University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
UCLA
USC
Men's Basketball to Host USC on Tuesday Night
February 23, 2026 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES โ The Bruins (18-9, 10-6) will host crosstown rival USC (18-9, 7-9) this Tuesday evening at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. UCLA's game will be nationally televised by FS1, with Jason Benetti and Bill Raftery calling the action. The Bruins have four games remaining on their regular-season schedule, with two of those contests at home (vs. USC this Tuesday, and against Nebraska on March 3). Later this week, UCLA will travel for a game at Minnesota on Saturday, Feb. 28. This Tuesday night's game is a "BLUE OUT" in Pauley Pavilion, as the Bruins are encouraing all of their fans to show up early on Tuesday evening, wearing blue.ย
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GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial
Capacity: 13,800
Tipoff Time: 8:10 p.m. PT
Broadcast Network: FS1
Broadcast Talent: Jason Benetti (play-by-play), Bill Raftery (analyst)
Radio (UCLA Audio Network): AM 790 (KABC)
Radio Talent: Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Tracy Murray (analyst)
Sirius XM Channels: SiriusXM 117 or 195 and SiriusXM App
Live Stats: ucla.statbroadcast.com (link here)
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UCLA'S TICKET INFORMATION (HOME GAMES)
Single-game tickets for UCLA's final two home men's basketball gamesย are on sale. The Bruins have two remaining games inside Pauley Pavilion โ versus USC this Tuesday night, and against Nebraska next week on Tuesday, March 3. Fans can view complete ticket information by clicking here. 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, check out the upcoming game themes and promotions for UCLA's final home games.
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MOST RECENTLY
โ UCLA overcame a 23-point deficit (33-10) last Saturday, securing a 95-94 overtime win over No. 10-ranked Illinois. That marked the largest comeback, on record, by any UCLA men's basketball team.
โ Donovan Dent drove the length of the court in 4.9 seconds, scoring on a driving layup at the buzzer on Saturday.
โ Donovan Dent became the fourth UCLA player to have recorded 15 or more assists in a game (15 assists, no turnovers).
โ UCLA has recorded a pair of top-10 wins this season (No. 4 Purdue on Jan. 20, and No. 10 Illinois on Feb. 21).
โ Tyler Bilodeau has totaled at least 10 points in each of UCLA's last 20 games (dating back to Dec. 3, at Washington).
โ Trent Perry has scored at least 10 points in 11 of the Bruins' last 13 games.
โ The Bruins have gone 15-1 at home this season while compiling a 3-8 record in road and neutral-site games.
โ Through Sunday, Feb. 22, Tyler Bilodeau led the Big Ten in 3-point shooting percentage (45.6%, 52-for-114).
โ Tyler Bilodeau has averaged 18.6 points and 6.0 rebounds through UCLA's last 10 games.
โ Donovan Dent has totaled 84 assists and 19 turnovers (4.42 ratio) through the Bruins' last 10 games.
โ Five Bruins have averaged at least 10 points per game this season, led by senior Tyler Bilodeau (18.1 ppg).
โ Tyler Bilodeau hit the game-winning 3-pointer with eight seconds to play in the win over No. 4 Purdue on Jan. 20.
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UCLA VERSUS USC
โ Last season, the Bruins won both contests against USC, including a 90-63 win at home in the regular-season finale.
โ UCLA has gone 149-116 in the all-time series with USC and has won six of the last eight contests.
โ In UCLA's 90-63 win at home against USC, the Bruins outscored their crosstown rival in the second half, 51-36.
โ The Bruins will close their regular-season schedule at USC on Saturday, March 7 (game time that night is 6 p.m.).
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OVER THE WEEKEND
The Bruins crawled back from a 33-10 first-half deficit on Saturday evening, reducing Illinois' advantage to 50-43 by halftime. UCLA tied the game at 56-56 with 14:45 to play in regulation and the game pushed into overtime, deadlocked at 86-86. Donovan Dent took an inbounds pass from Brandon Williams and raced the length of the court in under 4.9 seconds to score on a layup at the buzzer, sending UCLA past the Fighting Illini, 95-94. The win marked UCLA's sixth victory in their last nine games and helped the Bruins improved to 10-6 in Big Ten action.
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2021 FINAL FOUR
UCLA had compiled a 17-9 record through 26 games in 2020-21. The Bruins had lost four straight games to fall to 17-9 that season (heading into the NCAA Tournament), before winning five consecutive NCAA Tournament games to advance from the First Four to the Final Four. UCLA finished that season with a 22-10 record. UCLA is entering this week with a 18-9 overall record (was 17-9 prior to Saturday's overtime win against Illinois).
