LOS ANGELES – No. 9 UCLA returns to Pauley Pavilion to face Arkansas-Pine Bluff (0-2) on Wednesday evening. Game time is 6 p.m. (PT). The Bruins (2-0) are looking to open their season with three consecutive victories for the second straight year. UCLA’s game will be available on Peacock and on NBC Sports Network. Tickets for this Wednesday’s home game are available here.

GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial
Capacity: 13,800
Tipoff Time: 6:02 p.m. (PT)
Broadcast Network: Peacock, NBC Sports Network
Broadcast Talent: Dave Flemming (play-by-play), Steve Lavin (analyst)
Radio (UCLA Audio Network): AM 790 (KABC)
Radio Talent: Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Tracy Murray (analyst)
Sirius XM Channels: SiriusXM 85 and SiriusXM App
Live Stats: ucla.statbroadcast.com (link here)

UPCOMING HOME GAMES
– Wednesday, Nov. 11, vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 6 p.m. (tickets)
– Monday, Nov. 16, vs. Long Beach State at 7 p.m. (tickets)
– Wednesday, Nov. 18, vs. Cal State Fullerton at 7:30 p.m. (tickets)

MORE ABOUT THE BRUINS
– The Bruins have opened their season 2-0 with wins over No. 5 Arizona and North Florida.
– UCLA entered this week ranked No. 9 in the AP Poll and No. 15 in the Coaches Poll.
– UCLA was last ranked among the nation's top 10 teams (AP Poll) in the final poll of the 2022-23 season (No. 8).
– Nikola Kusturica was honored as the Big Ten Men's Basketball Freshman of the Week (19.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg).
– Kusturica totaled a team-leading 29 points (26 scored in the first half) in last Friday night's 51-point win.
– Jaylen Petty has averaged 17.0 points and 5.5 rebounds in two games, shooting 52.2 percent from the field.
– The Bruins are seeking a 3-0 start to the season for the second year in a row (UCLA went 3-0 to open last season).

BRUINS REGISTER 51-POINT WIN
UCLA's 51-point victory margin marked the largest by a Bruins' squad since a 51-point win (113-62) over Wyoming in a home contest on Dec. 23, 2008. Last Friday night, the Bruins rolled past North Florida by 51 points (114-63), registering a 35-0 scoring run late in the opening half. North Florida led the Bruins, 18-17, before UCLA scored the game's next 35 points to lead by a 52-18 margin. UCLA led North Florida at the intermission, 52-20. Nikola Kusturica shot 10-for-12 in the win, sinking each of his first nine shot attempts. He also opened the game 4-for-4 from 3-point distance.

FRESHMAN PRODUCTION
Nikola Kusturica's 29-point game last Friday night marked the highest single-game point total by any UCLA freshman since TJ Leaf had 32 points (and 14 rebounds) in a win at Washington State on Feb. 1, 2017. Only Don MacLean (41-point game), Leaf (32) and Bryce Alford (31-point game) have logged at least 30 points in a game as a freshman. Kevin Love had a season-high 29 points in an NCAA Tournament victory over Western Kentucky on March 27, 2008.

Last week, Kusturica became UCLA's first freshman with at least 10 points in his collegiate debut since Amari Bailey had 10 points against Sacramento State in the Bruins' season opener on Nov. 7, 2022. Kusturica became the Bruins' first freshman with at least 10 points and five rebounds in his collegiate debut since Moses Brown had 19 points and 17 rebounds in a win over Purdue Fort Wayne in Pauley Pavilion on Nov. 6, 2018.

ARKANSAS TIES
UCLA hosts Arkansas-Pine Bluff this Wednesday night in what will be the first-ever meeting on the hardwood between these two programs. The Bruins last played a program from the state of Arkansas during the 2017-18 season, outlasting Central Arkansas 105-101 in overtime (Nov. 15, 2017). That contest came on the heels of a season-opening trip to Shanghai, China, where UCLA had defeated Georgia Tech. In addition to Central Arkansas, UCLA's program has also faced the University of Arkansas (in Fayetteville) three times. The Bruins have gone 2-1 against Arkansas, including an 89-78 win over the Razorbacks in the 1995 NCAA Championship contest played at the Kingdome in Seattle (Monday, April 3, 1995).

