UCLA
Illinois
Men's Basketball Prepares to Play at Illinois
February 10, 2025 | Men's Basketball
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Bruins will play at Illinois on Tuesday evening at State Farm Center. Game time is set for 5 p.m. PT (7 p.m., CT, in Illinois). UCLA has won seven consecutive games, including a 78-54 win over Penn State in Pauley Pavilion last Saturday afternoon. UCLA improved its overall mark to 18-6 this season (and 9-4 in the Big Ten Conference). In addition to a contest at Illinois on Tuesday, the Bruins will play at Indiana on Friday, Feb. 14.
UCLA's basketball game on Tuesday will air live on Peacock, a streaming service offered by NBCUniversal (more information here).
GAME INFORMATION
Venue: State Farm Center (Champaign, Ill.)
Capacity: 15,500
Tipoff Time: 5:02 p.m. PT (7:02 p.m. CT)
Television: Peacock
TV Talent: Jac Collinsworth (play-by-play), Stephen Bardo (analyst)
Radio (UCLA Audio Network): AM 570
Radio Talent: Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Tracy Murray (analyst)
SIRIUS XM: Channel 389 and on the SXM App
UCLA'S TICKET INFORMATION (HOME GAMES)
Single-game tickets for UCLA's three remaining home games are on sale. Fans can secure tickets to the Bruins' remaining home conference games in UCLA's inaugural year in the Big Ten. The Bruins are back in action at home next week Tuesday evening (Feb. 18, vs. Minnesota).
Additional home matchups in Big Ten play include Ohio State (Sunday, Feb. 23) and USC (Saturday, March 8). UCLA's game against USC will begin at either 3 p.m. or 5 p.m. (PT).
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 UCLA's remaining home games.
CATCHING UP ON THE BRUINS
– The Bruins have won seven consecutive games after having lost four straight contests in early January.
– UCLA has gone 6-1 in games decided by five points or fewer, including a recent 63-61 win against Michigan State.
– This marks the 106th basketball season at UCLA and the sixth year with head coach Mick Cronin at the helm.
– UCLA head coach Mick Cronin has won 498 career games, standing just two shy of the 500-career win milestone.
– UCLA went 5-4 in the month of January after compiling a 5-1 record through December.
– The Bruins have gone 61-3 since the start of the 2019-20 season when holding the opposition to fewer than 60 points.
– This season, UCLA has posted a perfect 12-0 mark when holding the opposing team to 65 or fewer points.
– Junior Tyler Bilodeau has averaged 13.8 points and 4.5 rebounds in 23 games, shooting 50.2 percent from the field.
– Sophomore Eric Dailey Jr. ranks second on the team in scoring (12.0 ppg) and third in rebounding (4.2 rpg).
– Through games played Monday, Feb. 10, UCLA ranked No. 18 in the nation in scoring defense (63.9 ppg).
– Through Monday, Feb. 10, UCLA ranked No. 10 in the nation in turnovers forced per game (16.25).
– Through Monday, Feb. 10, the Bruins were No. 5, nationally, in turnover margin (+5.6).
– UCLA has limited the opposition to 65 points or fewer in 12 of 24 games this season.
– Kobe Johnson (45 steals, 1.9 spg) ranked fourth in the Big Ten in steals per game (through Monday, Feb. 10).
– 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 133-59 record, now in his sixth season with the Bruins.
BACK ON THE ROAD
The Bruins return to the court at Illinois on Tuesday, Feb. 11. This will mark UCLA's first game at Illinois since Dec. 21, 1996, when the Bruins and the Fighting Illini had played a home-and-home series over consecutive seasons. UCLA has registered an all-time record of 6-4 against Illinois. Most recently, Illinois defeated the Bruins (79-70) at the Continental Tire Main Event in Las Vegas on Nov. 18, 2022. UCLA will continue its road trip in the Midwest this Friday evening, playing at Indiana. The Bruins' game at Assembly Hall will mark their first contest in Bloomington since Dec. 29, 1956.
BRUINS WIN TWO GAMES LAST WEEK
– Senior Kobe Johnson had his first career double-double (15 points, 13 rebounds) and junior Skyy Clark and sophomore Sebastian Mack each scored 14 points as the Bruins cruised past Penn State, 78-54, on Saturday, in the second of two contests last week.
