UCLA
Washington
Men's Basketball Opens Big Ten Play at Home Versus Washington
November 29, 2024 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES โ UCLA (6-1, 0-0 Big Ten) will compete in its first-ever Big Ten Conference game against Washington (6-1, 0-0) on Tuesday evening. Game time is 7:30 p.m. (PT). This Tuesday's game will be broadcast live on FS1, with Trent Rush and Casey Jacobsen calling the action live from Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Following Tuesday's game, the Bruins will play at Oregon on Sunday, Dec. 8.
ย
GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom
Capacity: 13,800
Tipoff Time: 7:40ย p.m. (PT)
TV Network: FS1
TV Talent: Trent Rush (play-by-play), Casey Jacobsen (analyst)
Radio (UCLA Audio Network): AM 1150
Radio Talent: Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Tracy Murray (analyst)
SIRIUS XM: Ch. 372 and on the SXM App
ย
UCLA'S TICKET INFORMATION
Single-game tickets for UCLA's home games, through Dec. 2024, are on sale. In addition, season ticket packages for UCLA's men's basketball season are available. Single-game tickets for UCLA's games after the New Year will be going on sale during the first full week ofย December. Fans can call (310) 206-5991 or email tickets@athletics.ucla.edu for more information. In addition, be sure to check out all of the game themes and upcoming promotions for the Bruins' 2024-25 season.
ย
PARKING AT UCLA
Fans are encouraged to purchase parking for UCLA's home games in advance with the Bruin ePermit Portal. The university's ePermit Portal allows basketball fans to purchase and manage a parking permit in advance of a sporting event at UCLA. Fans can also use "Parkmobile" to pay for parking using a smartphone. Individuals can create an account with Parkmobile by downloading and installing the mobile app or by visiting this Parkmobile website. Details regarding Parkmobile can be accessed here. Visitor parking rates at UCLA can be viewed here.
ย
CATCHING UP ON THE BRUINS
โ This marks the 106th basketball season at UCLA and the sixth year with head coach Mick Cronin at the helm.
โ Tuesday night's game will mark the first-ever Big Ten Conference contest for both UCLA and Washington.
โ Through games played on Friday (Nov. 29), UCLA ranked No. 1 in the nation in scoring defense (52.4 ppg)
โ Junior forward Tyler Bilodeau leads the Bruins in scoring (13.9 ppg) and rebounding (5.7 rpg).
โ Eight Bruins have averaged at least 6.0 points per game (with two players averaging at least 12.0 points per game).
โ The Bruins have forced an average of 19.8 turnovers per game, through the first seven contests (No. 2, nationally).
โ UCLA has limited the opposition to 50 points or fewer in five of seven total games played this season.
โ Sophomore Sebastian Mack (9.9 ppg) has made 30 of 34 free throws in seven games (88.2%).
โ The Bruins will play just two games at home during the month of December (Dec. 3 and Dec. 17).
โ UCLA's program added nine incoming players this season โ six transfer students and three freshmen.
โ UCLA has eight players who averaged at least 10.0 points per game last season for their college programs.
โ As head coach, Mick Cronin has led UCLA to an 120-54 record, now in his sixth season with the Bruins.
ย
MOST RECENTLY, FOR UCLA
The Bruins have opened the season with a 6-1 mark for the first time since the 2021-22 season. That year, UCLA won five games to start the season, lost a neutral-site contest to Gonzaga, and won its next five games (to open the year 10-1). The Bruins have limited the opposition to 52.4 points per game (through seven contests) and have reached the 80-point benchmark on offense in five of seven games. Last season, UCLA registered at least 80 points in just one game, winning at Stanford by an 82-74 tally on Feb. 9, 2024. Last Tuesday night, the Bruins extended their winning streak to five games with an 88-43 win over Southern Utah in Pauley Pavilion. Lazar Stefanovic led the Bruins with 19 points.
ย
WHAT'S NEXT?
