UCLA
Purdue
Men's Basketball to Play at No. 20 Purdue on Friday
February 26, 2025 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES โ The Bruins will travel to play at Purdue in a nationally-televised showdown this Friday evening. Game time is set for 5 p.m. PT (8 p.m. ET) at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind. UCLA's game on Friday is part of a two-game road swing at Purdue and Northwestern. The Bruins are scheduled to play at Northwestern on Monday evening.
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GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Mackey Arena
ย Capacity: 14,876
Tipoff Time: 5:05 p.m. PT (8:05 p.m. ET)
Television: FOX
TV Talent: Gus Johnson (play-by-play), Jim Jackson (analyst)
Radio (UCLA Audio Network): AM 1150
Radio Talent: Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Tracy Murray (analyst)
SIRIUS XM: Channel 380 and on the SXM App
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UCLA'S TICKET INFORMATION (HOME GAMES)
Single-game tickets for UCLA's final home gameย are on sale. The Bruins will host crosstown rival USC on Saturday, March 8, at 5 p.m. (PT). 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.
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CATCHING UP ON THE BRUINS
โ The Bruins have gone 14-2 at home this season and 6-6 in road and neutral-site contests.
โ After losing four straight games in early January, UCLA has won nine of its last 11 contests.
โ UCLA has gone 7-3 in games decided by five points or fewer this season.
โ The Bruins lead the Big Ten Conference in steals per game (8.3) and rank No. 44 in the nation in that category.
โ This marks the 106th basketball season at UCLA and the sixth year with head coach Mick Cronin at the helm.
โ UCLA head coach Mick Cronin secured career coaching win No. 500 on Sunday afternoon.
โ The Bruins went 5-1 in December and have posted a 9-6 record through January and February.
โ The Bruins have gone 61-3 since the start of the 2019-20 season when holding the opposition to fewer than 60 points.
โ This season, UCLA has tallied a 13-1 record when limiting the opposition to 65 or fewer points.
โ Junior Tyler Bilodeau has averaged 13.9 points and 4.4 rebounds in 27 games, shooting 50.0 percent from the field.
โ Sophomore Eric Dailey Jr. ranks second on the team in scoring (11.6 ppg) and third in rebounding (4.1 rpg).
โ Through games played on Tuesday, Feb. 25, UCLA ranked No. 23 in the nation in scoring defense (64.6 ppg).
โ Through Tuesday, Feb. 25, UCLA ranked No. 13 in the nation in turnovers forced per game (15.6).
โ Through Tuesday, Feb. 25, the Bruins were No. 6, nationally, in turnover margin (+5.0).
โ UCLA has limited the opposition to 65 points or fewer in 14 of 28 games this season.
โ Kobe Johnson (50 steals, 1.79 spg) ranked sixth in the Big Ten in steals per game (through Tuesday, Feb. 25).
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 135-61 record, now in his sixth season with the Bruins.
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ENTERING THE FINAL STRETCH
With just three regular-season games remaining, UCLA returns to the road to play at No. 20 Purdue (Friday, Feb. 28) and at Northwestern (Monday, March 3). The Bruins have gone 10-3 in the all-time series against Purdue, with these two programs having last faced off with a home-and-home series in Dec. 1999 and Dec. 2000. UCLA won both matchups, including an 87-82 victory at Purdue's Mackey Arena in the most recent meeting (Dec. 30, 2000). The Bruins last played at Mackey Arena in a "First Four" game of the 2021 NCAA Tournament, defeating Michigan State, 86-80, in overtime.
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UCLA'S WIN OVER OHIO STATE
Eric Dailey Jr. scored a team-leading 20 points, and Skyy Clark nailed a deep 3-pointer with 42 seconds to play as UCLA outlasted Ohio State, 69-61, last Sunday afternoon inside Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. The victory helped secure career coaching win No. 500 for Bruins' head coach Mick Cronin. In addition to Dailey Jr. (20 points) and Clark (13 points), the Bruins received double-figure point totals from Sebastian Mack (11) and Aday Mara (10). Kobe Johnson tied his career high with 13 points, while Mara finished the game with 10 points and nine rebounds.
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LAST FIVE CONTESTS
The Bruins have won three of their last five games, as four players have averaged at least 10 points per game during that five-game stretch (Tyler Bilodeau, Kobe Johnson, Sebastian Mack and Skyy Clark). Clark has shot 59.4 percent (19-for-32) from the field and 55.6 percent (10-for-18) from beyond the 3-point arc in those five games. Bilodeau leads the group in scoring over the last five contests (13.6 ppg), having connected on 9 of 16 attempts from 3-point range (56.3%). Dylan Andrews has totaled a team-leading 22 assists over that stretch, committing just six turnovers.
