UCLA
Cincinnati
UCLA Returns to Action at Cincinnati
December 16, 2018 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES – UCLA (7-3) returns to action at Cincinnati (9-2) on Wednesday evening in a nationally-televised contest (ESPN2). Game time at Fifth Third Arena is 6 pm PT (9 pm ET). The Bruins have gone 2-3 in the all-time series against Cincinnati, with both schools having faced each other the past two seasons – March 2017 (Sacramento) and December 2017 (Los Angeles).
GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Fifth Third Arena (12,012)
Tipoff Time: 6:05 p.m. PT (9:05 p.m. ET)
Television: ESPN2
TV Talent: Adam Amin (play-by-play), John Thompson III (analyst)
Radio (UCLA Sports Network): AM 570
Radio Talent: Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Tracy Murray (analyst)
SIRIUS/XM Radio Channels: Ch. 84 / Ch. 84
SIRIUS App Channel: Ch. 84
ON THE ROAD
The Bruins will play a pair of games in the Midwest this week, taking on Cincinnati this Wednesday before facing Ohio State in the CBS Sports Classic on Saturday in Chicago. UCLA has three non-conference games remaining on its schedule. In addition to upcoming matchups against Cincinnati and Ohio State, the Bruins will take on Liberty in Los Angeles on Saturday, Dec. 29, before opening Pac-12 play against Stanford on Thursday, Jan. 3. UCLA's matchup at Cincinnati will be nationally televised on ESPN2, while the Bruins' game on Saturday will be broadcast by CBS.
ALL-TIME SERIES
UCLA has faced Cincinnati in each of the previous two seasons. In all, UCLA has gone 2-3 against Cincinnati, with the two schools having first faced each other on March 23, 1962. Two years ago, the Bruins advanced to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 with a 79-67 win over Cincinnati at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. Last December, Cincinnati secured a 77-63 win over UCLA in Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. UCLA has never before played at Cincinnati's home venue.
LAST TIME OUT
UCLA dropped a 74-72 decision to Belmont last Saturday afternoon in Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Kris Wilkes scored 19 of his team-high 20 points in the first half. UCLA led Belmont at halftime 43-40 and pushed its lead to as many as 12 points (57-45) with 15 minutes to play in the second half. Belmont used an 11-2 scoring run to trim UCLA's cushion to 59-56 at the 9:42 mark. Both teams traded the lead in the game's final three minutes, before UCLA's Jaylen Hands nailed a 3-pointer with 33 seconds to go in the game, putting UCLA ahead 72-71. Belmont answered with a layup off a back-cut by Kevin McClain with 2.3 seconds to go, securing a 73-72 lead, and successfully denied UCLA's last offensive possession.
SCORING IN DOUBLE FIGURES
Sophomore guard Kris Wilkes has scored in double figures in all 10 games for UCLA this season. The 6-foot-8 guard from Indianapolis, Ind., tallied 20 points in a loss to Belmont last Saturday, marking the third time this season in which he has scored at least 20 points. Wilkes tallied a career-high 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in UCLA's season-opening win against Purdue Fort Wayne (96-71) on Nov. 6. Wilkes has become the sixth player at UCLA in the last six seasons to have opened the team's first 10 games by scoring in double figures in each contest. Two seasons ago, then-freshman TJ Leaf scored in double figures in each of the team's first 21 games (2016-17 season).
DISTRIBUTION
Sophomore guard Jaylen Hands leads all Pac-12 players in total assists (68) and assists per game (6.8), through games played Sunday, Dec. 16. Hands has averaged 12.5 points and 3.8 rebounds per game, starting all 10 contests for UCLA. Over the team's last five games, he has recorded 48 assists and 15 turnovers (which equals a 3.2-to-1 assist-turnover ratio). After he tied his career high with 11 assists in the win over Notre Dame (Dec. 8), Hands became UCLA's first player to have ever recorded at least 10 assists in three consecutive games (UCLA began to regularly record assists in 1973-74). Hands had 11 assists against Hawai'i (Nov. 28), 10 against Loyola Marymount (Dec. 2) and 11 versus Notre Dame (Dec. 8).
TOPS IN THE NATION
In addition to leading the Pac-12 in assists per game, Jaylen Hands ranked No. 14 in the country in that category (6.8 apg), through games played Saturday, Dec. 15. Hands ranked No. 18, nationally, in total assists.
THAT'S A RARE FEAT
Jaylen Hands became the first Pac-12 player to record at least 10 assists in three straight games since USC's Brandon Granville in March 2000. Granville also accomplished that feat in January 2000 and November 1999. Two other players in the country have accomplished that feat this season (Kai Toews of UNC Wilmington, Cody Martin of Nevada).
