UCLA
Iowa
Men's Basketball Prepares to Face Iowa on Friday
January 15, 2025 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES – The UCLA men's basketball team will host Iowa on Friday evening, with game time set for 6 p.m. (PT) inside Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. The Bruins (11-6, 2-4 Big Ten) look to snap a four-game losing streak after having gone 5-1 in six games during the month of December. This Friday night's game versus Iowa (12-5, 3-3 Big Ten) will be nationally televised on FS1, with Guy Haberman and Don MacLean on the call.
GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom
Capacity: 13,800
Tipoff Time: 6:07 p.m. (PT)
TV Network: FS1
TV Talent: Guy Haberman (play-by-play), Don MacLean (analyst)
Radio (UCLA Audio Network): AM 570
Radio Talent: Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Tracy Murray (analyst)
SIRIUS XM: Channels 84, and on the SXM App
UCLA'S TICKET INFORMATION (HOME GAMES)
Single-game tickets for UCLA's eight remaining home games are on sale. Fans can secure tickets to each of the Bruins' remaining home conference games in UCLA's historic, inaugural year in the Big Ten. The Bruins are back in action this Friday evening (6 p.m., PT), inside historic Pauley Pavilion. Additional home matchups in Big Ten play will include Wisconsin (Tuesday, Jan. 21), Oregon (Thursday, Jan. 30), Michigan State (Tuesday, Feb. 4), Penn State (Saturday, Feb. 8), Minnesota (Tuesday, Feb. 18), Ohio State (Sunday, Feb. 23) and USC (Saturday, March 8) in the season finale for both schools.
Complete ticket information about UCLA men's basketball is available 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, be sure to check out all of the game themes and upcoming promotions for the Bruins' 2024-25 season.
PARKING AT UCLA
Fans are encouraged to purchase parking for UCLA's home games in advance with the Bruin ePermit Portal. The university's ePermit Portal allows basketball fans to purchase and manage a parking permit in advance of a sporting event at UCLA. Fans can also use "Parkmobile" to pay for parking using a smartphone. Individuals can create an account with Parkmobile by downloading and installing the mobile app or by visiting this Parkmobile website. Details regarding Parkmobile can be accessed here. Visitor parking rates at UCLA can be viewed here.
CATCHING UP ON THE BRUINS
– The Bruins are looking to snap a four-game losing streak, with a home game this Friday evening against Iowa.
– This marks the 106th basketball season at UCLA and the sixth year with head coach Mick Cronin at the helm.
– UCLA went 5-1 in the month of December but has dropped its past four games, all in the month of January.
– The Bruins have gone 59-3 since the start of the 2019-20 season when holding the opposition to fewer than 60 points.
– This season, UCLA has gone 8-0 when holding the opposing team to 65 or fewer points.
– Junior Tyler Bilodeau has averaged 14.4 points and 5.1 rebounds in 17 games, shooting 48.9 percent from the field.
– Sophomore Eric Dailey Jr. ranks second on the team in scoring (11.4 ppg) and third in rebounding (4.4 rpg).
– Through games played Tuesday, Jan. 14, UCLA ranked No. 18 in the nation in scoring defense (63.4 ppg).
– Through Tuesday, Jan. 14, UCLA ranked No. 6 in the nation in turnovers forced per game (17.12).
– Through Tuesday, Jan. 14, the Bruins were No. 10, nationally, in turnover margin (+5.4).
– UCLA has limited the opposition to 65 points or fewer in eight of 17 games this season.
– Kobe Johnson (34 steals, 2.0 spg) ranked fifth in the Big Ten in steals per game (through Tuesday, Jan. 14).
– The Bruins will play five of their next seven games at home after having played two home games since early December.
– UCLA's program added nine incoming players this season – six transfer students and three freshmen.
– As head coach, Mick Cronin has led UCLA to an 126-59 record, now in his sixth season with the Bruins.
MOST RECENTLY
– UCLA has dropped four consecutive games for the first time since absorbing a five-game losing streak late last season. The Bruins most recently lost at Maryland (79-61) last Friday and at Rutgers (75-68) on Monday evening.
– The Bruins have shot 40.1 percent overall and 27.5 percent from 3-point distance through the last five games, going 1-4 in that stretch. UCLA shot 43.0 percent from beyond the 3-point arc in six December contests (55-for-128).