– In a game that featured eight lead changes, UCLA outlasted Michigan State, 63-61, last Tuesday evening. Sophomore Eric Dailey Jr. hit a mid-range bank shot with 7.5 seconds to play, snapping a 61-61 deadlock with the Spartans.
– UCLA led Michigan State at halftime, 35-28, and by as many as 11 points early in the second half. Skyy Clark scored a team-leading 14 points against the Spartans and Tyler Bilodeau added 13 points.
– UCLA's win over No. 9-ranked Michigan State last Tuesday evening in Pauley Pavilion marked the Bruins' first win over an AP top 10-ranked team since March 4, 2023, when No. 4-ranked UCLA defeated No. 8-ranked Arizona, 82-73.
PODCAST: BEHIND THE BRUINS
Fans can hear from each of the personalities in UCLA's program this season with the "Behind the Bruins" podcast (link here), which launched at the start of the basketball season. In conjunction with JMI Sports and the Men of Westwood, the Behind the Bruins podcast will feature interviews with each of UCLA's student-athletes and coaches. The most recent editions, from late January and early February, include conversations between Josh Lewin (UCLA's play-by-play radio voice) and Tyler Bilodeau, Kobe Johnson and Eric Freeny.
NOTES ON THE SEASON
– UCLA has averaged 77.9 points over the past seven games, shooting 49.3 percent overall and 35.9 percent from 3-point range in the seven-game span. Six UCLA players through those seven games have averaged at least 9.0 points per game.
– Tyler Bilodeau has shot 54.9 percent and Eric Dailey Jr. has shot 54.8 percent in UCLA's past seven contests. Through the team's seven-game winning streak, Bilodeau has nailed 6 of 13 attempts from 3-point distance (46.2%).
– UCLA's 26-point win over Oregon on Jan. 30 marked the Bruins' largest victory margin in any conference game since a 35-point victory at home against California on Feb. 18, 2023 (UCLA won against California, 78-43).
– The Bruins' 94 points scored in the 94-70 win over Iowa (Jan. 17) marked the most points in a conference game by any UCLA team since the Bruins won at Oregon State, 94-55, on Feb. 26, 2023.
– UCLA shot 62.1 percent in the victory over Iowa, marking the Bruins' best single-game percentage since the start of the 2019-20 season (under head coach Mick Cronin). UCLA shot 61.7 percent in a win over Oregon State on Jan. 15, 2022.
– UCLA has forced at least 10 turnovers by the opposition in all 23 games this season. Rutgers had 10 turnovers in the Bruins' 75-68 loss on the road on Jan. 13 and USC had 10 turnovers in UCLA's 82-76 road win on Jan. 27.
– The Bruins held Oregon to a season-low 52 points in UCLA's 78-52 win inside Pauley Pavilion on Thursday, Jan. 30. Previously, Oregon had scored 58 points in a 65-58 loss at Purdue on Jan. 18, 2025.
– UCLA limited Gonzaga to a season-low 62 points in the Bruins' 65-62 win at Intuit Dome (Inglewood, Calif.) on Saturday, Dec. 28. Gonzaga has averaged 87.2 points per game, the second-highest scoring average in the nation (through Feb. 10).
– 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).
LOOKING AHEAD
UCLA has three remaining home games and four road games left on the regular-season schedule. The Bruins just closed a seven-game stretch along the West Coast (with six of those in Los Angeles). Beyond this week's games at Illinois (Tuesday night) and at Indiana (Friday night), UCLA will host Minnesota on Tuesday, Feb. 18, and Ohio State on Sunday, Feb. 23. UCLA's final three regular-season games are scheduled at Purdue, at Northwestern and at home versus USC.
TALENTED TYLER
Junior Tyler Bilodeau has averaged a team-leading 13.8 points per game and ranks second on the team in rebounding (4.5 rpg). Bilodeau has scored in double figures in 17 of 23 games, having reached the 20-point plateau in three contests. He has shot 50.2 percent from the field and a team-leading 40.3 percent from beyond the 3-point arc. In a loss to North Carolina on Dec. 21, 2024, Bilodeau totaled a career-high-tying 26 points at Madison Square Garden. He shot 5-for-6 from long-range in the Bruins' 76-74 loss to the Tar Heels. Bilodeau, a 6-foot-9 forward from Kennewick, Wash., spent his first two collegiate seasons playing for Oregon State. He averaged 10.7 points per game in 64 contests at Oregon State.
