UCLA
Stanford
Men's Basketball to Play at Stanford on Wednesday Night
February 05, 2024 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES โ UCLA will play four of its remaining nine regular-season contests away from home, including this week's matchups at Stanford on Wednesday (6 p.m.) and at California on Saturday (2:30 p.m.). The Bruins will be back in action this Wednesday evening, taking on Stanford at Maples Pavilion in a Pac-12 contest. Game time is 6 p.m. The Bruins' contest against Stanford will be televised by the Pac-12 Network.
Stanford defeated UCLA, 59-53, when the two programs faced off nearly one month ago in Pauley Pavilion (Wednesday, Jan. 3). The Bruins led by a 30-26 margin at halftime after having claimed an early 10-0 advantage. Stanford took the lead in the second half and pushed its advantage to as many as 11 points in the game's final minute. Sebastian Mack led the Bruins with 14 points in that game in Los Angeles.
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GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Maples Pavilion
Capacity: 7,322
Tipoff Time: 6:02 p.m. (PT)
Television: Pac-12 Network
TV Talent: Roxy Bernstein (play-by-play), Don MacLean (analyst)
Radio Broadcast (UCLA Sports Network): AM 1150
Radio Talent: Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Tracy Murray (analyst)
SIRIUS XM: SiriusXM 373 and on the SXM App
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LAST SATURDAY'S WIN
Dylan Andrews scored a team-leading 21 points (9-of-16 shooting) as UCLA outlasted Oregon by a 71-63 margin last Saturday. The Bruins pick up their fifth victory in their last six games after having opened Pac-12 play with a 1-4 mark. UCLA led Oregon by a 23-5 tally early in the first half, but the visiting Ducks raced back and led UCLA at the intermission by one point (34-33). The Bruins' game versus Oregon featured six lead changes and eight ties. Leading 62-61 with 4:25 to play, UCLA outscored Oregon by a 9-2 margin the rest of the way to secure the Pac-12 victory in Pauley Pavilion.
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REBOUNDING ADVANTAGE
UCLA has out-rebounded its opposition in four of the last five games, averaging 6.0 more rebounds per game than the opponent (five-game span). The Bruins out-rebounded USC by a 43-29 margin in UCLA's 65-50 win at the Galen Center on Saturday, Jan. 27. In addition, UCLA has taken more shots than its opponent in five of the last six games.
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PAC-12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Dylan Andrews was honored as the Pac-12 Player of the Week on Monday for the first time in his career. Andrews, a 6-foot-2 sophomore from Gardena, Calif., averaged 19.5 points and 5.0 assists in the Bruins' two victories last week. He shot 5-for-6 from beyond the 3-point arc and was a perfect 4-for-4 at the free throw line. Andrews scored 18 points and had four rebounds in last Thursday night's win against Oregon State. Two days later, he totaled a team-leading 21 points and had seven assists as the Bruins outlasted Oregon, 71-63. Andrews shot 15-for-28 in two wins last week (53.6 percent).
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LAZAR IN THE LAST SIX GAMES
Lazar Stefanovic has averaged 11.0 points per game in 22 contests this season, but he has averaged 16.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists in the team's last six games. Stefanovic has shot 42.4 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from 3-point distance in UCLA's past six contests. He ranks second among all Pac-12 players in free throw percentage (87.5%) and has made 27 of 29 free throws in UCLA's last six contests (93.1%). He registered his first collegiate double-double (15 points, 10 rebounds) last Saturday night in the Bruins' 71-63 win against Oregon in Pauley Pavilion.
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MINUTES PER GAME
Lazar Stefanovic entered the week ranking No. 3 in the Pac-12 in minutes played per game (35.0 mpg). He played in all 40 minutes during the Bruins' 71-63 win against Oregon State on Thursday, Feb. 1. Dylan Andrews has averaged 34.7 minutes per game, which ranks No. 5 among all Pac-12 players.