KEY NOTES ABOUT UCLA
The Bruins return six players from last season's roster. The most significant and veteran returning players include seniors Xavier Booker (7.3 ppg), Eric Dailey Jr. (11.6 ppg) and Brandon Williams (2.6 ppg) and junior Trent Perry (12.6 ppg). Both Dailey Jr. and Perry represented UCLA's program alongside head coach Mick Cronin at Big Ten Men's Basketball Media Day.

Stretching back to last season, UCLA has won four of its last six games against teams ranked in the top 20. Prior to Monday's win over No. 5 Arizona, the Bruins picked up wins late last year against No. 10 Illinois in overtime (Feb. 21), No. 9 Nebraska (March 3) and No. 8 Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament in Chicago (March 13).

UCLA's four incoming transfer students include Filip Jovic (sophomore, from Auburn), Sergej Macura (junior, from Mississippi State), Jaylen Petty (sophomore, from Texas Tech) and Azavier Robinson (sophomore, from Butler). All four transfers played at the NCAA Division I level last season.

The Bruins have welcomed four freshmen to the roster – Javonte Floyd (center, from Atlanta, Ga.), Gunars Grinvalds (guard/forward from Jurmala, Latvia), Nikola Kusturica (guard/forward, from Novi Sad, Serbia) and Joe Philon III (guard/forward from Tampa, Fla.). UCLA has added junior Jordan Houegban, who previously served as a Bruins' student manager.

The Bruins went 14-7 over their final 21 games last year, including a pair of top-10 victories in March over No. 9-ranked Nebraska (72-52) and No. 8-ranked Michigan State (88-84). UCLA recorded a 17-1 home record, with the lone loss taking place in double overtime to Indiana (the Hoosiers won the double overtime affair 98-97).

UCLA's leading scorer the past two seasons, Tyler Bilodeau, was drafted as a senior last June. He was the No. 43 overall selection in the NBA Draft by the Brooklyn Nets (second round pick) and has inked a contract with the Nets. Bilodeau, one of 10 former UCLA players on NBA rosters this month, averaged a team-leading 17.6 points per game in 31 contests.

NOTES ON UCLA'S WIN OVER ARIZONA
Prior to last week's game against Arizona, the Bruins had not played a ranked opponent in its season opener since taking on No. 7 Kansas on Nov. 9, 2001. Ranked No. 17 in the preseason, UCLA lost that game 99-98 at Madison Square Garden. The Bruins opened their 1997-98 campaign (Nov. 27, 1997) with a loss to No. 4 North Carolina (Great Alaska Shootout).

The Bruins led Arizona, 43-29 at halftime on Monday, Nov. 2, and pushed ahead by as many as 16 points (45-29) with 19 minutes to play in the second half. Arizona cut down the Bruins' lead to seven points at the 13:28 mark and pulled to within 71-70 of UCLA with 3:11 remaining. Xavier Booker's 3-pointer at the 2:59 mark put UCLA ahead, 74-70.

UCLA improved its all-time record to 65-51 against Arizona. The two schools first met in 1923 and have played each other routinely since the 1978-79 season, when both schools were members of the Pac-10 Conference. Most recently, the Bruins have gone 8-7 against Arizona in the past 15 meetings (since the start of the 2019-20 season).

LOOKING AHEAD
With just one game on the schedule this week (on Wednesday night), UCLA will host a pair of home contests against two local programs next week. The Bruins will take on Long Beach State on Monday, Nov. 16, and Cal State Fullerton on Wednesday, Nov. 18. UCLA has compiled a 20-1 all-time record against Long Beach State and currently has a nine-game winning streak in the local series. Long Beach State defeated UCLA at the Anaheim Convention Center, 79-68, in a 76 Classic contest on Nov. 29, 2009. The Bruins have registered an all-time record of 11-2 against Cal State Fullerton, including a recent 80-47 win over the Titans when the two programs last played each other (Nov. 22, 2024, at Pauley Pavilion).

KEY VETERANS
Senior Eric Dailey Jr. (from Palmetto, Fla.) and junior Trent Perry (from West Covina, Calif.) are two of the Bruins' most experienced players and represented the team alongside head coach Mick Cronin at Big Ten Men's Basketball Media Day on Thursday, Oct. 8 (Chicago). Both Dailey Jr. and Perry have entered their third season at UCLA, with both players having served significant roles the past two seasons. Dailey Jr. has played in 70 of his 102 career games at UCLA, having been a freshman at Oklahoma State in 2023-24. Perry has played in all 69 of his games with UCLA (including 35 last season).