UCLA
North Carolina
No. 18 UCLA to Face North Carolina in New York City
December 19, 2024 | Men's Basketball
NEW YORK CITY – Ranked No. 18 in this week's AP and USA Today Coaches polls, UCLA (10-1) will face North Carolina (6-5) in the annual CBS Sports Classic on Saturday, Dec. 21. Game time at Madison Square Garden is set for 12 p.m. PT (3 p.m. ET). The Bruins' showdown against North Carolina will be nationally televised on CBS. Following this weekend's game against the Tar Heels, UCLA will return to Los Angeles to take on No. 13-ranked Gonzaga at Intuit Dome (Inglewood) on Saturday, Dec. 28.
GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Madison Square Garden (New York)
Capacity: 19,812
Tipoff Time: 12:08 p.m. PT (3:08 p.m. ET)
TV Network: CBS
TV Talent: Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Bill Raftery (analyst), Jenny Dell (sideline)
Radio (UCLA Audio Network): AM 570
Radio Talent: Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Tracy Murray (analyst)
SIRIUS XM: Ch. 388 and on the SXM App
UCLA'S TICKET INFORMATION (HOME GAMES)
Single-game tickets for UCLA's nine remaining home games are on sale. Fans can secure tickets to each of the Bruins' home conference games in UCLA's historic, inaugural year in the Big Ten. The Bruins will return to Big Ten action after the New Year. UCLA will host Michigan on the evening of Tuesday, Jan. 7. Game time 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.
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.
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.
CATCHING UP ON THE BRUINS
– No. 18-ranked UCLA has opened with a 10-1 record for the first time since the 2021-22 basketball season.
– This marks the 106th basketball season at UCLA and the sixth year with head coach Mick Cronin at the helm.
– The Bruins have won nine consecutive games, the program's longest win streak since 2022-23 (was 12 games).
– Through games played on Wednesday, Dec. 18, UCLA ranked No. 5 in the nation in scoring defense (56.8 ppg).
– UCLA's 111 points scored on Tuesday night stand as the highest-single game total during the Bruins' Mick Cronin era.
– The Bruins ranked No. 1 in the nation (through Wednesday) in turnover margin (+7.5)
– UCLA also ranked No. 2, nationally (through Wednesday) in turnovers forced per game (18.45).
– UCLA has limited the opposition to 60 points or fewer in seven of 11 games this season.
– Kobe Johnson (25 steals, 2.3 spg) is tied in the No.3 spot among Big Ten players in steals per game.
– UCLA's program added nine incoming players this season – six transfer students and three freshmen.
– As head coach, Mick Cronin has led UCLA to an 125-54 record, now in his sixth season with the Bruins.
THIS MONTH
– UCLA's 111 points on Tuesday marked the program's most in a game since a 114-77 win against Long Beach State on Nov. 20, 2016. UCLA last scored at least 100 points in one game in an 100-53 victory over Pepperdine on Nov. 23, 2022.
– The Bruins have just two games remaining this month – this Saturday in New York against North Carolina (6-5) as part of the CBS Sports Classic and on Saturday, Dec. 28, at Intuit Dome in Inglewood against No. 13-ranked Gonzaga (8-3).
– UCLA has gone 3-11 in the all-time series against North Carolina. The Tar Heels have won the last six meetings, including a 73-66 win over the Bruins in the Sweet 16 of the 2022 NCAA Tournament (at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia).
MOST RECENTLY FOR UCLA
The Bruins have won nine straight games. Earlier this week, five UCLA players scored in double figures in an 111-75 win over Prairie View A&M. Last Saturday in Phoenix, the Bruins erased a 13-point deficit with under 11 minutes to play and closed the contest with a 21-5 scoring run (UCLA was down 49-36, with 10:45 to play). In a 73-71 win at Oregon on Sunday, Dec. 8, Dylan Andrews made a game-winning 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds to play. UCLA had led the game against the Ducks, 67-58, with under four minutes remaining before Oregon secured a 71-70 advantage with 10 seconds to play.
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).
OPPONENTS UNDER 60 POINTS
UCLA has gone 59-3 since the start of the 2019-20 season when limiting the opposition to fewer than 60 points (all under head coach Mick Cronin). This season, the Bruins have gone 7-0 when holding the opponent to fewer than 60 points scored. The Bruins rank No. 5 in the nation in scoring defense, surrendering an average of 56.8 points per game (through Wednesday, Dec. 18). UCLA limited Boston University to 40 points (71-40 score, on Nov. 11), the first time since Jan. 19, 2020, in which the Bruins held an opposing team to 40 points or fewer (UCLA defeated California, 50-40, in Pauley Pavilion). Since the start of the 1994-95 season, the Bruins have limited the opposition to 40 or fewer points in 12 games.
