UCLA
Arizona
No. 24 UCLA Men's Basketball to Face Arizona on Saturday
December 11, 2024 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES โ Ranked No. 24 in this week's AP poll, UCLA returns to action against Arizona in a non-conference game to be played in Phoenix, Ariz., on Saturday afternoon. Game time at Footprint Center is set for 12 p.m. PT (1 p.m. MT, in Phoenix). The Bruins (8-1) have won their last seven consecutive games, entering this Saturday's neutral-site contest against the Wildcats (4-4). UCLA's game in Phoenix will be nationally televised on ESPN2.
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GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Footprint Center (Phoenix, Ariz.)
Capacity: 17,071
Tipoff Time: 12:05 p.m. PT (1:05 p.m. MT, in Phoenix)
TV Network: ESPN2
TV Talent: Roxy Bernstein (play-by-play), Fran Fraschilla (analyst)
Radio (UCLA Audio Network): AM 570
Radio Talent: Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Tracy Murray (analyst)
SIRIUS XM: Ch. 372 and on the SXM App
ABOUT FOOTPRINT CENTER
Tickets to this Saturday's game in Phoenix can be purchased by visiting Footprint Center's website (link here). Footprint Center serves as the home to the NBA's Phoenix Suns and opened in June of 1992 under the name of America West Arena. More information about the NBA venue is available here.ย
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UCLA'S TICKET INFORMATION (HOME GAMES)
Single-game tickets for UCLA's nine remaining Big Ten men's basketball home games are now on sale. Fans can purchase tickets to each of the Bruins' remaining home conference games in UCLA's historic, inaugural year in the Big Ten. The Bruins will return to conference play (at home) against Michigan, the night of Tuesday, Jan. 7. Game time between UCLA and Michigan is set for 7 p.m. (PT). This will mark Michigan's first meeting against UCLA in Pauley Pavilion since a sold-out contest on Dec. 10, 2016.
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Additional home matchups in Big Ten play will include Iowa (Friday, Jan. 17), Wisconsin (Tuesday, Jan. 21), Oregon (Thursday, Jan. 30), Michigan State (Tuesday, Feb. 4), Penn State (Saturday, Feb. 8), Minnesota (Tuesday, Feb. 18), Ohio State (Sunday, Feb. 23) and USC (Saturday, March 8) in the season finale for both schools.
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Complete ticket information about UCLA men's basketball is available here. Direct links to single-game ticket purchases can be viewed here. 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.
BEHIND THE BRUINS, UCLA'S PODCAST
All season long, tune into the Bruins' basketball podcast (Behind the Bruins, link here), as UCLA radio play-by-play broadcaster Josh Lewin speaks with all over the men's basketball players and coaches. Each episode features a one-on-one conversation between Lewin and a member of the men's basketball program. Set in an informational and conversational style, these podcasts provide an inside look at the individuals involved in the 2024-25 UCLA men's basketball program. Most recently, Lewin speaks with junior forward William Kyle III and sophomore guard Sebastian Mack.
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CATCHING UP ON THE BRUINS
โ UCLA has opened with an 8-1 record for the first time since the 2021-22 basketball season.
โ This marks the 106th basketball season at UCLA and the sixth year with head coach Mick Cronin at the helm.
โ Saturday's game in Phoenix will mark the 21st meeting between UCLA and Arizona since January of 2016.
โ Through games played on Tuesday, Dec. 10, UCLA ranked No. 1 in the nation in scoring defense (55.1 ppg).
โ Junior forward Tyler Bilodeau leads the Bruins in scoring (13.3 ppg) and rebounding (5.9 rpg).
โ Sophomore guard/forward Eric Dailey Jr. has averaged 12.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.
โ Eight Bruins have averaged at least 5.0 points per game (with three players averaging at least 10.0 points per game).
โ The Bruins have forced an average of 18.2 turnovers per game through eight contests (No. 3, nationally).
โ UCLA has limited the opposition to 60 points or fewer in six of nine games this season.
โ Five Bruins have shot at least 38 percent from beyond the 3-point arc (led by Lazar Stefanovic, at 47.8%, 11-for-23).
โ The Bruins will play just one more home game in the month of December (Tuesday, Dec. 17, vs. Prairie View A&M).
โ UCLA's program added nine incoming players this season โ six transfer students and three freshmen.
