UCLA
Arizona State
Men's Basketball to Face Arizona State on Saturday Night
March 08, 2024 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES – The Bruins will close their regular-season schedule against Arizona State on Saturday evening in Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Game time is 8 p.m. (PT). Lazar Stefanovic scored a team-leading 18 points in UCLA's 68-66 victory at Arizona State earlier this season (Wednesday, Jan. 17). The Bruins trailed Arizona State by a 39-24 margin with 19:10 to play in the second half of that game and outscored the Sun Devils by a 44-27 margin over the final 19 minutes. UCLA's Sebastian Mack had back-to-back fast break buckets for the Bruins in the final 75 seconds of the game, helping the Bruins overcome a late 63-62 deficit.
GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom
Capacity: 13,800
Tipoff Time: 8:01 p.m. (PT)
Television: FS1
TV Talent: Wayne Randazzo (play-by-play), Casey Jacobsen (analyst)
Radio Broadcast (UCLA Sports Network): AM 570
Radio Talent: Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Tracy Murray (analyst)
SIRIUS XM: SiriusXM 388 and on the SXM App
HISTORY VERSUS ARIZONA STATE
UCLA has gone 75-24 in the all-time series against ASU, including a 2-0 mark last season. The Bruins have won their last four home games against ASU, including last year's 79-61 triumph in the second-to-final game of the regular season (March 2, 2023). UCLA has gone 9-5 against ASU since the start of the 2016-17 season.
FINAL REGULAR-SEASON MEETING
Last season, UCLA defeated Arizona in the final regular-season contest for both schools (UCLA won, 82-73, in Pauley Pavilion). Over the past four seasons, the Bruins have gone 2-2 in the last game of the regular season. Two years ago, UCLA outlasted USC in Pauley Pavilion, 75-68, on March 5, 2022.
CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
The Bruins can secure the No. 5 seed in next week's Pac-12 Tournament with a win on Saturday, coupled with a victory by Oregon (over Utah, in Eugene, Ore.). With four total Pac-12 games on the schedule for Saturday, the Bruins could finish as the No. 5, No. 6 or No. 9 seeds in the upcoming conference tournament. The full Pac-12 Tournament website is available here. UCLA's game against Arizona State on Saturday will be the final game of the day across the Pac-12 schedule.
THE LAST TIME OUT
No. 5 Arizona defeated UCLA, 88-65, on Thursday evening in Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins and Wildcats were tied, 15-15, with 10 minutes to play in the opening half before Arizona surged ahead, 44-27, at the intermission. Lazar Stefanovic scored all of his team-leading 20 points in the second half, connecting on a season-best 5 of 9 attempts from beyond the 3-point arc. Dylan Andrews scored 18 points on 7-of-18 shooting, and Adem Bona finished with 10 points and a team-leading five blocks. UCLA shot 39 percent from the field and was 6-for-18 from 3-point distance against Arizona.
TRENDS AND NOTES
– UCLA has lost its last five consecutive games after having won eight of its previous nine contests (all in Pac-12 play).
– Over the past five games, Lazat Stefanovic (16.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg) has led the Bruins in scoring and rebounding.
– UCLA continues to lead all Pac-12 programs in scoring defense, surrendering an average of 66.3 points per game.
– The Bruins rank third in the Pac-12 in field goal percentage defense (42.4%, which ranks No. 99 in the nation).
– The Bruins have averaged a plus-6.7 rebounding margin in their 14 victories (and a negative-3.1 margin in 16 losses).
– UCLA has shot better from 3-point distance on the road (33.3%) compared to 30.0% in 15 home contests.
– In the Bruins' last 10 games, UCLA has shot 33.9 percent from 3-point range and 76.5 percent at the free throw line.
– Dylan Andrews has recorded 37 assists and 19 turnovers through the Bruins' last 10 contests (1.95-to-1 ratio).
– The Bruins have shot 44.7 percent (overall) and 37.4 percent from 3-point range in 14 victories this season.
– UCLA has posted a 3-2 record in games decided by three or fewer points this season.
65 OR FEWER POINTS
The Bruins have held their opposition to 65 points or fewer in 16 of 30 contests this season, posting a 12-4 record in those games. UCLA has surrendered a Pac-12-leading 66.3 points per game this season (68.7 ppg, in 19 Pac-12 games). Last season, the Bruins limited the opposition to 65 points or fewer in 27 of their 37 total games, compiling a 25-2 record in those contests. UCLA has allowed 50 points or fewer in four games this season – versus Saint Francis, Lafayette and Chaminade in non-conference games in November, and at crosstown rival USC on Saturday, Jan. 27.