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NOTES ON THE SEASON
โ UCLA has shot 46.4 percent from the field and 39.5 percent from 3-point range in the last 10 games (going 8-2 over that 10-game stretch). Skyy Clark has made 46.3 percent of his 3-point field goal attempts in that 10-game stretch.
โ Now sporting a 20-8 record, the Bruins have reached the 20-win plateau in a single season for the 47th time in 59 years (span includes 1966-67 through 2024-25). Coach Cronin has guided UCLA to 20 or more wins in four of the last five years.
โ UCLA has committed fewer turnovers than the opposition in 24 of 28 games this season. The Bruins had a season-low three turnovers in back-to-back contests earlier this month (against Michigan State and Penn State, both games at home).
โ UCLA's 26-point win over Oregon on Jan. 30 marked the Bruins' largest victory margin in any conference game since a 35-point victory at home against California on Feb. 18, 2023 (UCLA won against California, 78-43).
โ The Bruins held Oregon to a season-low 52 points in UCLA's 78-52 win inside Pauley Pavilion on Thursday, Jan. 30. Previously, Oregon had scored 58 points in a 65-58 loss at Purdue on Jan. 18, 2025.
โ UCLA limited Gonzaga to a season-low 62 points in the Bruins' 65-62 win at Intuit Dome (Inglewood, Calif.) on Saturday, Dec. 28. Gonzaga has averaged 87.4 points per game, the second-highest scoring average in the nation (through Feb. 25).
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MILESTONE UNLOCKED
Bruins' head coach Mick Cronin secured career coaching win No. 500 on Sunday as UCLA defeated Ohio State, 69-61. Cronin has gone 500-232, now in his 22nd season as a college head coach. He secured his 400th career win in UCLA's home victory over Arizona State on Feb. 20, 2021. Cronin is one of 24 active head coaches to have secured at least 500 career victories. He is currently the youngest college basketball head coach (53) with at least 500 career wins. He spent his first three seasons as a head coach at Murray State before taking over as Cincinnati's head coach for the 2006-07 season. After a 13-year run as Cincinnati's head coach (through 2018-19), he became UCLA's head coach in April of 2019.
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ON DECK FOR UCLA
The Bruins have three regular-season games remaining, including this Friday's contest at Purdue. Next week, UCLA will play at Northwestern (5-1 all-time record) on Monday evening before closing the regular-season schedule at home against USC on Saturday, March 8. The Bruins last faced Northwestern in the Round of 32 at the 2023 NCAA Tournament (UCLA won, 68-63). Earlier this season, UCLA registered an 82-76 win at USC (Monday, Jan. 27). Following the Saturday contest against USC, the Bruins will play in the Big Ten Tournament at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis (March 12-16).
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HANG TEN
UCLA has won at least 10 conference games for the sixth straight season. Previously as members of the Pac-12, and now competing in the Big Ten, UCLA has won 10 or more league games in 18 of the last 21 seasons (including this season). Two years ago, UCLA went 18-2 en route to securing the Pac-12 Conference's regular-season title. The Bruins have three regular-season games to play, all in Big Ten action, with two of those at home and two scheduled on the road.
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ASSISTS ALL AROUND
UCLA has three guards who have each tallied at least 70 assists. Dylan Andrews leads the group with 83, while Kobe Johnson has totaled 82 and Skyy Clark has tallied 73. Sebastian Mack ranks fourth on the list with 52. UCLA's 2016-17 squad was the last Bruins' team to have at least three players with 70 or more assists. That team's five leading scorers each finished with 70 or more assists. Lonzo Ball set a school single-season record in assists (274), while Aaron Holiday totaled 158. Rounding out the list of assist leaders were Isaac Hamilton (99), Bryce Alford (92) and TJ Leaf (85).
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TALENTED TYLER
Junior Tyler Bilodeau became UCLA's first player to have made seven (or more) threes in any game since late last season when he was 7-for-12 from long-range at Illinois on Tuesday, Feb. 11. Last year, Dylan Andrews shot 7-for-9 from 3-point distance in a win over Oregon State at the Pac-12 Tournament (March 13, 2024). Bilodeau, a 6-foot-9 forward from Kennewick, Wash., has averaged a team-leading 13.9 points per game. Bilodeau has shot 50.0 percent overall and 44.2 percent from 3-point distance (34-of-77). In a 76-74 loss to North Carolina on Dec. 21, 2024, he totaled a career-high-tying 26 points at Madison Square Garden in New York City. He was 5-for-6 from 3-point distance in that contest.
