University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
UCLA
Illinois
Men's Basketball to Host No. 10 Illinois on Saturday
February 20, 2026 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES โ The Bruins (17-9, 9-6) will host No. 10-ranked Illinois (22-5, 13-3) this Saturday evening at 5 p.m. inside Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. UCLA's game will be nationally televised by FOX. The Bruins have just five games to play on their regular-season schedule, with three of those contests at home (vs. Illinois, vs. USC and vs. Nebraska). Last season, Illinois secured an 83-78 win over the Bruins in Champaign, Ill. (at State Farm Center).
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GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial
Capacity: 13,800
Tipoff Time: 5:05 p.m. PT
Broadcast Network: FOX
Broadcast Talent: Tim Brando (play-by-play), Jim Jackson (analyst)
Radio (UCLA Audio Network): AM 790 (KABC)
Radio Talent: Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Tracy Murray (analyst)
Sirius XM Channels: SiriusXM 161 or 195 and SiriusXM App
Live Stats: ucla.statbroadcast.com (link here)
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UCLA'S TICKET INFORMATION (HOME GAMES)
Single-game tickets for UCLA's home games are on sale. The Bruins have three remaining regular-season games inside Pauley Pavilion โ against Illinois on Feb. 21, versus USC on Feb. 24 and against Nebraska on March 3. Fans can view complete ticket information about UCLA men's basketball by clicking 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, check out the upcoming game themes and promotions for UCLA's final home games.
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MOST RECENTLY
โข The Bruins dropped a pair of road games at Michigan last Saturday and at Michigan State on Tuesday night.
โข Tyler Bilodeau has totaled at least 10 points in each of UCLA's last 19 games (dating back to Dec. 3, at Washington).
โข Trent Perry has scored at least 10 points in 10 of the Bruins' last 12 games.
โข The Bruins have gone 14-1 at home this season while compiling a 3-8 record in road and neutral-site games.
โข Through Thursday, Feb. 19, Tyler Bilodeau led the Big Ten in 3-point shooting percentage (45.9%, 50-for-109).
โข Through Thursday, Feb. 19, Tyler Bilodeau ranked No. 7 in the conference in overall field goal percentage (51.3%).
โข Tyler Bilodeau has averaged 18.9 points and 6.5 rebounds through UCLA's last 10 games.
โข Trent Perry has registered 15.9 points and 3.5 rebounds in the Bruins' last 10 contests.
โข Five Bruins have averaged at least 10 points per game this season, led by senior Tyler Bilodeau (18.1 ppg).
โข Tyler Bilodeau hit the game-winning 3-pointer with eight seconds to play in the win over No. 4 Purdue on Jan. 20.
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UCLA VERSUS ILLINOIS
โข Last season, the Bruins lost at Illinois, 83-78, in a Big Ten Conference game on Feb. 11, 2025.
โข Tyler Bilodeau shot 7-for-12 from 3-point range, totaling 25 points, in the Bruins' five-point loss at Illinois last season.
โข The Bruins shot 12-for-23 from 3-point distance in last season's game at Illinois (12-for-23, 52.2%).
โข UCLA has compiled an all-time record of 6-5 in 11 previous meetings against Illinois.
โข This Saturday's game will mark the Bruins' first home contest against Illinois since a 74-69 win on Dec. 30, 1997.
โข In all, UCLA has played Illinois at Pauley Pavilion twice, with the first of those meetings taking place in 1965.
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EARLIER THIS WEEK
The Bruins lost at No. 15 Michigan State, 82-59, on Tuesday evening. Michigan State raced ahead of UCLA, 43-23, by halftime. The Bruins were unable to reduce their deficit to any fewer than 16 points in the second half. Tyler Bilodeau scored a team-leading 22 points in the loss, connecting on 8 of 16 shots and shooting 3-for-5 from 3-point range. This marked the second time this season in which the Bruins had lost back-to-back games (also dropped an 86-56 decision at No. 2 Michigan, last Saturday). Skyy Clark scored 12 points at Michigan State in his second game back from a hamstring injury.
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Having compiled a 17-9 record through 26 games, this marks the first time UCLA has been 17-9 since 2020-21. That year, the Bruins lost four straight games to fall to 17-9 (heading into the NCAA Tourmanet) before winning five consecutive NCAA Tournament games to propel from the First Four to the Final Four. UCLA finished the year 22-10.
