UCLA
Minnesota
Men's Basketball to Host Minnesota on Tuesday Night
February 16, 2025 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES – UCLA will host Minnesota this Tuesday evening in a game that will be nationally televised on FS1. The Bruins (19-7, 10-5 Big Ten) have won eight of their last nine games, headed into Tuesday's showdown against Minnesota (13-2, 5-9 Big Ten). UCLA has compiled a 5-2 all-time record against Minnesota, with the Golden Gophers having won the most recent meeting in the opening round of the 2013 NCAA Tournament (Minnesota defeated UCLA, 83-63, in Austin, Texas). Game time on Tuesday evening is set for 7:30 p.m. (PT) inside Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom.
GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom
Capacity: 13,800
Tipoff Time: 7:40 p.m. (PT)
Television: 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 160 or 195 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 each of the Bruins' remaining home conference games in UCLA's inaugural year in the Big Ten. The Bruins are back in action this Tuesday night against Minnesota (Feb. 18).
Additional home matchups in Big Ten play include Ohio State (Sunday, Feb. 23) and USC (Saturday, March 8). UCLA's home game against USC will begin at either 3 p.m. or 5 p.m. (PT). The Bruins will be honoring the late Bill Walton at portions throughout the game against Ohio State on Sunday, Feb. 23.
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 have gone 13-1 at home this season and 6-6 in road and neutral-site contests.
• After losing four straight games in early January, UCLA has won eight of its last nine contests.
• UCLA has gone 7-2 in games decided by five points or fewer, including a 72-68 win on Friday at Indiana.
• The Bruins lead the Big Ten Conference in steals per game (8.4) and rank No. 45 in the nation in that category.
• 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 499 career games, standing just one shy of the 500-career win milestone.
• The Bruins went 5-1 in December and have posted an 8-5 record through January and February.
• 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 14.2 points and 4.5 rebounds in 25 games, shooting 50.0 percent from the field.
• Sophomore Eric Dailey Jr. ranks second on the team in scoring (11.5 ppg) and third in rebounding (4.0 rpg).
• Through games played on Saturday, Feb. 15, UCLA ranked No. 23 in the nation in scoring defense (64.8 ppg).
• Through Saturday, Feb. 15, UCLA ranked No. 13 in the nation in turnovers forced per game (15.9).
• Through Saturday, Feb. 15, the Bruins were No. 6, nationally, in turnover margin (+5.3).
• UCLA has limited the opposition to 65 points or fewer in 12 of 26 games this season.
• Kobe Johnson (45 steals, 1.7 spg) ranked eighth in the Big Ten in steals per game (through Saturday, Feb. 15).
• 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 134-60 record, now in his sixth season with the Bruins.
BRUINS TO HOST MINNESOTA
The Bruins will face Minnesota this Tuesday evening inside Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. UCLA last played against Minnesota in a first-round game of the 2013 NCAA Tournament, hosted at the Erwin Center in Austin, Texas (at the University of Texas). No. 11-seed Minnesota defeated No. 6-seed UCLA, 83-63. UCLA had won the Pac-12 regular-season title that season and advanced to the title game of the Pac-12 Tournament, where freshman guard Jordan Adams sustained a broken bone in his foot. UCLA has gone 5-2 in the all-time series with Minnesota, but only two of those seven games have taken place since head coach John Wooden retired at the end of the 1974-75 season.
LAST WEEK'S ROAD TRIP
Illinois snapped UCLA's seven-game winning streak with an 83-78 victory at State Farm Center on Tuesday. Three nights later, the Bruins outlasted Indiana, 72-68, in the first-ever meeting between the two programs at Indiana's Assembly Hall (UCLA last played in Bloomington in Dec. of 1956). Through both games in the Midwest, junior Tyler Bilodeau averaged 18.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. Bilodeau shot 48.0 percent from the field (12-for-15) and was 8-for-14 from beyond the 3-point arc (57.1 percent). He scored 25 points in the loss at Illinois on Tuesday, notching career-highs in made 3-pointers (7) and 3-point field goal attempts (12). UCLA has now won eight of its last nine games.
NOTES ON THE SEASON
– UCLA has averaged 77.2 points over the past nine games (48.9% overall, 38.8% from 3-point range). Eric Dailey Jr. has shot 54.2 percent and Tyler Bilodeau has shot 52.6 percent in those nine games.