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TOP DEFENDER
Senior guard Kobe Johnson has totaled 206 steals in 119 career games (1.7 spg). He enters this Friday night's game with a team-best 50 steals (Skyy Clark has 36), having registered 1.8 steals per game in 28 contests as a senior. He ranked sixth among all Big Ten players through Tuesday, Feb. 25, in steals per game. Johnson had six steals in a win over Cal State Fullerton (Nov. 22, 2024), the third time in his career he has logged six in a game. Hailing from Milwaukee, Wis., Johnson earned Pac-12 All-Defensive Team honors the past two seasons at USC. Over the previous two seasons (64 games), he averaged 10.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.2 steals per contest while at USC.
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SKYY'S THE LIMIT
Junior guard Skyy Clark has tallied a team-best assist-turnover ratio of 2.5 (with 73 assists, 29 turnovers). Clark joined the Bruins' program in the summer of 2024 after having averaged a team-leading 13.2 points per game as a sophomore at Louisville last season. He has logged the Bruins' third-highest assist total (73), behind Dylan Andrews (83) and Kobe Johnson (82). Clark scored a team-leading 14 points, sinking six of seven free throws, in UCLA's 63-61 win at home two weeks ago versus No. 9-ranked Michigan State. He has shot 55.6 percent from 3-point range in the Bruins' past five games (10-for-18) and 59.4 percent overall during that range. He has scored 10 or more points in nine games this year.
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STANDING TALL
Sophomore Aday Mara, who stands at 7-foot-3, averaged 12.0 points in a three-game stretch in late January, including a career-best 22-point game in an 85-83 win at home against Wisconsin (Jan. 21, 2025). Mara ranked No. 4 in the Big Ten in blocks per game (1.5) through games played Tuesday, Feb. 25. He has totaled 23 blocks in the past 10 games (2.1 bpg), dating back to the win over Wisconsin. In addition, Mara has registered 14 assists and seven turnovers in UCLA's last 15 games (through 217 minutes). Through the season, Mara has shot 57.8 percent from the field.
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NATIONAL NUMBERS
Through games played on Tuesday, Feb. 25, the Bruins ranked No. 23 in the country in scoring defense (64.6 ppg), No. 13 in turnovers forced per game (15.6) and No. 6 in turnover margin (+5.0). In addition, the Bruins have ranked No. 31 in the nation in scoring margin (10.1 points per game). Looking at shooting percentages, the opposition has shot 42.3 percent against UCLA (No. 103, nationally) and 31.2 percent from 3-point range (No. 55, nationally). The latest national metrics on KenPom.com have listed UCLA at No. 16 in the nation in defensive efficiency and No. 51 in offensive efficiency.
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NOTES ON PAULEY PAVILION
The Bruins have gone 14-2 in Pauley Pavilion this season, now in their 59th campaign playing in the longtime venue. The first game in Pauley 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 in 2011-12 at the Los Angeles Sports Arena (14 games) near downtown L.A. and at the Honda Center in Anaheim (four games). UCLA returned home in Nov. 2012. This marks the 13th year in the arena's updated configuration.
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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 78-15 record in 93 home games (83.9% win percentage).
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MINUTES DISTRIBUTION
With just three regular-season games left (through 28 total games), no players on UCLA's roster have averaged more than 29 minutes per game. Senior Kobe Johnson leads the team in minutes (averaging 28.9 mpg). Since UCLA began recording minutes 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 10 players who have averaged at least 10.0 minutes per contest.
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CONSECUTIVE THREE-POINTERS
UCLA has made at least one 3-pointer in each of its last 58 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.
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ROAD WARRIORS
Since the start of the 2021-22 season, UCLA has compiled a 40-29 record in 69 games played away from home (58.0 win percentage). Over the previous two seasons, UCLA went 21-16 in games played away from home (14-6 in 2022-23, 7-10 in 2023-24). Earlier this season, the Bruins earned a 73-71 win at No. 12 Oregon on Dec. 8. That marked UCLA's first win on the road against a top-20-ranked program since an 87-60 win at No. 20-ranked Maryland on Dec. 14, 2022.
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