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THANKS FOR THE ASSIST
Donovan Dent has totaled 172 assists and 56 turnovers (in 25 games), averaging 6.9 assists per game. He tallied 10 or more assists in three straight games from Jan. 31 through Feb. 7, becoming UCLA's first-ever player to record point-assist double-doubles in three straight contests (since assists were routinely recorded in 1978-79). The Bruins have not had a player since Tyger Campbell in 2022-23 with as many as 170 assists in a season (Campbell finished that year with a team-best 186 assists). Dent has scored in double figures in 19 of 25 games played this season.
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LOOKING AHEAD
โข Following this Saturday's game against Illinois, the Bruins will host USC in Pauley Pavilion next Tuesday (Feb. 24).
โข Last season, UCLA won both of its regular-season contests against USC (including a 90-63 win at Pauley Pavilion).
โข Following next Tuesday's game, the Bruins will have just three regular-season contests to play.
โข The Bruins' schedule in February has just three more games (vs. Illinois, vs. USC and at Minnesota).
โข Two of UCLA's remaining five opponents are ranked within the AP poll's top 10 teams (No. 10 Illinois, No. 9 Nebraska).
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TRENDS AND PERCENTAGES
โข Tyler Bilodeau has scored in double figures in 22 of 24 games played, totaling 20 points or more in eight games.
โข Tyler Bilodeau has totaled 880 points in two seasons at UCLA, averaging 15.4 points in 57 games in the Bruins' uniform.
โข Donovan Dent ranks third in the Big Ten in assists per game (6.9 apg) and has averaged 13.2 points per game.
โข Trent Perry has scored at least 10 points in 12 of UCLA's last 15 games.
โข UCLA has posted a 14-2 record when leading at halftime and has gone 15-1 when building a lead of 10 or more points.
โข UCLA ranked No. 1 in the Big Ten, among all 18 teams, in 3-point shooting percentage (37.8%), through Feb. 19.
โข The Bruins have not shot 37.0% or better (from three) since the 2020-21 season (37.2 percent from three, that year).
โข The Bruins are currently shooting 76.3 percent at the free throw stripe, ranking No. 6 in the Big Ten.
โข The school single-season record for best free throw percentage is 75.6 percent, back in the 1978-79 season.
โข Through 26 games last season, UCLA had compiled an overall record of 19-7 (and 10-5 in conference games).
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ASSISTS PER GAME
Through 25 games played, senior Donovan Dent has averaged 13.2 points and 6.9 assists per game. Dent, a 6-foot-2 guard from Riverside, Calif., could be on track to join a rare group of UCLA guards who averaged at least 10 points and six assists per game over the course of a full season. Most recently, then-sophomore Jaylen Hands averaged 14.2 points and 6.1 assists during UCLA's 2018-19 season. Pooh Richardson in the late 1980s accomplished this per-game average all four seasons, including a pair of back-to-back seasons where he averaged at least 7.0 assists per game.
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STRONG SCORING
Senior forward Tyler Bilodeau ranked No. 10 in scoring among all Big Ten players (18.1 ppg) and No. 7 in shooting percentage (51.3%), through Thursday, Feb. 19. The 6-foot-9 product from Kennewick, Wash., has scored at least 15 points this season in 17 of the Bruins' 26 games (did not play in two games). He netted his only double-double of the season in a double overtime loss to Indiana on Saturday, Jan. 31, totaling 18 points and a season-high 11 rebounds. Through UCLA's last 10 games, Bilodeau has averaged 18.9 points and 6.5 rebounds per game while shooting 50.0 percent overall.
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SOPHOMORE JUMP
Sophomore Trent Perry scored a career-best 30 points in UCLA's 71-60 win at Penn State on Jan. 14. Perry was perfect at the free throw line, going 12-for-12, while knocking down 4 of 8 shots from beyond the 3-point arc. This season, he has averaged 12.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. Last year, he registered 3.7 points and 1.7 rebounds per game in 32 contests as a freshman. Perry has scored at least 10 points in 16 games for UCLA this season, logging 63 assists and 33 turnovers for an assist-turnover ratio of 1.91-to-1. Over the Bruins' last 10 contests, Perry has averaged 15.9 points and 3.5 rebounds, shooting 44.9 percent overall and 50.0 percent from beyond the 3-point arc (20-for-40).
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RUNNING THE POINT
Senior Donovan Dent has averaged 13.2 points, 6.9 assists and 2.6 rebounds through 25 games. Dent, a 6-foot-2 guard from nearby Riverside, Calif., transferred from New Mexico to UCLA in the offseason. He has recorded six point-assist double-doubles this season (totaling 13 in his career). Since assists were routinely tracked, starting in 1978-79, Dent has become the first UCLA player with three consecutive point-assist double-doubles (UCLA's games versus Indiana, Rutgers and Washington). He ranks No. 3 in the Big Ten in assists per game (6.9) and was No. 10 in the nation, through Wednesday, Feb. 18. He has totaled 104 assists and 32 turnovers in 15 Big Ten contests (3.25 assist-turnover ratio in league play).
