UCLA
Detroit Mercy
No. 25 UCLA to Face Detroit Mercy on Sunday
November 30, 2017 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES – The Bruins (6-1) will host Detroit Mercy (4-3) in a non-conference showdown on Sunday evening in Pauley Pavilion. Game time is 6 p.m. (PT). UCLA's men's basketball game will take place after the No. 7 UCLA women's basketball team hosts UC Santa Barbara at 1:30 p.m. (PT) in Pauley Pavilion that afternoon.
GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Pauley Pavilion (13,800)
Tipoff Time: 6:05 p.m. PT
Television: Pac-12 Network
TV Talent: Roxy Bernstein (play-by-play), Bill Walton (analyst)
Radio (UCLA Sports Network from IMG): AM 1150
Radio Talent: Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Tracy Murray (analyst)
SIRIUS/XM Channels: Ch. 132/Ch. 197
SIRIUS App. Channel: Ch. 959
ATTENDING SUNDAY'S GAME?
For fans attending the game this Sunday at UCLA, you can find answers to questions about will call, parking, directions and ticket information by clicking here. The first 500 youngsters in attendance in Pauley Pavilion can pick up a free Bruin "B" superhero cape. Food trucks scheduled for the south side of Pauley Pavilion include the Lobos Truck and Richeeze Melts. The "Will Call" window opens at 4:30 p.m. and gates to the arena will open by 5 p.m.
DOWNLOAD THE UCLA APP
Be sure to download the UCLA Bruins Mobile App to your device, free of charge (download here). The official app of UCLA Athletics allows fans to receive in-game stats and live updates during events. Fans can also sign up to receive push notifications about gameday promotions, game times, live scoring and more. Fans can shop for UCLA gear with one click in addition to getting breaking news from UCLA Athletics. When searching iTunes or Google Play, use the term "UCLA Bruins" for more direct access.
PURCHASE TICKETS
Ticket for all UCLA men's basketball games can be purchased online by visiting uclabruins.com/tickets or by clicking here. UCLA will host Detroit Mercy on Sunday (Dec. 3) before taking on Montana next Wednesday evening (Dec. 6).
ON DECK FOR UCLA
The Bruins (6-1) will host Detroit Mercy (4-3) on Sunday evening in the second all-time meeting between these two programs. Detroit Mercy pulled off a first-round NCAA Tournament upset against the Bruins on March 11, 1999. Jermaine Jackson, now an assistant coach for the Titans, scored a team-leading 17 points for No. 12-seed Detroit Mercy that night to help defeat No. 5-seed UCLA, 56-53, at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. This Sunday's game will mark UCLA's third contest during an ongoing four-game homestand, set to conclude against Montana on Wednesday, Dec. 6 (8 p.m., PT).
THE LATEST
Through seven games, junior Aaron Holiday leads UCLA in both scoring (16.9 ppg) and assists (41 assists, 5.9 apg). Holiday leads all Pac-12 players in assists (through Nov. 29) and is one of five Bruins who has averaged double figure scoring. Holiday scored a team-leading 16 points and added seven rebounds and six assists in the team's most recent victory over CSU Bakersfield (75-66) last Wednesday. Sophomore Prince Ali, who has averaged 10.4 points in seven games, has shot 53.1 percent from the field in UCLA's last four games, averaging 13.8 points during that four-game span.
DEFENSIVE EFFORT
UCLA limited CSU Bakersfield to 29.9 percent shooting on Wednesday night (20-for-67) as the Bruins downed the Roadrunners, 75-66. That marked the lowest overall shooting percentage by any Bruins' opponent since limiting CSUN to 29.3% (17-for-58) in UCLA's victory against the Matadors in Pauley Pavilion on Nov. 29, 2015.
THE BIG MEN
Senior Thomas Welsh has recorded five double-doubles in seven games, averaging 13.1 points and 11.1 rebounds per game. Welsh, through Nov. 29, ranked second among all Pac-12 players in rebounds per game and was tied for the conference lead in double-doubles (five, along with Arizona's Deandre Ayton). Senior Gyorgy "G.G." Goloman has averaged 7.9 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting 51.1 percent overall, and sophomore Alex Olesinski has registered 6.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game (logging 20.0 minutes per game in seven contests off the bench).
