Wednesday, February 26, 2014

UCLA Basketball to Host Oregon on Thursday at 8 p.m.

Zach LaVine has shot 47.5 percent from the field this season (photo by Scott Chandler)
Zach LaVine has shot 47.5 percent from the field this season (photo by Scott Chandler)

Courtesy: UCLA Athletics

Courtesy: UCLA Athletics
Release: Monday 02/24/2014
Article Link

LOS ANGELES – UCLA returns home this week to host Oregon on Thursday (8 p.m.) and Oregon State on Sunday (6 p.m.) to close its regular-season home schedule in Pauley Pavilion. UCLA edged Oregon at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore., by a 70-68 margin on Thursday, Jan. 30. Travis Wear scored the game-winning basket for UCLA with 5.8 seconds remaining, snapping a 68-68 tie. Jordan Adams led UCLA with 19 points in that victory.
GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Pauley Pavilion (13,800)
Tipoff Time: 8:05 pm (PT)
TV: ESPN2
TV Talent: Dave Pasch (play-by-play), Bill Walton (analyst)
Radio: AM 570 (KLAC)
Radio Talent: Chris Roberts (play-by-play), Tracy Murray (analyst)
SIRIUS Satellite Radio: Channel 91
SIRIUS XM Radio: Channel 91
ESPN Radio Talent: Dave Flemming (play-by-play), Miles Simon (analyst)
HOME COOKING
The Bruins have recorded the conference’s second-best home record (15-1, .938 winning percentage) behind Arizona’s 16-0 home mark. UCLA has averaged 86.6 points per game in 16 home contests. The Bruins have averaged 86.9 points per game in seven Pac-12 home games (50.2 field goal percentage, 47.6 three-point percentage). Kyle Anderson has averaged 17.7 points, 10.3 rebounds and 7.0 assists in the seven home conference games.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Kyle Anderson, a 6-foot-9 guard from Fairview, N.J., is one of six players in the nation who has been named to “watch lists” for the John R. Wooden Award, the Naismith Trophy and the Bob Cousy Award (top point guard). Anderson is among 30 players listed on the John R. Wooden Award midseason list and is one of 23 point guards who has been selected to the latest Bob Cousy Award midseason list. Anderson (14.9 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 6.9 apg) was among five players to be named a “midseason” first-team All-America selection by The Sporting News.
THE LATEST
UCLA ranked eighth, nationally, in scoring and was first among Pac-12 teams (82.9 ppg), through Feb. 23 … the Bruins have won 20 games or more for the 31st time in the last 39 years (since John Wooden retired in 1975).
Currently in his first season as UCLA’s head coach, Steve Alford has guided his teams to at least 21 wins in each of the last seven seasons (this year at UCLA and in each of his six seasons at New Mexico, 2007-08 through 2012-13).
Kyle Anderson (14.9 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 6.9 apg) has become UCLA’s first player to average at least 10.0/5.0/5.0 since Bill Walton finished his senior season (1973-74) with 19.3 ppg, 14.7 rpg and 5.5 apg.
UCLA’s roster features seven players who have scored at least 20 points in one career game, with six of those seven players having registered at least 20 points in one game during the 2013-14 season.
TRIPLE THREAT
No player in the country has averaged as close to a triple-double as has Kyle Anderson (14.9 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 6.9 apg). Through games played Feb. 23, Anderson was the nation’s only player averaging at least 10.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg and 6.0 apg. In addition, Anderson is the only player to rank in the top five (in his conference, BCS conferences only) in rebounds, assists and steals and be among the top 15 scorers (includes AAC, ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC).
KEY SCORER
Sophomore guard Jordan Adams leads UCLA with 17.2 points per game, the seventh-highest scoring average among Pac-12 players (through Feb. 23). Adams scored a career-high 30 points against Morehead State (Nov. 22, 2013) and registered his third double-double of the season at Colorado with 14 points and 13 rebounds (Jan. 16). He finished second in scoring for UCLA last season, averaging 15.3 points per game as a freshman. Adams has scored in double figures in 24 of UCLA’s 27 games and has registered at least 20 points in 10 games during his sophomore campaign.