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CRASHING THE BOARDS
UCLA entered the week ranking No. 1 in the Pac-12 in rebounding offense (44.7 rpg) and was No. 3 in the league in rebounding margin (+7.1), behind Arizona State (+11.6) and Colorado (+10.6). The Bruins ranked No. 5 in the nation, through Saturday, Dec. 15, in total rebounds per game (44.7) and were No. 30 in rebounding margin. Freshman Moses Brown (11.8 ppg, 9.7 rpg) ranks second in the league in rebounds per game, while redshirt freshman Jalen Hill (3.4 ppg, 6.9 rpg) ranks No. 11 in that category. Brown ranks second in field goal percentage (66.7%) and third in blocks (2.6 bpg).
STANDING TALL
UCLA's 17-person roster includes eight players who measure at least 6-foot-8. Freshman Moses Brown (7-foot-1, 245 pounds) is the Bruins' tallest player since the late Mike Lanier (7-foot-7, 310 pounds) competed as a reserve center for UCLA in 1991-92 and 1992-93. UCLA redshirt junior Alex Olesinski and redshirt freshman Jalen Hill both stand at 6-feet-10, while freshmen Shareef O'Neal and Kenneth Nwuba, sophomore Chris Smith and redshirt freshman Cody Riley all stand at 6-foot-9. Sophomore guard Kris Wilkes rounds out the eight-person group at 6-foot-8.
NEWS AND NOTES
- Kris Wilkes has scored in double figures in all 10 games for UCLA this season. He leads all current UCLA players in most career points (626), career field goals made (225), career three-pointers made (75) and career free throws made (101).
- Kris Wilkes' game-winning shot against Notre Dame (Dec. 8) was UCLA's first near-buzzer-beater to win a game since Jan. 7, 2016, when Bryce Alford made a 3-pointer to put UCLA ahead of No. 7 Arizona, 87-84, with 1.8 seconds remaining.
- Earlier this month, Jaylen Hands became the first UCLA player with multiple games of at least 10 assists in the same season since Lonzo Ball finished his freshman year (2016-17) with seven games of at least 10 assists.
- Chris Smith and Jalen Hill have each grabbed at least 10 rebounds off the bench in a game this year. Smith had 10 rebounds versus LMU on Dec. 2, while Hill finished with a game-high 11 rebounds in a win versus Notre Dame (Dec. 8).
- Prince Ali is the oldest player on UCLA's roster (currently a redshirt junior) and has played in 72 career games, the highest career total of any current Bruin. Ali leads all current UCLA players in career minutes played (1,357).
- Prince Ali made a career-high five three-pointers (on six attempts), totaling a career-high 23 points, in the team's victory over Hawai'i (Nov. 28). Ali was a perfect 4-for-4 from three-point range before the 16:00 mark in the first half that night.
- Moses Brown became UCLA's first player with at least 19 points and 17 rebounds in his collegiate debut since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then Lew Alcindor) tallied a then-school-record 56 points and grabbed 21 rebounds on Dec. 3, 1966.
- Moses Brown had eight blocks in the team's win against Saint Francis U (Nov. 16). Since the school began to officially record blocks in 1978-79, only three other players at UCLA have recorded at least eight blocks in one game.
- Jalen Hill tallied a season-best 20 rebounds in the team's victory over Presbyterian (Nov. 19). That marked the highest single-game rebound total by a Bruin since Kevin Love had 21 rebounds at Oregon State on Jan. 26, 2008.
- The Bruins finished with a season-best 25 free throws made (on 33 attempts) against LMU on Dec. 2. That marked the team's best free throw total since sinking 25 free throws (on 32 attempts) against California last season (Jan. 25, 2018).
- UCLA has made a season-high 10 three-pointers in two games – against North Carolina in Las Vegas (Nov. 23) and at home against Hawai'i (Nov. 28). The Bruins shot a season-best 50.0 percent in the win over Hawai'i (10-for-20).
- Presbyterian attempted 45 three-pointers in UCLA's 80-65 victory (Nov. 19). That marked the highest total ever attempted against UCLA since the NCAA adopted the three-point line (prior to 1986-87). Presbyterian made 13 of 45 attempts.
STREAKING
UCLA has made at least one 3-pointer played in its last 632 games. That 3-point streak began after the Bruins went 0-for-14 from 3-point territory in a 78-63 loss at No. 2-ranked Stanford on Feb. 3, 2000 (Maples Pavilion). UCLA has made at least three 3-pointers in 179 of 184 games under sixth-year head coach Steve Alford. The Bruins made a school single-game-record 19 three-pointers (on 31 attempts) at Colorado on Jan. 12, 2017 (UCLA won that game, 104-89).