UCLA will return to action with a pair of early-season Big Ten Conference games this week, hosting Washington on Tuesday (Dec. 3) and playing at Oregon on Sunday, Dec. 8. Last season, UCLA and Washington split a pair of matchups in Pac-12 play, with each school winning on its home court. The Bruins' 73-61 win at home against Washington (Jan. 14, 2024) helped UCLA to a span of eight victories in nine games midway through the season. Washington defeated UCLA in Seattle, at Alaska Airlines Arena, by a 94-77 margin. Oregon went 2-1 in three matchups against UCLA last season.
ย
CREATING OPPORTUNITIES
UCLA shot 40-for-80 in last Tuesday's win over Southern Utah, marking the most shot attempts by any Bruins' team in a non-overtime contest since Jan. 7, 1999, when the Bruins made 23 of 81 shots (28.4%) in a 65-63 loss at Oregon State. Including overtime contests, UCLA last had 80 or more shot attempts in an 107-98 triple-overtime win against Pepperdine at San Diego State on Nov. 27, 2020 (when UCLA shot 36-of-82).
ย
TALENTED TYLER
Through seven games, junior Tyler Bilodeau has averaged a team-best 13.9 points per game and a team-leading 5.7 rebounds per game. He has shot 47.0 percent from the field and 36.4 percent (8-for-22) from beyond the 3-point arc. Bilodeau has scored in double figures in five of UCLA's seven games, including a 23-point and 15-rebound effort in UCLA's lone loss (to New Mexico) on Friday, Nov. 8. In a recent win against Idaho State, Bilodeau shot 4-for-4 from 3-point range. He became UCLA's first player to shoot 100% from 3-point range, with a minimum of four attempts, since Nov. 17, 2021, when Tyger Campbell was a perfect 4-for-4 from downtown in a non-conference win over North Florida.
ย
FREE THROW SUCCESS
Sebastian Mack made 15 of 16 free throws, finishing with 21 total points, in UCLA's 84-70 win against Idaho State on Wednesday, Nov. 20. His 15 made free throws were the most in a game by any UCLA player since Bryce Alford went 17-for-18 at the free throw stripe in a 96-93 double-overtime loss at Washington on Jan. 1, 2016. Prior to Alford's effort in a 30-point performance, Jordan Adams (as a freshman in his second college game) went 16-for-16 at the free throw line in UCLA's 80-79 win over UC Irvine on Nov. 13, 2012. Mack shot 13-for-13 at the free throw line last season against Marquette (Nov. 20, 2023), exactly one year prior to his 15-for-16 free throw effort against Idaho State on Wednesday night.
ย
40 AND BELOW
UCLA limited Boston University to 40 points (71-40) on Monday, Nov. 11, the first time since Jan. 19, 2020, in which the Bruins held the opposition to 40 or fewer points (Jan. 19, 2020, UCLA defeated California, 50-40, in Pauley Pavilion). Since the start of the 1994-95 season, the Bruins have limited their opponent to 40 or fewer points in 12 games. Prior to the game in Jan. 2020, the Bruins had not accomplished that feat since a 55-40 win against USC (Pac-10 Tournament in Los Angeles). UCLA last held a team to fewer than 30 points in the first round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament, as the top-seeded Bruins cruised past No. 16-seed Mississippi Valley State, 70-29 (Anaheim, Calif.).
ย
FORCING TURNOVERS
UCLA's 30 forced turnovers in last Tuesday night's 88-43 win over Southern Utah marked the highest single-game total registered by the Bruins since the 1999-2000 season. Previously, the Bruins forced 32 turnovers in a season-opening 76-57 win against Fairfield University in Pauley Pavilion (Fairfield had 32 turnovers, and UCLA committed 22). Since the 1975-76 season (when UCLA began to consistently record turnover stats), the Bruins have forced at least 30 turnovers in six games, spanning a stretch of nearly 1,585 total games. UCLA forced 30 or more turnovers in three other games during the 1990s and in one home victory against Stanford during the 1974-75 season.