SCORING DEFENSE
Through games played on Thursday, March 7, the Bruins ranked No. 38 in the country and first in the Pac-12 in fewest points allowed per game (66.3 ppg, through 30 games). UCLA's field goal percentage defense ranked No. 99, nationally, and second in the Pac-12 (42.4%). Under fifth-year head coach Mick Cronin, UCLA's 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). The Bruins have allowed fewer than 70 points in 49 of their last 65 games, going 41-8 in those 49 contests since the start of the 2022-23 season.
DEFENSIVE PRESENCE
Sophomore Adem Bona, standing at 6-foot-10 and 245 pounds, has averaged 12.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 1.2 assists per game in all 30 contests. Last month, Bona was the only Pac-12 player named to the 15-man watch list for this year's Naismith Men's Defensive Player of the Year award, which was won by Jaylen Clark last season. Bona ranks No. 2 among all Pac-12 players in blocks per game (1.9), No. 6 in field goal percentage (57.7%) and No. 9 in offensive rebounds per game (2.0). He has totaled 42 of his team-high 57 blocked shots through UCLA's last 19 games.
BLOCKED SHOTS LEADERBOARD
Sophomore Adem Bona (12.1 ppg, 5.8 rpg) has totaled 114 blocks in 63 career games, averaging 1.8 per game in his UCLA career. Bona ranks sixth on the Bruins' all-time blocks list, three blocks behind Lorenzo Mata (No. 5, with 117 career blocked shots). Jelani McCoy (1996-98) established the program's career record with 188 blocks during his three-year collegiate career. Through Thursday's games, Bona ranked No. 37 in the nation with 57 blocks this season and No. 37, nationally, with an average of 1.0 blocks per game.
PAC-12 TOURNAMENT HISTORY
UCLA has won the conference tournament four times (1987, 2006, 2008 and 2014). The Pac-12 (or Pac-10) has hosted a conference tournament every season since 2002 (and from 1987 through 1990). The Bruins last won the tournament title in 2014 with a 75-71 win over No. 1-seed Arizona. UCLA had advanced to the title contest the year prior (2013) but lost to Oregon in the championship game. The 2013 tournament was the last time UCLA had entered as the No. 1 seed.
LAST TWO YEARS
UCLA lost to Arizona in the Pac-12 Tournament's title game in 2022 and 2023. Last year, the Bruins lost by a 61-59 margin, while Arizona won that contest, 84-76, in March of 2022. The Pac-12 Tournament moved to Las Vegas in 2013. Since the tournament moved there, UCLA has gone 13-9 with four trips to the championship contest.
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 three true freshmen who will not turn 19 years old until later this year (Aday Mara, Ilane Fibleuil and Brandon Williams). The Bruins' program added eight new faces last summer, including seven true freshmen and one transfer, junior Lazar Stefanovic (from Belgrade, Serbia, who transferred to UCLA from the University of Utah).
3-POINTERS, AS A TEAM
UCLA has shot 31.9 percent from 3-point range. The 2019-20 team shot 32.3 percent, the lowest single-season 3-point percentage by any UCLA team (NCAA adopted the 3-point arc in 1986-87). UCLA is averaging 5.3 made threes per game, the lowest per-game average since 2012-13 (4.9 per game). In addition, the 16.5 attempts per game are the fewest since 2014-15 (16.8 per game). Last season, UCLA averaged 6.1 made threes per game and took 17.6 attempts per game.
NOTES ON PAULEY PAVILION
This marks the 58th season in which UCLA has played in Pauley Pavilion. The arena opened in time for the 1965-66 basketball campaign. The first game in Pauley Pavilion took place on Dec. 3, 1965, as No. 1 UCLA took down Ohio State (92-66). UCLA spent 47 seasons in Pauley before the venue was closed for an 18-month renovation. UCLA hosted 18 home games in 2011-12 at the Los Angeles Sports Arena (14 games) and the Honda Center in Anaheim (four games).
CSUN snapped UCLA's 29-home-game winning streak earlier this season (CSUN won 76-72, on Dec. 19, 2023). Prior to that loss, UCLA had not lost at home since Jan. 13, 2022 (an 84-81 overtime loss to Oregon). 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 63-13 record in 76 home games (82.9% win percentage).
RECENT HISTORY
The Bruins have advanced to the NCAA Tournament in each of the past three seasons. UCLA secured its 19th NCAA Final Four appearance in 2021, earning a No. 11-seed in the 68-team field and advancing from the First Four to the Final Four. Along the way, the Bruins registered victories over Michigan State, BYU, Abilene Christian, Alabama and Michigan. 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.
