UCLA
Wisconsin
Men's Basketball Prepares for Big Ten Tournament This Week
March 12, 2025 | Men's Basketball
INDIANAPOLIS – UCLA returns to action against Wisconsin on Friday afternoon at the Big Ten Tournament, having locked up the No. 4 seed in this year's 15-team tournament. The Bruins (22-9) closed their regular season last week with a win at Northwestern (Monday, March 3) and at home versus USC (Saturday, March 8). UCLA swept the regular-season series against USC, securing a 90-63 win over the Trojans last Saturday. This marks the first season that UCLA has competed in the Big Ten Conference, joining the league along with USC, Oregon and Washington after having been members of the Pac-12 Conference.
UCLA will face No. 5-seed Wisconsin (24-8) on Friday afternoon at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Wisconsin advanced into the quarterfinal round on Thursday with a 70-63 win over No. 13-seed Northwestern (18-16). The Bruins' game on Friday will be televised live on Big Ten Network.
FRIDAY'S GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Venue Capacity: 18,000
Projected Game Time: 11:30 a.m. PT (2:30 p.m. ET)
Television: Big Ten Network (BTN)
TV Talent: Guy Haberman (play-by-play), Stephen Bardo (analyst), Rick Pizzo (sideline)
Radio (UCLA Audio Network): AM 570
Radio Talent: Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Tracy Murray (analyst)
SIRIUS XM: Channel 84 and available on the SXM App
CATCHING UP ON THE BRUINS
– The Bruins will return to action this Friday in Indianapolis as the No. 4 seed in the Big Ten Tournament.
– After losing four straight games in early January, UCLA has won 11 of its last 14 contests.
– UCLA has gone 8-3 this season in games decided by five points or fewer.
– UCLA leads all Big Ten teams in scoring defense, having limited the opposition to 65.1 points per game.
– The Bruins rank first in the Big Ten in steals per game (8.2) and rank No. 45, nationally, 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 secured career coaching win No. 500 in a win over Ohio State on Sunday, Feb. 23.
– 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 tallied a 14-1 record when limiting the opposition to 65 or fewer points.
– Junior Tyler Bilodeau has averaged 14.0 points and 4.4 rebounds in 30 games, shooting 50.5 percent from the field.
– Through Tuesday, March 11, UCLA ranked No. 17 in the nation in turnovers forced per game (15.3).
– Through Tuesday, March 11, the Bruins were No. 8, nationally, in turnover margin (+4.5).
– UCLA has limited the opposition to 65 points or fewer in 15 of 31 games this season.
– Kobe Johnson (53 steals, 1.7 spg) ranked sixth in the Big Ten in steals per game through Tuesday, March 11.
– As head coach, Mick Cronin has led UCLA to an 137-62 record, now in his sixth season with the Bruins.
UCLA IN THE CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
Previously competing in the Pac-12 Conference, this will mark the Bruins' first-ever appearance playing in the Big Ten Tournament. As members of the Pac-10 and Pac-12, UCLA won the conference tournament title in 1987, 2006, 2008 and 2014. The Pac-12 had hosted a conference tournament from 1987-90 and from 2002-24. The Bruins last won their conference tournament in 2014, defeating top-seed Arizona, 75-71, at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The Bruins have gone 30-22 in 26 conference tournament appearances. In addition, UCLA has compiled a 4-4 record in eight appearances in the championship game. The Bruins have entered the tournament as the No. 1-seeded team six times, most recently in 2023 after having won that season's Pac-12 regular-season crown.
BEHIND THE BRUINS, PODCAST
Hear more from the student-athletes in UCLA's basketball program with the team's season-long "Behind the Bruins" podcast (link here). UCLA radio broadcasters Josh Lewin and Tracy Murray navigate the season, and Lewin hosts a long-running series of one-on-one interviews with student-athletes and coaches. Most recently, Lewin caught up with Skyy Clark, Trent Perry and Dylan Andrews.
THIS FRIDAY'S MATCHUP
UCLA defeated Wisconsin, 85-83, in the only meeting between the two Big Ten programs this year (Tuesday, Jan. 21 at UCLA). Sophomore Aday Mara was a perfect 7-for-7 from the field, scoring a career-best 22 points in the win. The Bruins trailed Wisconsin by nine points in the first half and by a 41-36 margin at halftime. UCLA has compiled an all-time record of 6-2 in eight previous meetings against the Badgers.