STANDING TALL
Sophomore Aday Mara, who stands at 7-foot-3, has averaged 10.7 points and 5.3 rebounds over the Bruins' last six games. Mara has shot 56.5 percent from the field in those games, making 26 of 46 shots. He has totaled 18 blocks over the past six games, averaging 3.0 blocks per game (22.1 minutes per game). Mara logged a career-best 30 minutes in a 65-60 win at Washington (Friday, Jan. 24), totaling 12 points, seven rebounds and five blocks. He scored a career-best 22 points in the 85-83 win at home against Wisconsin, scoring 15 points in the second half.
SKYY'S THE LIMIT
Junior guard Skyy Clark has tallied a team-best assist-turnover ratio of 2.6 (with 67 assists, 26 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 the week with UCLA's second-highest assist total (67), behind Kobe Johnson (73). Clark scored a team-leading 14 points, sinking six of seven free throws, in UCLA's 63-61 win at home last Tuesday against No. 9-ranked Michigan State. He has shot 41.9 percent from 3-point range in the Bruins' past seven games (13-for-31).
BRUINS DEFEAT THE DUCKS
UCLA's 78-52 win over No. 16 Oregon on Jan. 30 marked the Bruins' largest victory margin over an AP top 25 team since Dec. 14, 2022, when the Bruins (ranked No. 16) won at No. 20 Maryland, 87-60. The 26-point win over Oregon marked UCLA's largest win margin – with the Bruins unranked – over an AP top 25 team since the 2000 NCAA Tournament (March 18, 2000), when UCLA routed No. 17 Maryland, 105-70. It's also UCLA's largest win margin over an AP top 25 team inside Pauley Pavilion since Feb. 2, 1991, when No. 12 UCLA cruised past No. 19 Pittsburgh, 112-85, at home.
CROSSTOWN RIVALRY
Sophomore Aday Mara recorded his first collegiate double-double on Monday, Jan. 27, totaling 12 points and 11 rebounds as UCLA defeated USC, 82-76, at Galen Center. Mara registered a career-high-tying five blocks for the second straight game. UCLA led by as many as 12 points with under 10 minutes remaining (63-51) before USC reduced the Bruins' advantage to 73-72 in the game's final 1:50. Sebastian Mack (14 points) drilled a deep 3-pointer at the end of the shot clock with 1:07 to play, giving the Bruins a 76-72 cushion. UCLA has won five of its last seven games against USC.
NATIONAL NUMBERS
Through games played on Monday, Feb. 10, the Bruins ranked No. 18 in the country in scoring defense (63.9 ppg), No. 10 in turnovers forced per game (16.3) and No. 5 in turnover margin (+5.6). In addition, the Bruins have ranked No. 25 in the nation in scoring margin (11.7 points per game). Looking at shooting percentages, the opposition has shot 42.4 percent against UCLA (No. 116, nationally) and 31.5 percent from 3-point range (No. 83, nationally). The latest national metrics on KenPom.com have listed UCLA at No. 8 in the nation in defensive efficiency and No. 51 in offensive efficiency.
TOP DEFENDER
Senior guard Kobe Johnson has totaled 201 steals in 115 career games (1.75 spg). He enters the week with a team-best 45 steals (Skyy Clark has 32), having registered 1.9 steals per game in 24 contests as a senior. Johnson had six steals in a win over Cal State Fullerton (Nov. 22, 2024), 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 ILLINOIS, INDIANA
Looking at the Bruins' history versus the Fighting Illini, UCLA lost to Illinois in Las Vegas during the 2022-23 season (Illinois won, 79-70, at T-Mobile Arena on Nov. 18, 2022). UCLA has not played at Illinois since Dec. 21, 1996 (home-and-home series, the Bruins lost at Illinois, 73-69). UCLA last faced Indiana in the second round of the 2007 NCAA Tournament in Sacramento, Calif. (the Bruins defeated Indiana, 54-49). The Bruins have not faced off against Indiana in Bloomington, Ind., since Dec. 29, 1956 (UCLA won, 52-48). UCLA has gone 6-6 in the all-time series against Indiana.