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65 OR FEWER POINTS
The Bruins have held their opposition to 65 points or fewer in 13 of 22 contests this season, posting a 10-3 record in those games. UCLA has surrendered a Pac-12-leading 63.8 points per game this season (65.5 points per game in 11 Pac-12 games). Last season, the Bruins limited the opposition to 65 points or fewer in 27 of their 37 total games, compiling a 25-2 record in those contests. UCLA has allowed 50 points or fewer in four games this season โ versus Saint Francis, Lafayette and Chaminade in non-conference games in November, and at crosstown rival USC on Saturday, Jan. 27.
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SCORING DEFENSE
Through games played on Sunday, Feb. 4, the Bruins ranked No. 14 in the country and first in the Pac-12 in fewest points allowed per game (63.8 ppg, through 22 games). UCLA's field goal percentage defense ranked No. 39, nationally, and second in the Pac-12 (40.6%). Under fifth-year head coach Mick Cronin, UCLA's scoring defense ranked No. 41 in the nation in 2021-22 (at 64.5 ppg) and No. 7 in the country last season (at 60.7 ppg). The Bruins have allowed fewer than 70 points in 47 of their last 57 games, going 40-7 in those 47 contests since the start of the 2022-23 season.
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BRUINS' YOUTH MOVEMENT
UCLA's 15-man roster includes seven true freshmen, one redshirt freshman (Jack Seidler), three true sophomores and one redshirt sophomore (Will McClendon). In all, the Bruins have 12 players in their first or second seasons on the court. In addition, the Bruins have three true freshmen who will not turn 19 years old until later this year (Aday Mara, Ilane Fibleuil and Brandon Williams). The Bruins' program added eight new faces last summer, including seven true freshmen and one transfer, junior Lazar Stefanovic (from Belgrade, Serbia, who transferred to UCLA from the University of Utah).
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FROM LONG DISTANCE
Sophomore Will McClendon has shot a team-leading 40.7 percent from 3-point distance (22-for-54) through 22 games. The 6-foot-3 guard from Las Vegas, Nev., has averaged 4.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists this season. McClendon missed UCLA's 2021-22 season recovering from a torn ACL (right knee). In total, 66.7 percent of McClendon's scoring this year has come from beyond the 3-point arc. After opening the year 5 of 15 from 3-point range (33.3%), he has shot 45.9 percent from long distance in UCLA's past 17 games (17-for-37).
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3-POINTERS, AS A TEAM
UCLA has shot 31.7 percent from 3-point range. The 2019-20 team shot 32.3 percent, the lowest single-season 3-point percentage by any UCLA team (NCAA adopted the 3-point arc in 1986-87). UCLA is averaging 5.0 made threes per game, the lowest per-game average since 2003-04 (4.5 per game). In addition, the 15.8 attempts per game are the fewest since 2012-13 (14.7 per game). Last season, UCLA averaged 6.1 made threes per game and took 17.6 attempts per game.
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UCLA'S LEADING SCORER
Sebastian Mack has averaged a team-leading 13.1 points per game, along with 3.8 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game. The 6-foot-3 freshman guard from Chicago, Ill., has twice secured Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors. He ranks third among all Pac-12 players in most free throws made (97-for-128), heading into this week's Pac-12 contests. In addition, Mack ranked No. 6 in the Pac-12 in steals per game (1.6 spg). He has scored in double figures in 14 games during his freshman season and recorded a team-leading 21 points in a 77-71 loss at No. 12 Arizona on Saturday, Jan. 20.
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HOME CONTESTS
The Bruins have gone 7-4 in 11 home contests this season, shooting 42.8 percent from the field and 31.4 percent from beyond the 3-point arc. Sebastian Mack has averaged 14.1 points and 3.1 rebounds in 11 home contests. Adem Bona has shot 65.1 percent from the field at home, with averages of 13.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. UCLA has limited the opposition to 40.4 percent shooting from the field in 11 home games (and 31.2 percent from beyond the 3-point line). In addition, the Bruins are averaging 67.6 points per game at home, while limiting the opposition to 61.3 points per contest.