YOUTH MOVEMENT
Five of the Bruins' eight regular players in the current rotation did not see action on the court for UCLA last season. Both Prince Ali and Alex Olesinski (redshirt sophomores) played as true freshmen in 2015-16 but took redshirt years in 2016-17. Jaylen Hands, Chris Smith and Kris Wilkes are all true freshmen and have each played vital roles early this season. Wilkes enters the game on Sunday evening as the Bruins' second-leading scorer (13.7 ppg) and rebounder (6.4 rpg). He ranks third on the team in minutes (27.9 mpg) and has started all seven contests for UCLA.
LOOKING AHEAD
UCLA will close the 2017 calendar year with eight games in December, including six non-conference contests before facing Washington State (Dec. 29) and Washington (Dec. 31) to open Pac-12 play in Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins will cap their current four-game homestand next Wednesday against Montana before hitting the road for a non-conference tilt at Michigan on Saturday, Dec. 9. UCLA's game at Michigan's Crisler Center will be nationally televised by CBS at 9 a.m. (PT). The Bruins will return home to face Cincinnati on Saturday, Dec. 16, in another nationally-televised game (CBS).
NEARING 1,000
Senior center Thomas Welsh and junior guard Aaron Holiday are both nearing the 1,000-career-point plateau. Welsh will enter this Sunday evening's game in Pauley Pavilion having totaled 923 career points (needing just 77 more to reach 1,000 points). Holiday has totaled 890 points and stands just 110 shy of tying the 1,000-point mark. UCLA's men's basketball program has 54 former players who have scored at least 1,000 career points wearing the Bruins' uniform. Last season, Isaac Hamilton became the 54th Bruin to have reached the vaunted 1,000 career-point plateau.
CENTURY MARK
Steve Alford has become the sixth head coach in Westwood to have logged at least 100 career wins as UCLA's head coach. Now with 102 wins at UCLA, Alford secured win No. 100 against Wisconsin on Nov. 21. He led UCLA to 31 victories last season and has joined a list of 100-plus-win UCLA head coaches that features Caddy Works (1921-1939), John Wooden (1948-1975), Jim Harrick (1988-1996), Steve Lavin (1996-2003) and Ben Howland (2003-2013). Alford has compiled a 102-46 record in just over four seasons as the program's head coach (68.9 win percentage in games with UCLA).
FREQUENT FLYERS
In just three weeks, the Bruins' basketball team traveled approximately 16,200 miles in roundtrips between L.A. to Shanghai and L.A. to Kansas City, Mo. During the Bruins' first 18 days of the season, UCLA spent 12 of those days either away from home or on the road traveling (to either Shanghai, Kansas City, or back to Los Angeles). Through a travel schedule that has exceeded 31 combined hours in the air, the Bruins have posted a 5-1 overall record.
THE MOST SINCE ...
UCLA got to the free throw line for 40 attempts (26 makes) against UC Irvine (Nov. 26). That was the most attempted free throws in a game by UCLA since a double overtime loss at Washington on Jan. 1, 2016, when the Bruins attempted 50 free throws (38 makes). In that game at Washington, Bryce Alford was 17 for 18 at the free throw line. In addition, UCLA's 19 offensive rebounds against South Carolina State earlier this season (Nov. 17) marked the program's largest single game offensive rebound total since grabbing 23 in the double overtime loss at Washington on Jan. 1, 2016.
MOVIN' ON UP
Thomas Welsh ranks third on the school's all-time blocked shots list (122), having recently surpassed Charles O'Bannon (118) for the No. 3 slot. The top two spots on UCLA's career blocks list are occupied by Jelani McCoy (188) and Dan Gadzuric (184). McCoy played at UCLA from 1995-98, while Gadzuric starred for the Bruins from 1999-2002. Welsh currently ranks No. 9 on the school's all-time field goal percentage list (55.5 percent overall). Please note, UCLA's official "blocked shot" statistic has only been tracked on a consistent basis since the 1978-79 season.
