UCLA
Penn State
Men's Basketball Hosts Penn State on Saturday Afternoon
February 07, 2025 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES – The Bruins return to the court against Penn State on Saturday, Feb. 8. UCLA has just eight games remaining on the regular-season schedule (four at home, four on the road). Saturday's game will mark the second all-time meeting between UCLA and Penn State. Previously, these two teams faced off in a first-round matchup of the 1991 NCAA Tournament at Syracuse's Carrier Dome – No. 13-seed Penn State defeated No. 4-seed UCLA, 74-69. Following this Saturday's home game, UCLA will play a pair of contests on the road next week – at No. 23 Illinois on Tuesday, Feb. 11, and at Indiana on Friday, Feb. 14.
GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom
Capacity: 13,800
Tipoff Time: 1:01 p.m. (PT)
Television: Big Ten Network
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: Channel 372 and on the SXM App
UCLA'S TICKET INFORMATION (HOME GAMES)
Single-game tickets for UCLA's four 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 at home next week on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 8). Additional home matchups in Big Ten play include Minnesota (Tuesday, Feb. 18), 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).
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.
CATCHING UP ON THE BRUINS
– The Bruins have won six consecutive games after having lost four straight contests from Jan. 4-13.
– 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 497 career games, standing just three shy of the 500-win milestone.
– UCLA went 5-4 in the month of January after compiling a 5-1 record through December.
– The Bruins have gone 60-3 since the start of the 2019-20 season when holding the opposition to fewer than 60 points.
– This season, UCLA has posted a perfect 11-0 mark when holding the opposing team to 65 or fewer points.
– Junior Tyler Bilodeau has averaged 13.9 points and 4.6 rebounds in 22 games, shooting 50.4 percent from the field.
– Sophomore Eric Dailey Jr. ranks second on the team in scoring (12.2 ppg) and third in rebounding (4.3 rpg).
– Through games played Wednesday, Feb. 5, UCLA ranked No. 20 in the nation in scoring defense (64.3 ppg).
– Through Wednesday, Feb. 5, UCLA ranked No. 11 in the nation in turnovers forced per game (16.2).
– Through Wednesday, Feb. 5, the Bruins were No. 8, nationally, in turnover margin (+5.2).
– UCLA has limited the opposition to 65 points or fewer in 10 of 23 games this season.
– Kobe Johnson (41 steals, 1.8 spg) ranked seventh in the Big Ten in steals per game (through Wednesday, Feb. 5).
– 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 132-59 record, now in his sixth season with the Bruins.
BRUINS EDGE MICHIGAN STATE
– In a game that featured eight lead changes, UCLA outlasted Michigan State, 63-61, on Tuesday evening. 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 on Tuesday 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.
– Since Mick Cronin became UCLA's head coach, prior to the 2019-20 season, the Bruins have gone 2-1 against Michigan State (including an 86-80 overtime win in the First Four of the 2021 NCAA Tournament, hosted in Indiana).
NOTES ON THE SEASON
– UCLA has averaged 74.6 points over the past five games, shooting 47.1 percent overall and 37.9 percent from 3-point range in the five-game span. Six UCLA players through those five games have averaged at least 9.0 points per game.
– Eric Dailey Jr. has shot 54.5 percent from the field in UCLA's last five games, averaging 26.1 minutes per contest. Through those five games, Dailey Jr. has averaged 12.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.
– UCLA's 26-point win over Oregon last Thursday night 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 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 88.2 points per game, the second-highest scoring average in the nation (through Feb. 5).
– 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 four remaining home games and four road games left on the regular-season schedule. The Bruins are closing a seven-game stretch along the West Coast (with six of those in Los Angeles) on Saturday at 1 p.m. against Penn State, just the second all-time meeting between the two programs. After Saturday's contest, UCLA will travel to the Midwest to face Illinois (Tuesday) and Indiana (Friday). Six of UCLA's final 10 games this season are taking place at home.
TALENTED TYLER
Junior Tyler Bilodeau has averaged a team-leading 13.9 points per game and ranks second on the team in rebounding (4.6 rpg). Bilodeau has scored in double figures in 16 of 22 games, having reached the 20-point plateau in three contests. He has shot 50.4 percent from the field and a team-leading 41.0 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.
PAST FIVE GAMES
Sophomore Aday Mara, who stands at 7-foot-3, has averaged 11.8 points and 5.8 rebounds over the Bruins' last five games (all wins). He has shot 58.5 percent from the field in those games, making 24 of 41 shots. He has totaled 17 blocks over the past five games, averaging 3.4 blocks per game (24.6 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 2.5 (with 64 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 weekend with the Bruins' second-highest assist total (64), behind Kobe Johnson (67). Clark scored a team-leading 14 points, sinking six of seven free throws, in UCLA's 63-61 win at home against No. 9-ranked Michigan State on Tuesday evening. He has shot 39.1 percent from 3-point range in the last five games (9-for-23).
BRUINS DEFEAT THE DUCKS
UCLA's 78-52 win over No. 16 Oregon last Thursday 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 Wednesday, Feb. 5, the Bruins ranked No. 20 in the country in scoring defense (64.3 ppg), No. 11 in turnovers forced per game (16.2) and No. 8 in turnover margin (+5.2). In addition, the Bruins have ranked No. 34 in the nation in scoring margin (11.1 points per game). Looking at shooting percentages, the opposition has shot 42.6 percent against UCLA (No. 124, nationally) and 31.9 percent from 3-point range (No. 105, nationally). The latest national metrics on KenPom.com have listed UCLA at No. 13 in the nation in defensive efficiency and No. 51 in offensive efficiency.
TOP DEFENDER
Senior guard Kobe Johnson has totaled 197 steals in 114 career games (1.73 spg). He enters Saturday's game with a team-best 41 steals (Skyy Clark has 32), having registered 1.8 steals per game in 23 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.
UPCOMING ROAD TRIP
UCLA will return to the road next week, playing at Illinois on Tuesday, Feb. 11, and at Indiana on Friday, Feb. 14. The Bruins 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 at Assembly Hall (Bloomington, Ind.) since Dec. 29, 1956 (UCLA won, 52-48).
NOTES ON PAULEY PAVILION
The Bruins have gone 12-1 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 76-14 record in 89 home games (84.4% win percentage).
MINUTES DISTRIBUTION
Now past the halfway mark in the Bruins' season (after 23 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 28.6 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 53 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.