– The Bruins won, 72-68, in their first-ever game at Indiana's Assembly Hall last Friday. Previously, UCLA had played a pair of games at Indiana prior to that arena's construction (UCLA won at Indiana in 1956-57, and lost there in 1941-42).
– Sitting at 19-7 overall, UCLA could reach the 20-win plateau in a single season for the 47th time in 59 years (that span includes 1966-67 through 2024-25). Coach Cronin has guided UCLA to 20 or more wins in three of the last five years.
– 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.
– Last Friday's win at Indiana marked the first game all season in which UCLA did not force 10 or more turnovers from the opposition. Indiana finished the game with eight turnovers. UCLA only forced 10 turnovers in games at Rutgers and USC.
– 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 88.0 points per game, the second-highest scoring average in the nation (through Feb. 15).
APPROACHING A MILESTONE
Bruins' head coach Mick Cronin, with a career coaching record of 499-231, stands just one win shy of the 500-career-victory milestone. He secured his 400th career win in UCLA's home victory over Arizona State on Feb. 20, 2021. Cronin, now in his 22nd season as a college head coach, is one of 24 active head coaches to have secured at least 499 career victories. He is currently the youngest college basketball head coach (53) with at least 499 career wins. He spent his first three seasons as a head coach at Murray State before taking over as Cincinnati's head coach for the 2006-07 season. After a 13-year run as Cincinnati's head coach (through 2018-19), he became UCLA's head coach in April of 2019.
HANG TEN
UCLA has won at least 10 conference games for the sixth consecutive season. Previously as members of the Pac-12, and now competing in the Big Ten, UCLA has won 10 or more league games in 18 of the last 21 seasons (including this season). Two years ago, UCLA went 18-2 en route to securing the Pac-12 Conference's regular-season title. The Bruins have five regular-season games to play, all in Big Ten action, with the next two of those taking place at home – versus Minnesota this Tuesday evening (7:30 p.m.) and against Ohio State on Sunday afternoon (12:45 p.m.).
ASSISTS ALL AROUND
UCLA has three guards who have each tallied at least 70 assists. Kobe Johnson leads the group with 76, while Dylan Andrews has totaled 74 and Skyy Clark has tallied 71. Sebastian Mack ranks fourth on the list with 46. UCLA's 2016-17 squad was the last Bruins' team to have at least three players with 70 or more assists. That team's five leading scorers each finished with 70 or more assists. Lonzo Ball set a school single-season record in assists (274), while Aaron Holiday totaled 158. Rounding out the list of assist leaders were Isaac Hamilton (99), Bryce Alford (92) and TJ Leaf (85).
TALENTED TYLER
Junior Tyler Bilodeau became UCLA's first player to have made seven (or more) threes in any game last Tuesday (at Illinois) since late last season, when Dylan Andrews shot 7-for-9 from 3-point distance in a win over Oregon State at the Pac-12 Tournament (March 13, 2024). Bilodeau was 7-for-12 from long-range against Illinois on Tuesday, Feb. 11, shooting 9-for-17 overall. The 6-foot-9 forward from Kennewick, Wash., has averaged a team-leading 14.2 points per game. Bilodeau has shot 50.0 percent overall and 43.4 percent from 3-point distance (33-of-76). In a 76-74 loss to North Carolina on Dec. 21, 2024, Bilodeau totaled a career-high-tying 26 points at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
TOP DEFENDER
Senior guard Kobe Johnson has totaled 201 steals in 117 career games (1.7 spg). He enters this Tuesday's game with a team-best 45 steals (Skyy Clark has 33), having registered 1.7 steals per game in 26 contests as a senior. He ranked eighth among all Big Ten players through Saturday, Feb. 15 in steals per game. 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.
SKYY'S THE LIMIT
Junior guard Skyy Clark has tallied a team-best assist-turnover ratio of 2.5 (with 71 assists, 28 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 entered this week with UCLA's third-highest assist total (71), behind Kobe Johnson (76) and Dylan Andrews (74). Clark scored a team-leading 14 points, sinking six of seven free throws, in UCLA's 63-61 win at home two weeks ago versus No. 9-ranked Michigan State. He has shot 46.2 percent from 3-point range in the Bruins' past 10 games (18-for-39) and 49.2 percent overall during that range. He has scored 10 or more points in eight games this year.