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THANKS FOR THE ASSIST
Donovan Dent has totaled 187 assists and 56 turnovers (in 26 games), averaging 7.2 assists per game. He tallied 10 or more assists in three straight games from Jan. 31 through Feb. 7, becoming UCLA's first-ever player to record point-assist double-doubles in three straight contests (since assists were routinely recorded in 1978-79). Dent's 14-point and 15-assist effort last Saturday marked the fourth time in school history that a Bruin had logged at least 15 assists. Earl Watson set the school's single-game assist record (16 assists) versus Maryland in the NCAA Tournament on March 18, 2000.
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LOOKING AHEAD
โ Following this Tuesday's game against USC, the Bruins will travel to play at Minnesota on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 28).
โ Last season, Minnesota overcame a halftime deficit to defeat the Bruins, 64-61, at Pauley Pavilion (Feb. 18, 2025).
โ Next week, UCLA will close its regular-season schedule against Nebraska (March 3) and USC (March 7).
โ The Big Ten Tournament will take place during the week of Monday, March 9, at the United Center in Chicago.
โ UCLA will close its regular-season schedule on the road for the first time since March 7, 2020 (also was at USC).
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TRENDS AND PERCENTAGES
โ Tyler Bilodeau has scored in double figures in 23 of 25 games played, totaling 20 points or more in eight games.
โ Tyler Bilodeau has totaled 898 points in two seasons at UCLA, averaging 15.5 points in 58 games in the Bruins' uniform.
โ Donovan Dent ranks third in the Big Ten in assists per game (7.2 apg) and has averaged 13.3 points per game.
โ Trent Perry has scored at least 10 points in 13 of UCLA's last 16 games.
โ UCLA has posted a 14-2 record when leading at halftime and has gone 15-1 when building a lead of 10 or more points.
โ UCLA ranked No. 2 in the Big Ten among all 18 teams, in 3-point shooting percentage through Sunday, Feb. 22 (37.9%).
โ The Bruins have not shot 37.0% or better (from three) since the 2020-21 season (37.2 percent from three, that year).
โ The Bruins are currently shooting 76.6 percent at the free throw stripe, ranking No. 6 in the Big Ten.
โ The school single-season record for best free throw percentage is 75.6 percent, back in the 1978-79 season.
โ Through 27 games last season, UCLA had compiled an overall record of 19-8 (and 10-6 in conference games).
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ASSISTS PER GAME
Through 26 games played, senior Donovan Dent has averaged 13.3 points and 7.2 assists per game. Dent, a 6-foot-2 guard from Riverside, Calif., could be on track to join a rare group of UCLA guards who averaged at least 10 points and six assists per game over the course of a full season. Most recently, then-sophomore Jaylen Hands averaged 14.2 points and 6.1 assists during UCLA's 2018-19 season. Pooh Richardson in the late 1980s accomplished this per-game average all four seasons, including a pair of back-to-back seasons where he averaged at least 7.0 assists per game.
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STRONG SCORING
Senior forward Tyler Bilodeau ranked No. 10 in scoring among all Big Ten players (18.1 ppg) and No. 7 in shooting percentage (51.4%), through Sunday, Feb. 22. The 6-foot-9 product from Kennewick, Wash., has scored at least 15 points this season in 18 of the Bruins' 27 games (did not play in two games). He has entered the week as the conference's leader in 3-point shooting percentage, having made 52 of 114 long-range attempts (45.6%). Through UCLA's last 10 games, Bilodeau has averaged 18.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per game while shooting 50.0 percent overall.
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SOPHOMORE JUMP
Sophomore Trent Perry scored a career-best 30 points in UCLA's 71-60 win at Penn State on Jan. 14. Perry was perfect at the free throw line, going 12-for-12, while knocking down 4 of 8 shots from beyond the 3-point arc. This season, he has averaged 12.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. Last year, he registered 3.7 points and 1.7 rebounds per game in 32 contests as a freshman. Perry has scored at least 10 points in 17 games for UCLA this season, logging 67 assists and 33 turnovers for an assist-turnover ratio of 2-to-1. Over the Bruins' last 10 contests, Perry has averaged 14.6 points and 3.6 rebounds, shooting 43.6 percent overall and 50.0 percent from beyond the 3-point arc (18-for-36).
