the Bruins in 1991-92 and 1992-93. Adem Bona, Kenneth Nwuba and Devin Williams are all 6-foot-10, while Berke Buyuktuncel is 6-foot-9.
 
THREE-POINT STREAK SNAPPED
The Bruins went 0-for-6 from beyond the 3-point arc in a 78-58 win versus Long Island University on Wednesday, Nov. 15. That ended UCLA's streak of 792 consecutive games with at least one made 3-point field goal. The Bruins' 3-point streak began after going 0-for-14 from 3-point distance in a home loss to No. 2-ranked Stanford (78-63) on Feb. 3, 2000. The Bruins' single-game 3-point record stands at 19 made 3-pointers (going 19-for-31) in an 104-89 win at Colorado on Jan. 12, 2017. Last season, UCLA made a team-high 11 triples in a home win against Norfolk State (Nov. 14, 2022).
 
REPRESENTING MULTIPLE COUNTRIES
UCLA's roster includes student-athletes who grew up in seven different countries, including the United States. The Bruins' nation-by-nation breakdown includes eight players from the United States, two from Nigeria (Adem Bona, Kenneth Nwuba), one from France (Ilane Fibleuil), one from Spain (Aday Mara), one from Turkey (Berke Buyuktuncel), one from Slovenia (Jan Vide) and one from Serbia (Lazar Stefanovic). Bona grew up in Nigeria before moving to Turkey at the age of 13.
 
INTERNATIONAL, BY SCHOOL
UCLA is one of just five programs this year to have at least seven countries represented on the roster. Arizona, Hawaii and Portland have eight nations represented, while Sacramento State also has seven.
 
PRESEASON WATCH LISTS
Sophomore Adem Bona, standing at 6-foot-10 and 245 pounds, was named to the preseason watch lists for two prominent national player of the year awards – the Naismith Trophy (presented by the Atlanta Tipoff Club) and the John R. Wooden Award (presented by the Los Angeles Athletic Club). Bona is among 50 players on each of those preseason watch lists. He was also one of 10 student-athletes selected as a preseason first-team All-Pac-12 selection, as announced in mid-October at Pac-12 Media Day in Las Vegas. Bona has averaged 12.4 points and 6.9 rebounds in all 13 games this year.
 
ADDING A VETERAN PRESENCE
Junior Lazar Stefanovic has averaged 10.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in the Bruins' first 13 games. He transferred to UCLA's program in the summer, after having spent his first two college seasons at the University of Utah. Stefanovic averaged 8.9 points and 2.9 rebounds in 63 career games with Utah, making 33 starts. As a sophomore last season, he averaged 10.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 32 contests (15 starts). Stefanovic shot nearly 36 percent from 3-point distance in 32 games last year (55-for-153) and has made 16 of 56 attempts this season (28.6 percent).