LOOKING AHEAD
UCLA has five games remaining in the regular-season schedule (three at home, two on the road). In addition to this week's home games against Minnesota and Ohio State (on Sunday), UCLA will close its regular-season schedule in two weeks at home against USC. Next week, the Bruins are set to play at Purdue (Friday, Feb. 28) and at Northwestern (Monday, March 3). UCLA has gone 6-7 in the all-time series with Ohio State (including one win and three losses in the last 10 years). Last season in the CBS Sports Classic, in Atlanta, the Bruins lost to Ohio State, 67-60 (game played on Dec. 16, 2023).
STANDING TALL
Sophomore Aday Mara, who stands at 7-foot-3, has averaged 9.0 points and 4.8 rebounds over the Bruins' last nine games. Mara has shot 56.9 percent from the field in those games, making 29 of 51 shots. He has totaled 20 blocks over the past nine games, averaging 2.2 blocks per game (in 19.2 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.
NATIONAL NUMBERS
Through games played on Saturday, Feb. 15, the Bruins ranked No. 23 in the country in scoring defense (64.8 ppg), No. 13 in turnovers forced per game (15.9) and No. 6 in turnover margin (+5.3). In addition, the Bruins have ranked No. 32 in the nation in scoring margin (10.7 points per game). Looking at shooting percentages, the opposition has shot 42.7 percent against UCLA (No. 121, nationally) and 31.6 percent from 3-point range (No. 75, nationally). The latest national metrics on KenPom.com have listed UCLA at No. 15 in the nation in defensive efficiency and No. 42 in offensive efficiency.
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 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).
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES ON UCLA
– UCLA's assist-turnover ratio (1.51-to-1) ranked No. 29 in the nation, and fourth in the Big Ten, through games played on Saturday, Feb. 15. The Bruins have registered a ratio of 1.94-to-1 over the past 10 games (161 assists, 83 turnovers).
– UCLA recorded a season-high 15 steals in a win over Southern Utah (Nov. 26, 2024). Since steals were officially tracked (starting in 1978-79), the Bruins' single-game record stands at 21 steals against Northern Arizona on Dec. 18, 1997.
– Since the start of the 2020-21 season, the Bruins went 56-23 in Pac-12 play (logging a 70.9 win percentage). UCLA went 10-10 in Pac-12 play in 2023-24 after having won the league title (18-2 record) during the 2022-23 season.
– Sophomore Aday Mara (7-foot-3) is the Bruins' tallest basketball player since the late Mike Lanier (7-foot-7, 310 pounds) competed as a reserve center for UCLA in 1991-92 and 1992-93.
MINUTES DISTRIBUTION
Now past the halfway mark in the regular-season schedule (after 26 games), no players on UCLA's roster have averaged more than 29 minutes per game. Senior Kobe Johnson leads the team in minutes (averaging 28.7 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 56 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 40-29 record in 69 games played away from home (58.0 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 Saturday, Feb. 15, the Bruins ranked No. 6 in the nation in turnover margin (+5.3), having committed 274 turnovers and forced 412 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. 13 nationwide in turnovers forced per game (15.9). The Bruins forced a season-high 30 turnovers in a victory against Southern Utah (Tuesday, Nov. 26).
THREE TURNOVERS TOTAL
Until two weeks ago, 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 509 points as a junior and senior at UCLA. Junior Tyler Bilodeau scored 11 points on Saturday, Feb. 8, 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.
THE "HUNGRY DOG" GETS THE BONE
The "deflection" statistic includes any deflected passes, blocked shot, the recovery of a blocked shot, charges taken and steals. The Bruins' have a deflection bone (literally, a two-foot long dog bone) awarded at the end of the season to one of the team's leaders in total deflections. After a UCLA victory, the player who has accrued the most deflections in that win signs the dog bone. The player who has signed the bone the most times by the end of the season is awarded the bone. Last season, Adem Bona and Sebastian Mack secured the two highest deflection totals, respectively (Mack was awarded with the bone). In 2022-23, Jaylen Clark won the year-end dog bone award. The Bruins' single-game team goal stands at approximately 40 deflections – any game with at least 40 deflections most often can result in a Bruins' victory.
GETTING TO THE LINE
Sophomore guard Sebastian Mack leads the Bruins this season in free throws made (82) and free throw attempts (110). He led UCLA's team in both categories as a freshman last season (made 125 of 172 attempts, 72.7%). Mack's 172 attempts last season were the most by a Bruin in any single season since then-junior Aaron Holiday had 192 attempts during the 2017-18 campaign (Holiday shot 159-for-192 at the line, 82.8%). Lazar Stefanovic currently leads UCLA in free throw shooting percentage, having made 17 of 18 attempts at the free throw stripe (94.4%).