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RUNNING THE POINT
Senior Donovan Dent has averaged 13.3 points, 7.2 assists and 2.7 rebounds through 26 games. Dent, a 6-foot-2 guard from nearby Riverside, Calif., transferred from New Mexico to UCLA in the offseason. He has recorded seven point-assist double-doubles this season (totaling 14 in his career). Since assists were routinely tracked, starting in 1978-79, Dent has become the first UCLA player with three consecutive point-assist double-doubles (UCLA's games versus Indiana, Rutgers and Washington). He ranks No. 3 in the Big Ten in assists per game (7.2) and was sixth in the nation, through Sunday, Feb. 22. He has totaled 119 assists and 32 turnovers in 16 Big Ten contests (3.7 assist-turnover ratio in league play).
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REACHING FOR THE SKYY
Senior Skyy Clark has averaged 12.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists, through 17 games this season. Clark missed 10 games in January and February with a hamstring strain (returned on Saturday, Feb. 14). He connected on six 3-pointers in back-to-back victories against Arizona State (Dec. 17) and Cal Poly (Dec. 19), becoming UCLA's first-ever player to have nailed six or more threes in consecutive games. In the last three games, Clark has averaged 10.0 points per game and has shot 11-for-22 (50.0%) through 62 minutes. He leads UCLA's team in 3-point shooting percentage (48.2%).
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TOP DEFENDERS
The Bruins' program has produced some of the nation's most talented defensive players over the past several seasons. Last year, then-senior Kobe Johnson was honored as one of five players on the Big Ten All-Defensive Team, closing the year at No. 6 in the conference in steals per game (1.6 spg, 55 steals in 34 games). Two seasons ago (2023-24), then-sophomore Adem Bona was honored as the Pac-12 Conference's Defensive Player of the Year. Bona led UCLA's team that season in blocks (58 blocks, 1.8 bpg) and was second in steals (37 steals, 1.1 spg). Three seasons ago (2022-23), then-junior Jaylen Clark was honored as the Naismith Men's Defensive Player of the Year and the NABC Defensive Player of the Year.
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NOTES ON PAULEY PAVILION
This marks UCLA's 60th season playing basketball at Pauley Pavilion and the 14th season since the arena underwent a major renovation. Last year, the Bruins went 15-2 in Pauley Pavilion. 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) before returning home in Nov. of 2012.
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In 2023-24, 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. Since taking over as UCLA's head coach prior to 2019-20, Mick Cronin has guided UCLA to a 93-16 home record (85.3 win percentage). The Bruins will enter this Saturday's game against Washington with a 13-1 home record.
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MISCELLANEOUS NOTES ON UCLA
โ UCLA has gone 7-0 when shooting at least 50 percent from the field this season. The Bruins' season-high 62.7 shooting percentage in a win at home against Presbyterian was the program's best single-game mark since Dec. 10, 2016 (UCLA shot 62.7% in an 102-84 win at home against Michigan, shooting 39-for-58 overall).
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โ Senior guard Donovan Dent has averaged 7.2 assists per game in 26 contests this season. Since assists were routinely recorded at UCLA, starting in 1973-74, only three student-athletes have logged at least 7.0 assists per game in one season (Pooh Richardson, twice, as well as Lonzo Ball in 2016-17 and Larry Drew II in 2012-13).
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โ The Bruins' 15-man roster this season includes eight student-athletes who are from the Southern California region. All 15 student-athletes are from the United States. Looking at the eight local players, five are from Los Angeles County and three are from Riverside County (Donovan Dent, Eric Freeny and Anthony Peoples Jr. all went to Corona Centennial HS).
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โ Through 27 games, the Bruins have logged an assist-turnover ratio of 1.65-to-1 (ranks No. 25, nationally). Last season, UCLA's assist-turnover ratio (1.55-to-1) ranked No. 20 in the nation and was second in the Big Ten. The Bruins concluded the 2024-25 season with an assist-turnover ratio of 1.55, but posted a ratio of 1.81 in their final 15 games.
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โ Since the start of the 2020-21 season, the Bruins have gone 79-36 in conference play (logging a 68.7 win percentage). UCLA went 13-7 in Big Ten action last season, tied for fourth place in the 18-team league standings.
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CONSECUTIVE THREE-POINTERS
UCLA has made at least one 3-pointer in each of its last 91 games. The Bruins went 0-for-6 from long range in a 78-58 win against Long Island University early in the 2023-24 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.
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