โ As head coach, Mick Cronin has led UCLA to an 123-54 record, now in his sixth season with the Bruins.
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UCLA VERSUS ARIZONA
โย The Bruins have posted an all-time record of 63-50 versus Arizona, in a basketball series that began in 1923 and resumed in 1951.
โย Most recently, Arizona swept a pair of games in Pac-12 play against the Bruins last season.
โย UCLA's most recent neutral-site matchups with Arizona have taken place in Las Vegas at the Pac-12 Tournament.
โย UCLA and Arizona last played an overtime game in the semifinals of the 2018 Pac-12 Tournament (Arizona won, 78-67).
โย Neutral-site contests between these schools will take place in 2025-26 (Las Vegas) and in 2027-28 (Los Angeles).
โย Since 2014, UCLA and Arizona met for the Pac-12 Tournament championship three times (2014, 2022 and 2023).
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SPEAKING TO THE MEDIA
Coach Cronin, along with Kobe Johnson and Dylan Andrews, spoke to local reporters prior to the Bruins' practice on Wednesday, Dec. 10. Videos of those media sessions can be viewed in these links (Coach's session, players' session). In addition, Coach Cronin was a featured guest on the weekly Bruin Insider Show this week, anchored by UCLA analysts Nick Koop and Bryan Fenley (full video here).
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MOST RECENTLY, FOR UCLA
The Bruins have won seven consecutive games, including a 73-71 win at No. 12 Oregon on Sunday, Dec. 8. Dylan Andrews finished with 10 points in that win, drilling a game-winning 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds to play at Oregon's Matthew Knight Arena. The Bruins led Oregon by nine points, at 67-58, with just under four minutes to play. Oregon used a 13-3 scoring run over the next three-plus minutes to lead, 71-70, with just 10 seconds remaining. Eric Dailey Jr. finished with a season-best 19 points in the win, connecting on 7 of 8 shots overall and 3 of 4 attempts from 3-point distance.
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BEATING THE BUZZER
In a win over UC Riverside last season (Nov. 30, 2023), Dylan Andrews drove to the hoop and made a driving bank shot just inside the paint with 3.2 seconds to play, lifting UCLA to a 66-65 win. During UCLA's 2020-21 season (Feb. 20, 2021), then-freshman Jaylen Clark made the second of two free throws, after being fouled on a put-back attempt, to snap a 79-79 tie with 1.4 seconds left against Arizona State in Pauley Pavilion (UCLA won, 80-79).
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TALENTED TYLER
Junior Tyler Bilodeau has averaged team highs in scoring (13.3 ppg) and rebounding (5.9 rpg), through nine contests. He has shot 47.1 percent overall and 38.5 percent from 3-point distance (10-for-26). He has scored in double figures in six games, including a 23-point and 15-rebound effort in a loss to New Mexico on Friday, Nov. 8. In UCLA's win over Idaho State (Nov. 20), 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 in a win over North Florida.
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GETTING TO THE LINE
Sophomore Sebastian Mack has shot 37-for-46 at the free throw line in nine games (all off the bench). He made 15 of 16 free throws (and totaled 21 points) in an 84-70 win against Idaho State on Nov. 20. His 15 made free throws were the most in a game by any UCLA player since Bryce Alford went 17-for-18 (free throws) in a 96-93 double-overtime loss at Washington on Jan. 1, 2016. Prior to that game, then-freshman Jordan Adams (in his second collegiate contest) went 16-for-16 at the line in an 80-79 win over UC Irvine on Nov. 13, 2012.
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NATIONAL NUMBERS
Through games played on Tuesday, Dec. 10, the Bruins ranked No. 1 in the nation in scoring defense (55.1 ppg), No. 3 in turnovers forced per game (18.2) and No. 6 in turnover margin (7.6). In addition, UCLA's team ranks No. 7 in scoring margin (22.6 ppg), No. 12 in field goal percentage defense (37.5%) and No. 41 in 3-point field goal percentage defense (28.5). UCLA has averaged 9.6 steals per game (No. 33, nationally), as guards Kobe Johnson (2.1 spg) and Skyy Clark (2.0 spg) rank among the Big Ten Conference's top seven leaders in that category. Johnson's team-best 2.07 assist to turnover ratio ranks No. 12 in the Big Ten and among the top 175, nationally, through Tuesday, Dec. 10.