THE LAST TIME OUT
The Bruins registered an emphatic win in its regular-season finale last Saturday night, beating crosstown rival USC, 90-63, in front of 12,018 fans at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Sophomore Eric Dailey Jr. poured in a career-high 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting to lead UCLA past its crosstown foe. Skyy Clark added a season-high 17 points, while Aday Mara finished with 14, Tyler Bilodeau scored 12, and Sebastian Mack registered 10 points. The Bruins' second-half cushion never fell to any fewer than nine points. UCLA shot 61.7 percent from the field, making 37 of 60 field goal attempts.
NOTES ON THE SEASON
– The Bruins rank No. 3 in the Big Ten in assist-turnover ratio (1.53) and assists per game (16.5), through games played on Monday, March 10. UCLA recorded a season-high 28 assists in the 27-point win last Saturday against USC.
– UCLA has shot 48.6 percent from the field and 36.7 percent from 3-point range in the last five games (going 3-2 over that stretch). Through the past five contests, Eric Dailey Jr. has shot 52.6 percent from 3-point distance (10-for-19).
– Now sporting a 22-9 record, the Bruins have reached the 20-win plateau in a single season for the 47th time in 59 years (span includes 1966-67 through 2024-25). Coach Cronin has guided UCLA to 20 or more wins in four of the last five years.
– UCLA has committed fewer turnovers than the opposition in 25 of 31 games this season. The Bruins had a season-low three turnovers in back-to-back contests early in February (versus Michigan State and Penn State, both games at home).
– UCLA's 27-point win over USC on Saturday, March 8, 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).
ALL-BIG TEN SELECTION
Junior Tyler Bilodeau earned third-team All-Big Ten honors, as announced by the league office on March 11 (as voted on by the coaches). He became UCLA's first player to have made seven (or more) threes in any game since late last season when he was 7-for-12 from long-range at Illinois on Tuesday, Feb. 11. Last year, 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 leads UCLA in scoring 14.0 ppg) and in 3-point shooting percentage (41.2%, 35-for-85). He has scored in double figures in 23 of 30 games this year.
MILESTONE UNLOCKED
Bruins' head coach Mick Cronin secured career coaching win No. 500 on Sunday, Feb. 23, as UCLA defeated Ohio State, 69-61. Cronin has posted a 502-233 record as a head coach (22nd season). He secured his 400th win in UCLA's home victory over Arizona State on Feb. 20, 2021. Cronin is one of 18 active head coaches to have secured at least 500 career NCAA Division I victories. He is currently the youngest college basketball head coach (53) with at least 500 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.
TAKING CARE OF THE BALL
Nine of UCLA's 10 rotation players have totaled more assists than turnovers, through 31 games. Skyy Clark (87 assists, 35 turnovers) has recorded a team-best 2.5 assist-turnover ratio. Including Clark, the Bruins have three guards with an assist-turnover ratio better than 2.0-to-1 (Dylan Andrews and Kobe Johnson). Guards Lazar Stefanovic and Trent Perry, and forwards Eric Dailey Jr. and Tyler Bilodeau have registered more assists than turnovers. Center Aday Mara has 27 assists to 25 turnovers, while the only Bruin with more turnovers than assists has been William Kyle III (13 assists, 14 turnovers).
HANG TEN
UCLA has won at least 10 conference games for the sixth straight 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 secured the No. 4 seed in this season's Big Ten Tournament with a 13-7 league record, closing the regular season with wins at Northwestern and at home versus USC. UCLA, Purdue and Wisconsin all finished in a three-way tie for fourth place in the standings.
ASSISTS ALL AROUND
UCLA has three guards who have each tallied at least 80 assists. Dylan Andrews (97) and Kobe Johnson (94) rank first and second, respectively, in assists, while Skyy Clark has tallied 87. Sebastian Mack ranks fourth on the list with 57. UCLA's 2016-17 squad was the last Bruins' team to have at least three players with 80 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).
TOP DEFENDER
Senior guard Kobe Johnson has been named a Big Ten All-Defensive Team selection (one of five), currently ranking sixth in the league in steals per game (1.7 spg, 53 steals in 31 games). Johnson, who hails from Milwaukee, Wis., earned Pac-12 All-Defensive Team honors as a sophomore in 2023 and junior in 2024 (while playing for USC). He totaled 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. Over the previous two seasons at USC (64 games), he averaged 10.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.2 steals per contest.
