UCLA
Gonzaga
No. 22 Men's Basketball to Face No. 14 Gonzaga at Intuit Dome
December 24, 2024 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES โ Ranked No. 22 in this week's AP poll, UCLA (10-2) returns to action against No. 14-ranked Gonzaga (9-3) on Saturday afternoon at Intuit Dome in Inglewood. Game time is set for 1 p.m. (PT). UCLA's contest against Gonzaga will be nationally televised on FOX. The Bruins' radio broadcast this Saturday will be available on AM 570, with Josh Lewin and Tracy Murray calling the action. Saturday's showdown will mark the fifth meeting between these two programs in five seasons. This will be the first-ever college basketball game played at Intuit Dome. Following UCLA's contest, Grand Canyon will take on San Diego at approximately 3:30 p.m. (PT).
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GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Intuit Dome
Capacity: 17,927
Tipoff Time: 1:05 p.m., PT
TV Network: FOX
TV Talent: Jason Benetti (play-by-play), Jim Jackson (analyst)
Radio (UCLA Audio Network): AM 570
Radio Talent: Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Tracy Murray (analyst)
SIRIUS XM: Channels 158 or 195, and on the SXM App
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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' remaining 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.
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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.
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CATCHING UP ON THE BRUINS
โ No. 22-ranked UCLA has opened with a 10-2 record heading into Saturday's game against No. 14 Gonzaga.
โ This marks the 106th basketball season at UCLA and the sixth year with head coach Mick Cronin at the helm.
โ UCLA's nine-game winning streak was snapped last Saturday with a 76-74 loss to North Carolina in New York City.
โ Tyler Bilodeau has averaged 15.1 points in 12 games and has shot 51.1 percent from the field (70-for-137).
โ Through games played on Monday, Dec. 23, UCLA ranked No. 7 in the nation in scoring defense (58.4 ppg).
โ Through Monday, Dec. 23, UCLA ranked No. 2 in the nation in turnovers forced per game (18.4).
โ Through Monday, Dec. 23, the Bruins were No. 4, nationally, in turnover margin (+7.2).
โ UCLA has limited the opposition to 60 points or fewer in seven of 12 games this season.
โ Kobe Johnson (28 steals, 2.3 spg) is tied in the No. 1 spot among Big Ten players in steals per game (through Dec. 23).
โ After Saturday's neutral-site game, UCLA will play five of its next eight contests on the road.
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 125-55 record, now in his sixth season with the Bruins.
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THIS MONTH
โ Saturday's showdown against Gonzaga at Intuit Dome (Inglewood) will mark the Bruins' final non-conference game in their 2024-25 schedule. UCLA has faced Gonzaga in each of the last four seasons.
โ UCLA's 111 points against Prairie View A&M (Dec. 17) were the Bruins' most in a game since Nov. 20, 2016 (114-77 win over Long Beach State). UCLA last scored at least 100 points against Pepperdine on Nov. 23, 2022 (UCLA won, 100-53).
โ UCLA has posted a 4-1 record this month, picking up victories over Washington (Dec. 3), Oregon (Dec. 8), Arizona (Dec. 14) and Prairie View A&M (Dec. 17). The Bruins posted a 6-1 record in the month of November.
โ UCLA has gone 2-7 in the all-time series against Gonzaga. The Bulldogs have won the last four meetings with the Bruins' most recent win taking place at Gonzaga on Dec. 12, 2015 (UCLA won that matchup, 71-66, in Spokane, Wash.).
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MOST RECENTLY FOR UCLA
Tyler Bilodeau scored 26 points and Sebastian Mack added 22 points off the bench as UCLA lost to North Carolina, 76-74, playing in the annual CBS Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden (New York) on Saturday, Dec. 21. The Bruins led by 16 points (59-43) after a 3-pointer by Tyler Bilodeau with 12:50 remaining. North Carolina surged back into the game, taking a 75-74 lead in the game's final 15 seconds. Bilodeau finished 9-for-14 from the field and 5-of-6 from beyond the 3-point arc. As a team, UCLA shot 49.1 percent (26/53) and 50.0 percent from 3-point territory (9/18).