ย
NATIONAL NUMBERS
Through games played on Friday, Nov. 29, the Bruins ranked No. 1 in the nation in scoring defense (52.4 ppg), No. 5 in scoring margin (27.1 ppg) and No. 8 in field goal percentage defense (35.8%). In addition, UCLA ranked No. 1 in turnover margin (+8.6), No. 2 in turnovers forced per game (19.9), No. 18 in steals per game (10.4) and No. 49 in assist-turnover ratio (1.53). Looking at individuals, Sebastian Mack (88.2%) ranked No. 88 in the nation in free throw percentage, while Kobe Johnson (No. 26) and Skyy Clark (No. 42) ranked among the nation's top 50 leaders in steals per game.
ย
THE BRUINS' SCHEDULE
UCLA's 31-game regular-season schedule includes 17 home games, 10 road games and four neutral site contests (in November and December). The Bruins will play 20 games in Big Ten play, with 11 non-conference contests lining the schedule in November and December. Glancing at last week's AP top 25 poll, UCLA will play seven games against teams that are currently ranked (and an additional seven games versus teams also receiving votes). A three-weekend stretch in December will include neutral site games against No. 9 Arizona (in Phoenix, Dec. 14), versus No. 10 North Carolina (at Madison Square Garden in New York, Dec. 21) and against No. 4 Gonzaga at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles (Dec. 28).
ย
ROSTER BREAKDOWN
UCLA's 2024-25 roster includes three seniors (Dominick Harris has one additional year of eligibility), four juniors, seven sophomores and three freshmen. In addition to Harris, that list of seniors also includes Kobe Johnson and Lazar Stefanovic. The four juniors include Dylan Andrews, Tyler Bilodeau, Skyy Clark and William Kyle III. Aside from Clark (49 career games), the remaining six juniors and seniors have played in at least 68 collegiate contests. Leading the way in that category are Stefanovic (103 career games) and Johnson (98 games, including the first 91 while at USC). Three of those veteran players have averaged at least 10.0 points per game in their career (Bilodeau, Clark and Kyle III).
ย
BIG TEN CONFERENCE
The Bruins' 20-game Big Ten schedule includes 10 home games and 10 road games. Two of the 20 contests are approaching in the week ahead, with UCLA hosting its first-ever Big Ten game against Washington on Tuesday, Dec. 3, before playing at Oregon on Sunday, Dec. 8. When the remaining 18 Big Ten games pick up in early January, UCLA will play three of those first four on the road โ Jan. 4 at Nebraska, home on Jan. 7 against Michigan, and on the road at Maryland (Jan. 10) and Rutgers (Jan. 13). Looking at the back half of the Bruins' conference schedule, UCLA is set to play six of their final 10 Big Ten games at home, including a season finale in Pauley Pavilion against crosstown rival USC (Saturday, March 8).
ย
MULTIPLE SCORING THREATS
The Bruins' 2024-25 roster has nine players who have each scored at least 20 points in one collegiate game. Skyy Clark totaled 36 points in Louisville's final game last season (ACC Tournament, against eventual Final Four competitor N.C. State). Dylan Andrews registered a career-high 31 points in the Bruins' win against Oregon State at the Pac-12 Tournament last season (March 13, 2024). Dominick Harris totaled a career-high 31 points last season for LMU in a non-conference win against Central Arkansas. The six other players on that list include Sebastian Mack (27 points), Lazar Stefanovic (26 points), Tyler Bilodeau (26 points), William Kyle III (26 points), Kobe Johnson (21 points) and Eric Dailey Jr. (20 points).
ย
TRACK AND FIELD, AND BASKETBALL
William Kyle III, a 6-foot-9 forward from Bellevue, Neb., grew up excelling on the track. Introduced to basketball and track and field at an early age, Kyle III most especially enjoyed competing as a young high jump athlete (also ran the 400m and 800m). Kyle III recalls that he competed in the youth national competition as a fourth grader and placed sixth overall in high jump that year. Going into the seventh grade, he finished eighth in high jump (nationals) and around 23rd place in the 800m. Kyle III, who spent his first two years of college at South Dakota State, gravitated more toward basketball in the summer of 2020 while attending Bellevue West High School (COVID-19 pandemic had ended his sophomore high school season).