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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 (51 career games), the remaining six juniors and seniors have played in at least 60 collegiate contests. Leading the way in that category are Stefanovic (105 career games) and Johnson (100 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).
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ROAD VICTORY
The Bruins' 73-71 win at No. 12-ranked Oregon last Sunday evening (Dec. 8) marked the program's first road win over a top-20 ranked opponent since No. 16 UCLA won at No. 20 Maryland, 87-60, on Dec. 14, 2022. Prior to the win in 2022, UCLA won at No. 18 Colorado, 70-63, on Feb. 22, 2020 (during a stretch of the year where the Bruins won 11 of 13 contests). The Bruins have not played a road game at a top-10 ranked opponent since losing to No. 7 Arizona, 76-66, at the McKale Center in Tucson, Ariz., on Feb. 3, 2022 (the Bruins were ranked No. 3 in the nation heading into that game).
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FORCING TURNOVERS
UCLA's 30 forced turnovers in the 88-43 win over Southern Utah (Tuesday, Nov. 26) 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.
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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, in Anaheim, Calif.
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BIG TEN CONFERENCE
The Bruins' 20-game Big Ten schedule includes 10 home games and 10 road games. Two of the 20 contests have already arrived (UCLA faced Washington and Oregon in Big Ten play last week, winning both games). UCLA will resume its Big Ten schedule in January 2025. The remaining 18 Big Ten games pick up after the New Year, and the Bruins will play three of those first four on the road โ Jan. 4 at Nebraska, Jan. 7 against Michigan (at home), and on the road at Maryland (Jan. 10) and Rutgers (Jan. 13). Looking at the back half of the conference schedule, UCLA is set to play six of its last 10 Big Ten games at home, including a season finale in Pauley Pavilion against USC (Saturday, March 8).
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NOTES ON PAULEY PAVILION
The Bruins have gone 7-0 in Pauley Pavilion this season, now in their 59th campaign playing in the longtime UCLA basketball venue. Pauley Pavilion opened for the 1965-66 season. The first game in Pauley Pavilion took place on Dec. 3, 1965, as No. 1 UCLA defeated Ohio State, 92-66. UCLA spent 47 seasons in Pauley Pavilion before the venue was closed for an 18-month renovation (closed in March of 2011). UCLA hosted 18 home games during the 2011-12 season at the Los Angeles Sports Arena (14 games) near downtown L.A. and at the Honda Center in Anaheim (four games) before returning to Pauley Pavilion in Nov. 2012. This marks the 13th year in the "new" configuration of Pauley Pavilion.
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Last year, CSUN snapped UCLA's 29-home-game winning streak with a 76-72 win over the Bruins (Dec. 19, 2023). Prior to that game, UCLA had not lost at home since an overtime setback (84-81) to Oregon on Jan. 13, 2022. UCLA's 29-game home streak had been the longest active streak in the country. Since taking over as UCLA's head coach prior to the 2019-20 season, Mick Cronin has guided the Bruins to a 71-13 record in 84 home games (84.5% win percentage).
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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).
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TOP DEFENDER
Senior guard Kobe Johnson has totaled 175 steals in 100 games (69 starts), now in his fourth collegiate season. He enters this Saturday's game with a team-leading 19 steals (teammate Skyy Clark has totaled 18). Johnson had six steals in a home victory over Cal State Fullerton, (Nov. 22) 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 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.
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MINUTES DISTRIBUTION
While it's early in the season (through nine games), no players on UCLA's roster have averaged any more than 27 minutes per game โ junior Tyler Bilodeau leads the team in minutes per game (26.1 mpg). Since UCLA began recording the minutes stat in 1978-79, the Bruins have always had at least one player average 30.0 or more minutes per game (by the end of the year). During the 2019-20 season, then-freshman guard Tyger Campbell finished the year as the Bruins' leader in minutes per game, at exactly 30.0 mpg. This year's team has 11 players who have averaged at least 10.0 minutes per contest.
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DOUBLED UP
UCLA had twice as many shot attempts (80 to 40) as Southern Utah in an 88-43 win in Pauley Pavilion on Tuesday, Nov. 26. 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 opposing team (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 this season's home victory over Southern Utah, the Bruins shot 38-for-80 (47.5%) while Southern Utah made just 14 of 40 shot attempts (35.0%).
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