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REACHING FOR THE SKYY
Senior Skyy Clark has averaged 13.1 points and 2.4 rebounds through 16 games. Clark missed 10 games in January and February with a hamstring strain (returned to action on Saturday, Feb. 14). He connected on six 3-pointers in back-to-back victories against Arizona State (Dec. 17) and Cal Poly (Dec. 19), becoming UCLA's first-ever player to have nailed six or more threes in consecutive contests. Through UCLA's last two games, Clark has averaged 10.0 points per game and has shot 7-for-15 (46.7%) through nearly 37 minutes. He leads UCLA's team in 3-point shooting percentage (48.1%).
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TOP DEFENDERS
The Bruins' program has produced some of the nation's most talented defensive players over the past several seasons. Last year, then-senior Kobe Johnson was honored as one of five players on the Big Ten All-Defensive Team, closing the year at No. 6 in the conference in steals per game (1.6 spg, 55 steals in 34 games). Two seasons ago (2023-24), then-sophomore Adem Bona was honored as the Pac-12 Conference's Defensive Player of the Year. Bona led UCLA's team that season in blocks (58 blocks, 1.8 bpg) and was second in steals (37 steals, 1.1 spg). Three seasons ago (2022-23), then-junior Jaylen Clark was honored as the Naismith Men's Defensive Player of the Year and the NABC Defensive Player of the Year.
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NOTES ON PAULEY PAVILION
This marks UCLA's 60th season playing basketball at Pauley Pavilion and the 14th season since the arena underwent a major renovation. Last year, the Bruins went 15-2 in Pauley Pavilion. 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) before returning home in Nov. of 2012.
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In 2023-24, 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. Since taking over as UCLA's head coach prior to 2019-20, Mick Cronin has guided UCLA to a 92-16 home record (85.2 win percentage). The Bruins will enter this Saturday's game against Washington with a 13-1 home record.
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MISCELLANEOUS NOTES ON UCLA
โข UCLA has gone 6-0 when shooting at least 50 percent from the field this season. The Bruins' season-high 62.7 shooting percentage in a win at home against Presbyterian was the program's best single-game mark since Dec. 10, 2016 (UCLA shot 62.7% in an 102-84 win at home against Michigan, shooting 39-for-58 overall).
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โข Senior guard Donovan Dent has averaged 6.9 assists per game in 25 contests this season. Since assists were routinely recorded at UCLA, starting in 1973-74, only three student-athletes have logged at least 7.0 assists per game in one season (Pooh Richardson, twice, as well as Lonzo Ball in 2016-17 and Larry Drew II in 2012-13).
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โข The Bruins' 15-man roster this season includes eight student-athletes who are from the Southern California region. All 15 student-athletes are from the United States. Looking at the eight local players, five are from Los Angeles County and three are from Riverside County (Donovan Dent, Eric Freeny and Anthony Peoples Jr. all went to Corona Centennial HS).
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โข Through 26 games, the Bruins have logged an assist-turnover ratio of 1.6-to-1 (ranks No. 27, nationally). Last season, UCLA's assist-turnover ratio (1.55-to-1) ranked No. 20 in the nation and was second in the Big Ten. The Bruins concluded the 2024-25 season with an assist-turnover ratio of 1.55, but posted a ratio of 1.81 in their final 15 games.
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โข Since the start of the 2020-21 season, the Bruins have gone 78-36 in conference play (logging a 68.4 win percentage). UCLA went 13-7 in Big Ten action last season, tied for fourth place in the 18-team league standings.
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TRENDS AND RECORDS
The Bruins have gone 41-25 in games decided by five points or fewer under head coach Mick Cronin (includes all overtime games, regardless of the final score margin). Through Coach Cronin's final three seasons at Cincinnati (2016-17 through 2018-19), his teams went 18-7 in such situations. From 2016-17 through 2025-26, Coach Cronin's teams have gone 59-32 in these contests. In addition, UCLA has gone 66-13 when forcing at least 15 turnovers by the opponent (8-1 in 2019-20, 6-1 in 2020-21, 10-2 in 2021-22, 21-3 in 2022-23, 5-0 in 2023-24, 10-5 in 2024-25 and 6-1 this season).
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