– UCLA has surrendered an average of 75.2 points in the last five contests. Maryland shot 54.0 percent from the field last Friday evening, and Rutgers shot 46.2 percent on Monday night in Piscataway, N.J..
– Through the Bruins' last five games, Eric Dailey Jr. has averaged 13.8 points and 4.0 rebounds, while Tyler Bilodeau has averaged 12.6 points and 4.8 rebounds. Kobe Johnson has shot 51.6 from the field, averaging 10.4 points per contest.
– UCLA has gone 0-4 in the month of January after having compiled a 5-1 record through six games in December. The Bruins defeated Oregon on Dec. 8, Arizona on Dec. 14 and Gonzaga on Dec. 28, heading into the 2025 calendar year.
UCLA SET TO HOST IOWA
Having played five of its last seven games away from home, UCLA will return to Pauley Pavilion to host Iowa on Friday, Jan. 17. Game time is scheduled for 6 p.m. (PT). The Bruins have faced off against Iowa in eight prior meetings (going 3-5 against the Hawkeyes). Most recently, Iowa recorded an 88-71 win over UCLA at Carver Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. UCLA's Don MacLean scored 18 points and Tracy Murray totaled 15 points and 11 rebounds in that contest at Iowa. The Hawkeyes have not played at UCLA since Dec. 18, 1982 (the Bruins won that contest, 75-66).
LOOKING AHEAD
With 14 games to play on the regular-season schedule, UCLA will play five of its next seven games at home. All seven of those contests will take place along the West Coast, with the two road contests occurring in the next two weeks at Washington (Jan. 24) and down the freeway at USC (Jan. 27). Following the two road games, UCLA will return back to Pauley Pavilion for a three-game homestand against Oregon, Michigan State and Penn State. The Bruins have two more two-game road trips away from the West Coast (vs. Illinois and Indiana, and vs. Purdue and Northwestern).
DECEMBER SUMMARY
– UCLA outscored Gonzaga by a 14-7 margin over the game's final four minutes and 30 seconds on Saturday, Dec. 28, to secure a 65-62 win against the Bulldogs before a crowd of 12,272 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif.
– Prior to the win over Gonzaga, UCLA scored a season-high 111 points in an 111-75 win over Prairie View A&M in Pauley Pavilion (Dec. 17). That marked the most points in a game under head coach Mick Cronin in six years at UCLA.
– The Bruins erased a 13-point deficit against Arizona on Saturday, Dec. 14, playing in Phoenix at Footprint Center. UCLA used a 21-5 scoring run in the final 11 minutes of the second half to overcome a 49-36 deficit (UCLA won, 57-54).
– Junior guard Dylan Andrews hit a banked-in 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds to play at Oregon on Sunday, Dec. 8, helping UCLA defeat the Ducks, 71-70, at Matthew Knight Arena. UCLA led in that game, 65-58, with four minutes to play.
– UCLA opened the month of December with a 69-58 victory at home against Washington, in the Bruins' first official Big Ten game. The Bruins limited Washington to 3-of-16 shooting from 3-point distance in the victory.
RUTGERS DEFEATS UCLA, 75-68
Rutgers secured a 75-68 win over UCLA on Monday evening, using an 8-0 scoring run in the opening minutes of the second half to erase a 33-30 halftime deficit. UCLA's Sebastian Mack and Eric Dailey Jr. each scored 16 points in the Big Ten loss. Rutgers' freshman Ace Bailey registered a team-leading 20 points and had 10 rebounds. UCLA trailed Rutgers by nine points with 5:48 to play and later, with 5:14 remaining. The Bruins cut the deficit down to 63-62 with 2:07 to play, but UCLA was unable to tie the game or take the lead. Rutgers shot 46.2 percent from the field against UCLA (24-for-52).