ย
TOP DEFENDER
Senior guard Kobe Johnson has totaled 174 steals in 98 games (64 starts), now in his fourth collegiate season. He enters Tuesday's game against Washington with a team-leading 18 steals (Skyy Clark has totaled 17). Johnson had six steals in a home victory over Cal State Fullerton, marking the third time in his career he's logged six steals in a game. Johnson, from Milwaukee, Wis., earned Pac-12 All-Defensive Team honors the past two seasons (while at USC). Over the previous two seasons (64 games), Johnson averaged 10.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.2 steals per contest while at USC.
ย
DOUBLED UP
UCLA had twice as many shot attempts (80 to 40) as Southern Utah in last Tuesday night's 88-43 win in Pauley Pavilion. That marked the second game since the start of the 1970-71 season in which the Bruins accomplished that feat, having at least twice as many shots attempts than the opposition (spanning over 1,725 contests). Previously, UCLA outshot Oregon State in Corvallis, 81 to 40 (shot attempts), in a 65-63 loss on Jan. 7, 1999. In last week's win, the Bruins shot 38-for-80 (47.5%) while Southern Utah made just 14 of 40 shot attempts (35.0%).
ย
CONSECUTIVE THREE-POINTERS
UCLA has made at least one 3-pointer in each of its last 37 games. The Bruins went 0-for-6 from long range in a 78-58 win against Long Island University early last season in Pauley Pavilion (on Nov. 15, 2023). That game snapped a streak of 792 consecutive contests with at least one made 3-pointer by UCLA. That 3-point streak began after the Bruins finished 0-for-14 from 3-point distance in a home loss to No. 2 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.
ย
ROAD WARRIORS
Since the start of the 2021-22 season, UCLA has compiled a 34-24 record in 58 games played away from home. Over the past two seasons, UCLA went 21-16 in games played away from home (14-6 in 2022-23, 7-10 in 2023-24). Through 17 road and neutral-site contests in 2023-24, Dylan Andrews (13.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg) and Lazar Stefanovic (12.2 ppg, 7.3 rpg) led the Bruins in scoring in games that were played away from home.
ย
TURNOVER MARGIN
The Bruins entered the weekend No. 1 in the nation in turnover margin (+8.6), having committed 79 turnovers and forced 139 turnovers by the opposition (average of 19.9 turnovers forced, per game). Through games played on Friday, Nov. 29, UCLA ranked No. 1 in the Big Ten Conference in that category โ ahead of (2) Maryland and (3) Iowa. In 33 games last season, UCLA ranked No. 4 among Pac-12 programs in turnover margin (+0.91). Arizona State led the Pac-12 last season in that statistical category, with a margin of +3.25 in 32 games. UCLA's Kobe Johnson (18 steals) and Skyy Clark (17 steals) both rank among the top five, so far this season, in the Big Ten in steals (Johnson is tied for second, at 2.57 steals per game).
ย
THE "HUNGRY DOG" GETS THE BONE
The "deflection" statistic includes any deflected passes, blocked shot, the recovery of a blocked shot, charges taken and steals. The Bruins' have a deflection bone (literally, a two-foot long dog bone) awarded at the end of the season to one of the team's leaders in total deflections. After a UCLA victory, the player who has accrued the most deflections in that win signs the dog bone. The player who has signed the bone the most times by the end of the season is awarded the bone. Last season, Adem Bona and Sebastian Mack secured the two highest deflection totals, respectively (Mack was awarded with the bone). In 2022-23, Jaylen Clark won the year-end dog bone award. The Bruins' single-game team goal stands at approximately 40 deflections โ any game with at least 40 deflections most often can result in a Bruins' victory.
ย