AGAINST ILLINOIS
The Bruins have compiled an all-time record of 6-4 against Illinois. The two programs first faced off during the 1949-50 season (Dec. 23, 1949), as UCLA secured a 65-63 win at Illinois during head coach John Wooden's second year as the Bruins' head coach. More recently, the two schools placed each other in Las Vegas during the 2022-23 season and played a home-and home series during the 1996-97 and 1997-98 seasons.
NOTES ON PAULEY PAVILION
The Bruins have gone 13-1 in Pauley Pavilion this season, now in their 59th campaign playing in the longtime venue. 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). UCLA returned home in Nov. 2012. This marks the the 13th year in the arena's updated configuration.
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 77-14 record in 91 home games (84.6% win percentage).
MINUTES DISTRIBUTION
Now past the halfway mark in the Bruins' season (after 24 games), no players on UCLA's roster have averaged more than 29 minutes per game, as senior Kobe Johnson has led the team in minutes (averaging 28.9 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 10 players who have averaged at least 10.0 minutes per contest.
CONSECUTIVE THREE-POINTERS
UCLA has made at least one 3-pointer in each of its last 54 games. The Bruins went 0-for-6 from long range in a 78-58 win against Long Island University early last season in Pauley Pavilion (on Nov. 15, 2023). That game snapped a streak of 792 consecutive contests with at least one made 3-pointer by UCLA. That 3-point streak began after the Bruins finished 0-for-14 from 3-point distance in a home loss to No. 2 Stanford (78-63) on Feb. 3, 2000. The Bruins' single-game 3-point record stands at 19 made 3-pointers (going 19-for-31) in an 104-89 win at Colorado on Jan. 12, 2017.
ROAD WARRIORS
Since the start of the 2021-22 season, UCLA has compiled a 39-28 record in 67 games played away from home (58.2 win percentage). Over the previous two seasons, UCLA went 21-16 in games played away from home (14-6 in 2022-23, 7-10 in 2023-24). Earlier this season, the Bruins earned a 73-71 win at No. 12 Oregon on Dec. 8. That marked UCLA's first win on the road against a top-20-ranked program since an 87-60 win at No. 20-ranked Maryland on Dec. 14, 2022.
TURNOVER MARGIN
Through Monday, Feb. 10, the Bruins ranked No. 5 in the nation in turnover margin (+5.6), having committed 255 turnovers and forced 390 turnovers by the opposition. Looking back at recent seasons, the Bruins ranked No. 2 nationally at the conclusion of the 2022-23 season in turnover margin (+5.6). UCLA's 2021-22 squad finished at No. 11 nationally in turnover margin (+4.2). This year's team ranks leads the Big Ten and ranks No. 11 nationwide in turnovers forced per game (16.2). The Bruins forced a season-high 30 turnovers in a victory against Southern Utah (Tuesday, Nov. 26).
THREE TURNOVERS TOTAL
Until last week, UCLA had never had back-to-back games with three turnovers (or fewer) since the start of the 1976-77 season – when the Bruins' basketball box scores consistently tracked the turnover statistic. In fact, only twice since the fall of 1976 has a UCLA team had consecutive games with five or fewer turnovers – most recently, UCLA had three against Michigan State (Feb. 4) and three against Penn State (Feb. 8). Last season, the Bruins had back-to-back contests with just five turnovers in each game (on Feb. 15, and on Feb. 18).
ONE THOUSAND POINTS
Senior Lazar Stefanovic and junior Tyler Bilodeau have both crossed the 1,000-career-point plateau in UCLA wins this season (Stefanovic versus Prairie View A&M in December, and Bilodeau against Penn State on Feb. 8). Stefanovic scored 562 points in his first two seasons (at Utah) and has totaled 504 points as a junior and senior at UCLA. Junior Tyler Bilodeau scored 11 points last Saturday to reach the 1,000-point milestone. He had scored 683 points in his first two seasons at Oregon State. Tyger Campbell (from 2019-20 to 2022-23) became the last player to have scored at least 1,000 career points, all at UCLA. Campbell crossed the 1,000-point milestone as a senior with the Bruins in 2022-23.