ON DECK, UCLA VERSUS WISCONSIN
The Bruins have gone 5-2 in the all-time series with Wisconsin. UCLA last faced Wisconsin on Nov. 21, 2017, competing in Kansas City, Mo., as part of the Hall of Fame Classic. Aaron Holiday made the game-winning layup with 0.9 seconds left in regulation to list the Bruins past Wisconsin, 72-70. Prior to that game, UCLA had not played against Wisconsin since early in the 1995-96 season (Nov. 21, 1995), with UCLA securing a 68-57 win over the Badgers at the Maui Invitational. The two schools first faced each other on Dec. 23, 1948, with UCLA losing to Wisconsin, 49-46 (in Los Angeles).
TALENTED TYLER
Junior Tyler Bilodeau has averaged a team-leading 14.4 points per game and ranks second on the team in rebounding (5.1 rpg). Bilodeau has scored in double figures in 12 of 17 games, having reached the 20-point plateau in three contests. Last month in New York City, he totaled a career-high-tying 26 points in a loss to North Carolina. He has shot 48.9 percent from the field and 38.8 percent from 3-point distance, knocking down at least four 3-pointers in two games. He shot 5-for-6 from long-range in the Bruins' 76-74 loss to North Carolina at Madison Square Garden (Dec. 21). Bilodeau, a 6-foot-9 forward from Kennewick, Wash., spent his first two collegiate seasons playing for Oregon State.
NATIONAL NUMBERS
Through games played on Tuesday, Jan. 14, UCLA ranked No. 18 in the nation in scoring defense (63.4 ppg), No. 5 in turnovers forced per game (17.1) and No. 10 in turnover margin (+5.4). In addition, the Bruins have ranked No. 55 in the nation in scoring margin (11.2 points per game). Looking at shooting percentages, the opposition has shot 42.1 percent against UCLA (No. 115, nationally) and 31.7 percent from 3-point range (No. 126, nationally). The latest national metrics on KenPom.com have listed UCLA at No. 13 in the nation in defensive efficiency and No. 90 in offensive efficiency. Kobe Johnson, averaging 2.0 steals per game, ranks No. 55 in the country in that statistical category.
SKYY'S THE LIMIT
Junior guard Skyy Clark has recorded an assist-turnover ratio of 2.1 through 17 games (totaling 44 assists, 21 turnovers). Clark joined the Bruins' program in the summer of 2024 after having averaged a team-leading 13.2 points per game as a sophomore at Louisville last season. He enters this Friday's home game with the team's second-highest assist total (44) behind Kobe Johnson (54). He registered 11 points, a career-best nine rebounds and a career-high-tying seven assists in a 65-62 win against Gonzaga. Clark scored a season-best 15 points in a comeback win over Arizona on Saturday, Dec. 14.
TOP DEFENDER
Senior guard Kobe Johnson has totaled 190 steals in 108 career games (1.76 spg). He enters Friday's game with a team-best 34 steals (Skyy Clark has totaled 23), having registered 2.0 steals per game in 17 contests as a senior. Johnson had six steals in a win over Cal State Fullerton (Nov. 22), the third time in his career he has logged six in a game. Hailing from Milwaukee, Wis., Johnson earned Pac-12 All-Defensive Team honors the past two seasons at USC. Over the previous two seasons (64 games), he averaged 10.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.2 steals per contest while at USC.
NOTES ON PAULEY PAVILION
The Bruins have gone 8-1 in Pauley Pavilion this season, now in their 59th campaign playing in the longtime UCLA basketball venue. Pauley Pavilion opened for the 1965-66 season. The first game in Pauley Pavilion 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 during the 2011-12 season at the Los Angeles Sports Arena (14 games) near downtown L.A. and at the Honda Center in Anaheim (four games) before returning to Pauley Pavilion in Nov. 2012. This marks the 13th year in the "new" configuration of Pauley Pavilion.
Last year, 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. 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 72-14 record in 86 home games (83.7% win percentage).
MINUTES DISTRIBUTION
Now slightly past the halfway mark in the Bruins' season (after 17 games), no players on UCLA's roster have averaged more than 29 minutes per game, as senior Tyler Bilodeau has led the team in minutes (averaging 28.3 mpg). Since UCLA began recording minutes in 1978-79, the Bruins have always had at least one player average 30.0 or more minutes per game (by the end of the year). In 2019-20, then-freshman guard Tyger Campbell finished the year as the Bruins' leader in minutes per game, at exactly 30.0 mpg. This year's team has nine players who have averaged at least 10.0 minutes per contest.