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COMEBACK OVER ARIZONA
Two weeks ago at Footprint Center 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 (Saturday, Dec. 14). UCLA was down 49-36 with 10:45 remaining. Dylan Andrews tied the contest with a basket under the hoop with 3:43 to play, and Eric Dailey Jr.'s free throw with 2:18 remaining put the Bruins ahead, 53-52. Tyler Bilodeau (17 points) and Skyy Clark (15 points) each scored in double figures for UCLA.
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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. 7 in the nation in scoring defense, surrendering an average of 58.4 points per game (through Monday, Dec. 22). 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).
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TALENTED TYLER
Junior Tyler Bilodeau has averaged a team-leading 15.1 points per game and ranks second on the team in rebounding (5.3 rpg). Bilodeau, who shot 9-for-14 last Saturday against North Carolina, has shot 51.1 percent from the field and 43.2 percent from 3-point distance (16-for-37). He has scored in double figures in nine games, including one 23-point game against New Mexico (Nov. 8) and one 26-point effort against North Carolina (Dec. 21). He shot 4-for-4 from 3-point distance in a home win over Idaho State (Nov. 20) and was 5-for-6 from long-range at Madison Square Garden last Saturday.
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NATIONAL NUMBERS
Through games played on Monday, Dec. 22, the Bruins ranked No. 7 in the nation in scoring defense (58.4 ppg), No. 2 in turnovers forced per game (18.4) and No. 4 in turnover margin (+7.2). In addition, the Bruins have ranked No. 14 in the nation in scoring margin (20.0 points per game). Looking at shooting percentages, the opposition has shot 39.6 percent against UCLA (No. 45, nationally) and 29.6 percent from 3-point range (No. 56, nationally). The latest national metrics on KenPom.com have listed UCLA at No. 4 in the nation in defensive efficiency and No. 60 in offensive efficiency.
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PLAYING IN THE L.A. REGION
Saturday's game will mark the Bruins' first off-campus contest in the Los Angeles area since March of 2012. UCLA concluded that year at the Pac-10 Tournament, hosted at Crypto.com Arena (then known as Staples Center) in downtown Los Angeles. That season coincided with the "Bruin Road Show" where UCLA played all of its home games at either the L.A. Sports Arena (14 games) or the Honda Center in Anaheim (four games) while Pauley Pavilion underwent an 18-month renovation. UCLA's game at Intuit Dome will be the first-ever college basketball game in this facility.
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ON THE DEFENSIVE END
Arizona's 54 points scored on 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 11 games this season (19-for-42, 45.2%). UCLA has limited the opposition to 19 made field goals or fewer in six of 12 games (Boston University and Southern Utah were held to 14 made shots).
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SKYY'S THE LIMIT
Junior guard Skyy Clark has committed just five turnovers in the team's last eight games (spanning nearly 202 minutes for Clark). Clark enters the Bruins' game this Saturday having totaled 29 assists (third on the team) and 11 turnovers. He scored a season-best 15 points in the 57-54 win over Arizona on Saturday, Dec. 14, 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.
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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).
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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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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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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).
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TOP DEFENDER
Senior guard Kobe Johnson has totaled 184 steals in 103 games (69 starts), now in his fourth collegiate season. He enters this Saturday's contest with a team-best 28 steals (teammate Skyy Clark has totaled 21), having registered nearly 2.3 steals per game in 12 contests as a senior. Johnson and Iowa's Brock Harding ranked No. 1 in the league in steals per game (2.3). Johnson had six steals in a victory over Cal State Fullerton (Nov. 22), the third time in his career he has logged six 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 โ through 12 contests โ no players on UCLA's roster have averaged more than 27 minutes per game, as senior Kobe Johnson has led the team in minutes played (averaging 26.6 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). In 2019-20, 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 nine 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 shot 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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