PROTECTING THE BALL
UCLA leads all Pac-12 teams in assists per game (17.6), steals per game (10.0), assist turnover ratio (1.65) and turnover margin (+4.4), through games played on Feb. 23. The Bruins have committed the second fewest turnovers per game (10.67) of any Pac-12 team. UCLA’s defense has forced the highest average of turnovers among Pac-12 teams (15.0). Kyle Anderson (185 assists, 87 turnovers) has accounted for 39.0 percent of UCLA’s total assists.
PICKED THEIR POCKETS
UCLA has three players that rank among the Pac-12’s top 10 leaders in steals (through Feb. 23). Jordan Adams (79 steals, 2.9 spg) leads all Pac-12 players, having logged at least two steals in 21 of 27 games. He had a career-high eight steals against Sacramento State on Nov. 12. Kyle Anderson (46 steals, 1.7 spg) ranks fourth in the conference, while Norman Powell (36 steals, 1.3 spg) is tied for 10th. UCLA leads all Pac-12 teams with 10.0 steals per game.
FROM DOWNTOWN
Kyle Anderson has made 22 of 44 three-point attempts (50.0 percent), a strong increase over his freshman year totals (8-for-28, 21.1 percent). Anderson shot a perfect 5-for-5 from long range in UCLA’s 74-69 loss to Utah on Jan. 18. That marked UCLA’s first “perfect” effort from three-point range with a minimum of five attempts since Ray Young went 5-for-5 from downtown on Feb. 22, 2003, in UCLA’s 93-84 loss to Stanford.
POWELL’S PRODUCTION
Norman Powell enters UCLA’s game against Oregon as the Bruins’ third-leading scorer, averaging 11.1 points per game. Powell’s 55.0 overall field goal percentage ranks seventh among Pac-12 players (through Feb. 23). The junior guard from San Diego, Calif., has scored in double figures in 17 games this season, leading UCLA to a 15-2 record in those contests. Powell has played in more games in a UCLA uniform (95) than any other current Bruins’ player.
UNIQUE TALENT
Kyle Anderson has become UCLA’s first player since 1994-95 (Charles O’Bannon) to register at least 200 rebounds and 100 assists in one season. A sophomore in 1994-95, O’Bannon finished the year with 201 rebounds and 110 assists (Anderson has 232 rebounds and 185 assists). Since UCLA officially recorded assists (1973-74), Anderson, O’Bannon and Bill Walton are UCLA’s only players to have logged 200+ rebounds and 100+ assists in one season.
HIGH OCTANE
The Bruins have averaged 82.9 points through 27 games, the program’s highest per game offensive output through the first 23 games in any season since averaging 87.8 ppg after 27 games in 1994-95, the last year in which UCLA won the NCAA Championship. Earlier this season, UCLA compiled a seven-game streak of at least 80 points scored in victories. That feat had not been accomplished since the 1994-95 campaign (streak from Feb. 22-March 17, 1995).
BENCH PERFORMANCES
UCLA’s Zach LaVine, Bryce Alford and Tony Parker have played major roles off the bench. The Bruins’ bench has accounted for 29.3 percent of UCLA’s scoring (656/2238). LaVine ranks fourth on the team in scoring (10.6 ppg) and is fourth among Pac-12 players with a 43.3 three-point field goal percentage (42/97). Both LaVine and Alford rank in UCLA’s freshman top-5 list for three-point field goal percentage (miminum 0.75 three-pointers made per games played). LaVine’s 42 three-point field goals is the fourth-highest total in school history for any freshman.
INJURY REPORT
UCLA does not currently have any major injuries. Noah Allen missed 12 games after suffering multiple fractures to his face in a collision sustained with a player from Oakland (Nov. 12) in the game’s final minutes. Wanaah Bail missed UCLA’s first five games recovering from left knee surgery which was performed on June 28, 2013. Travis Wear missed UCLA’s first three games after having underwent an appendectomy on Oct. 28, 2013.

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