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NOTES ON PAULEY PAVILION
โ This marks the 58th season in which UCLA has played in Pauley Pavilion. The arena opened in time for the 1965-66 basketball campaign. The first game in Pauley Pavilion took place on Dec. 3, 1965, as No. 1 UCLA took down Ohio State (92-66). UCLA spent 47 seasons in Pauley before the venue was closed for an 18-month renovation. UCLA hosted 18 home games in 2011-12 at the Los Angeles Sports Arena (14 games) and the Honda Center in Anaheim (four games).
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โ CSUN snapped UCLA's 29-home-game winning streak earlier this season (CSUN won, 76-72, on Dec. 19, 2023). Prior to that loss, UCLA had not lost at home since Jan. 13, 2022 (an 84-81 overtime loss to Oregon). 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 62-10 record in 72 home games (86.1% win percentage).
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โ The Bruins' 29-game home winning streak had marked the longest such streak at UCLA since registering a program-record 98-game home winning streak in the 1970s. The Bruins won 98 straight home games from Dec. 4, 1970, through Feb. 19, 1976. UCLA had a 25-game winning streak in 2006 and 2007 and won 23 consecutive games from Feb. 1994 through Jan. 1996 (includes one game that California later forfeited).
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RECENT HISTORY
The Bruins have advanced to the NCAA Tournament in each of the past three seasons. UCLA secured its 19th NCAA Final Four appearance in 2021, earning a No. 11-seed in the 68-team field and advancing from the First Four to the Final Four. Along the way, the Bruins registered victories over Michigan State, BYU, Abilene Christian, Alabama and Michigan. In 2022 and 2023, UCLA won its first and second-round matchups before losing in the Sweet 16. In all, UCLA's program has advanced to the NCAA Tournament 52 times and has won a nation-leading 11 NCAA championships.
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MISCELLANEOUS NOTES ON UCLA
โ UCLA's bench has outscored the opposition's bench in 13 of 22 games this season (UCLA has gone 9-4 in those 13 contests) ... the Bruins' bench combined for 22 points in a 68-66 victory at Arizona State on Wednesday, Jan. 17.
โ The Bruins have played games along the East Coast in three consecutive seasons (at Philadelphia, to face Villanova earlier this year) ... at Maryland and in New York City last season, and in Philadelphia for the NCAA Tournament in March 2022.
โ The Bruins have outrebounded the opposition in 15 of 22 games (9-6 record in those 15 contests) ... UCLA recorded a season-high 55 rebounds (including 17 offensive boards) in a win over Chaminade in Honolulu on Tuesday, Nov. 21.
โ Prior to this season, UCLA had registered a 46-13 record in Pac-12 play the previous three years ... last year, UCLA went 18-2 in Pac-12 play, earning its first regular-season conference title since 2013 (under then-head coach Ben Howland).
โ The Bruins have won 37 of their last 41 home Pac-12 contests, with the losses taking place against USC (March 2021), Oregon in overtime (Jan. 2022), Stanford (Jan. 2023) and California (Jan. 2023).
โ Maryland's Jahmir Young registered 37 points against UCLA on Dec. 22, 2023, becoming the first player to score at least 37 points in a game against UCLA since De'Aaron Fox totaled 39 for Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament (March 24, 2017).
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STANDING TALL
UCLA's 15-man roster includes five players who stand at least 6-foot-9-inches tall. Freshman center Aday Mara, from Zaragoza, Spain, stands at 7 feet and 3 inches. During the Bruins' 2018-19 season, then-freshman Moses Brown measured at 7-foot-1 (Brown now plays for the Portland Trail Blazers). Mara becomes the Bruins' tallest player since the late Mike Lanier (7-foot-7, 310 pounds) competed as a reserve center for the Bruins in 1991-92 and 1992-93. Adem Bona, Kenneth Nwuba and Devin Williams are all 6-foot-10, while Berke Buyuktuncel is 6-foot-9.
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