SKYY'S THE LIMIT
Junior guard Skyy Clark has tallied a team-best assist-turnover ratio of 2.5 (with 87 assists, 35 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 has logged the Bruins' third-highest assist total (87), behind Dylan Andrews (97) and Kobe Johnson (94). Clark scored a team-leading 14 points, sinking six of seven free throws, in UCLA's 63-61 win at home last month versus No. 9-ranked Michigan State. He has shot 42.6 percent from 3-point range in the Bruins' past 15 games (26-for-61) and 48.0 percent overall during that range. He has scored 10 or more points in 11 games for UCLA this season.
STANDING TALL
Sophomore Aday Mara, who stands at 7-foot-3, averaged 12.0 points in a three-game stretch in late January, including a career-best 22-point game in an 85-83 win at home against Wisconsin (Jan. 21, 2025). Mara ranked No. 4 in the Big Ten in blocks per game (1.5) through games played Tuesday, March 11. He has totaled 28 blocks in the past 15 games (1.87 bpg), dating back to the Bruins' road game at Rutgers. Through the Bruins' entire season, Mara has averaged 6.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game (30 contests as a sophomore).
NATIONAL NUMBERS
Through games played on Tuesday, March 11, the Bruins ranked No. 23 in the country in scoring defense (65.1 ppg), No. 17 in turnovers forced per game (15.3) and No. 8 in turnover margin (+4.5). In addition, the Bruins have ranked No. 31 in the nation in scoring margin (9.8 points per game). Looking at shooting percentages, the opposition has shot 42.8 percent against UCLA (No. 122, nationally) and 32.0 percent from 3-point range (No. 87, nationally). The latest national metrics on KenPom.com have listed UCLA at No. 15 in the nation in defensive efficiency and No. 36 in offensive efficiency.
NOTES ON PAULEY PAVILION
The Bruins went 15-2 in Pauley Pavilion this season, UCLA's 59th campaign playing in the longtime basketball 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 79-15 record in 93 home games (84.0% win percentage).
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES ON UCLA
– UCLA's assist-turnover ratio (1.53-to-1) ranked No. 24 in the nation, and third in the Big Ten, through games played on Tuesday, March 11. The Bruins have registered a ratio of 1.8-to-1 over the past 15 games (257 assists, 143 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 have gone 69-30 in conference play (logging a 69.7 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
With the Big Ten Conference Tournament on deck for the Bruins, no players on UCLA's roster have averaged more than 29 minutes per game. Senior Kobe Johnson leads 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.
BENCH PRODUCTION
The Bruins' bench has outscored the opposition in 22 of 31 games this season (16-6 record in those 22 games). Sophomore Sebastian Mack has played in all 31 games, entering off the bench in 30 games. Mack has averaged 9.8 points and 2.2 rebounds per game, shooting 43.8 percent from the field and 73.8 percent at the free throw stripe. Among all Big Ten players who have made five or fewer starts this season, Mack ranks No. 3 in scoring (9.8 ppg), behind Illinois' Will Riley (12.2 ppg) and Nebraska's Connor Essegian (10.4 ppg). Sophomore Aday Mara's 45 total blocks is most among any Big Ten player with five starts or fewer. Mara has played in 30 games, making one start.
CONSECUTIVE THREE-POINTERS
UCLA has made at least one 3-pointer in each of its last 61 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.
TURNOVER MARGIN
Through Tuesday, March 11, the Bruins ranked No. 8 in the nation in turnover margin (+4.5), having committed 334 turnovers and forced 474 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 leads the Big Ten and ranks No. 17 nationwide in turnovers forced per game (15.3). The Bruins forced a season-high 30 turnovers in a victory against Southern Utah back on Tuesday, Nov. 26.
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 on Dec. 17, and Bilodeau against Penn State on Feb. 8). Stefanovic scored 562 points in his first two seasons (at Utah) and has totaled 531 points as a junior and senior at UCLA. Junior Tyler Bilodeau has totaled 420 points this season after having tallied 683 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 during his senior season 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 (93) and free throw attempts (126). 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 21 of 22 attempts at the free throw stripe (95.5%).