BRUINS IN NEW YORK CITY
UCLA has compiled a 17-15 all-time record in games played in New York City (and a 15-12 mark at MSG). Most recently, the Bruins secured a 63-53 win over No. 13-ranked Kentucky in the CBS Sports Classic on Dec. 17, 2022 (played at Madison Square Garden). UCLA lost to North Carolina in the CBS Sports Classic (89-76) at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Dec. 19, 2015. UCLA played in New York City in four consecutive seasons from 2010-11 through 2013-14.
TALENTED TYLER
Junior Tyler Bilodeau has averaged team highs in scoring (14.1 ppg) and rebounding (5.5 rpg). He has shot 49.6 percent overall and 35.5 percent from 3-point distance (11-for-31). Most recently, Bilodeau totaled 18 points, four rebounds and four assists in the Bruins' 111-75 win over Prairie View A&M (Tuesday, Dec. 17). He has scored in double figures in eight games, including a 23-point and 15-rebound effort in a loss to New Mexico (Friday, Nov. 8). In the team's win over Idaho State (Nov. 20), Bilodeau shot 4-for-4 from 3-point range and became the first Bruin to shoot 100% from 3-point distance (minimum of four attempts) since Nov. 17, 2021, when Tyger Campbell was a perfect 4-for-4 in a win over North Florida.
NATIONAL NUMBERS
Through games played on Wednesday, Dec. 18, the Bruins ranked No. 5 in the nation in scoring defense (56.8 ppg), No. 1 in turnover margin (7.5) and No. 2 in turnovers forced per game (18.45). UCLA also ranks No. 8 in scoring margin (22.0 ppg), No. 30 in field goal percentage defense (38.9%) and No. 42 in 3-point field goal percentage defense (29.1%). UCLA has averaged 9.3 steals per game (No. 38 in the nation), as guards Kobe Johnson (2.3 spg) and Skyy Clark (1.7 spg) rank among the Big Ten Conference's top 10 leaders in that category.
ON THE DEFENSIVE END
Arizona's 54 points scored last Saturday (Dec. 14) were the fewest by the Wildcats' program since Feb. 8, 2020, when UCLA secured a 65-52 win over Arizona at McKale Center in Tucson, Ariz. The 54 points scored on Saturday by Arizona were the fewest in a game by the Wildcats in head coach Tommy Lloyd's career in Tucson (now in his fourth season). Arizona was held to its fewest made field goals (19) in 10 games this season (19-for-42, 45.2%). UCLA has limited the opposition to 19 made field goals or fewer in six of 11 games (Boston University and Southern Utah were held to 14 made shots).
SKYY'S THE LIMIT
Junior guard Skyy Clark has committed just five turnovers in the team's last seven games (spanning nearly 178 minutes for Clark). Clark enters UCLA's game on Saturday having totaled 25 assists (third on the team) and 1 turnovers. He scored a season-best 15 points in the 57-54 win over Arizona last Saturday in Phoenix, connecting on 3-of-7 shots from 3-point range. Clark corralled an offensive rebound off a missed 3-point attempt by Dylan Andrews and was fouled with 6.1 seconds left in the game. He made both ensuing free throw attempts to put the Bruins ahead, 57-54.
ROAD VICTORY IN EUGENE
The Bruins' 73-71 win at No. 12-ranked Oregon on Sunday, Dec. 8, marking 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).
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.
UNDER PRESSURE
The Bruins have gone 32-20 since the start of the 2019-20 season (under head coach Mick Cronin) in games that were decided by five points or fewer (and in any game that advanced into overtime, regardless of final score margin). The Bruins' last two wins have been by a combined five points – a 73-71 victory at Oregon on Dec. 8, and a 57-54 triumph against Arizona on Dec. 14. During UCLA's 2020-21 season (which culminated in a Final Four appearance), the Bruins went 12-4 in any game decided by five points or fewer, or that advanced into overtime.
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.
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 72-13 record in 85 home games (84.7% win percentage).
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).
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).
TOP DEFENDER
Senior guard Kobe Johnson has totaled 181 steals in 102 games (68 starts), now in his fourth collegiate season. He enters this Saturday's contest with a team-best 25 steals (teammate Skyy Clark has totaled 19), having registered nearly 2.3 steals per game in 11 contests as a senior. Johnson had six steals in a home victory over Cal State Fullerton (Nov. 22), marking the third time in his career he has 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.
MINUTES DISTRIBUTION
While it's early in the season – through 11 contests – no players on UCLA's roster have averaged more than 27 minutes per game, as 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 10 players who have averaged at least 10.0 minutes per contest.
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%).
