Friday, January 9, 2015

UCLA Basketball to Host Stanford on Thursday Evening

Isaac Hamilton and the Bruins will host Stanford in Pauley Pavilion this Thursday (photo by Don Liebig)
Isaac Hamilton and the Bruins will host Stanford in Pauley Pavilion this Thursday (photo by Don Liebig)

Courtesy: UCLA Athletics

Courtesy: UCLA Athletics
Release: Tuesday 01/06/2015
Article Link
LOS ANGELES - UCLA returns to action in Pauley Pavilion on Thursday evening (6 p.m., PT) against Stanford (10-3, 2-0 Pac-12), before hosting California on Sunday afternoon (4:30 p.m., PT). The Bruins, looking to snap a five-game losing streak, last played in Pauley Pavilion the night of Dec. 13, dropping an 87-74 decision to then No. 9-ranked Gonzaga. UCLA (8-7, 0-2 Pac-12) will have gone 25 consecutive days without having played a home game, the program’s longest such stretch during the regular season since the 1972-73 season, when UCLA went 26 straight days between home contests.
GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Pauley Pavilion (13,800)
Date: Thursday, Jan. 8
Tipoff Time: 6:05 p.m. (PT)
Television: ESPN
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
GETTING TO THE GAME
Tickets are available by ordering online or calling the UCLA Central Ticket Office at 310-UCLA-WIN (825-2946). The Pauley Pavilion Box Office (north side) will open Thursday at approximately 4:30 p.m. for the Bruins’ 6 p.m. game against Stanford. More information about directions to Pauley, parking and tickets can be found through ourGameday Info website.
LISTEN LIVE
UCLA's game against Stanford on Thursday (6 p.m. PT) will be broadcast live on the UCLA Sports Network from IMG College on AM 570 (KLAC), the flagship home of UCLA Athletics. The pregame show kicks off at 7:30 p.m. Chris Roberts and former UCLA basketball standout Tracy Murray will have the call, live from Pauley Pavilion. Fans can also listen to the audio broadcast by using the TuneIn radio app (click here).
PAC-12 START
The Bruins lost both of their Pac-12 games last weekend, falling to Colorado on Friday night by a 62-56 margin before absorbing a 71-39 loss to then No. 10-ranked Utah on Sunday afternoon. Norman Powell averaged a team-leading 15.0 points in both games, shooting at a team-best 42.9 percentage from the field. Last weekend’s trip marked the first time since 2011-12 in which UCLA opened its Pac-12 schedule with back-to-back losses. The Bruins faced a top-10 ranked opponent Sunday for the third time in four games and for the fourth time this season.
FACING STANFORD
The Bruins are preparing for a Stanford team that has compiled a 10-3 record with overtime victories over No. 9 Texas (Dec. 23) and, most recently, No. 21 Washington (Jan. 4). UCLA went 2-1 against Stanford last season, splitting a pair of regular season games before recording a 25-point win against the Cardinal in the semifinal round of the Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas. Senior Chasson Randle leads Stanford with 18.8 points per game, while seniors Stefan Nastic (14.2 ppg) and Anthony Brown (14.1 ppg) round out the team’s list of double figure scorers.
ONE THOUSAND
Senior Norman Powell became the 51st player in program history to have reached the 1,000 career point mark in UCLA’s game at Colorado on Jan. 2. Powell, a 6-foot-4 guard from San Diego, scored a total of 30 points in both games last weekend, pushing his career total to 1,011. He became the second player in as many seasons at UCLA to reach the 1,000 career point plateau (Jordan Adams accomplished the feat as a sophomore in March 2014). Powell currently ranks No. 51 overall on UCLA’s career scoring chart behind Michael Roll (1,021 career points).
ON THE HORIZON
Following this Sunday’s home game versus California, UCLA will return to the road, playing consecutive games at USC (Jan. 14), Oregon State (Jan. 22) and Oregon (Jan. 24). The Bruins are opening their Pac-12 season with five of their first seven games on the road, marking the third time in seven seasons in which UCLA’s schedule has featured this alignment. In that time frame, Arizona State has had this happen four times and California three times, while five teams have never had it happen (USC, Colorado, Oregon State, Stanford and Utah).
TOP FRESHMAN
Kevon Looney, a 6-foot-9 freshman, ranks second in the Pac-12 and 17th, nationally, in rebounds per game (9.9 rpg) through games played Jan. 5. Earlier this season, Looney was selected as one of 22 players to the Wayman Tisdale Award’s watch list (nation’s top freshman). Named a McDonald’s All-America selection as a high school senior last spring, he leads all freshmen in the nation in rebounds per game. In fact, Looney is the only freshman ranked among the nation’s top 37 rebounders (second on the freshman list is Seton Hall’s Angel Delgado, 8.9 ppg).
CRASH THE BOARDS
Through Jan. 5, UCLA ranked second in the Pac-12 in rebounds per game (40.8). The Bruins rank first in the Pac-12 in offensive rebounds per game (13.6) and No. 31, nationally, in that category. UCLA is one of just two teams (along with Colorado) to have at least two players listed among the conference’s top 11 rebounders. Freshman Kevon Looney ranks second in rebounding (9.9 rpg) while juinor Tony Parker is 11th (7.1 rpg). In addition to leading all Pac-12 players with 4.0 offensive rebounds per game, Looney ranks third on the defensive side (5.9 d-rpg).
UCLA’S TOP SCORER
Bryce Alford enters this week ranking sixth in the conference in points per game (15.7 ppg), having totaled a team-leading 5.9 assists per game, the third-highest average among Pac-12 players. Alford, a 6-foot-3 guard from Albuquerque, N.M., has scored in double figures in 13 of UCLA’s 15 games. He ranks second (tied) in the Pac-12 in minutes per game (35.3), third in three throw percentage (91.0 pct, 61-of-65), fifth in three-pointers made per game (2.1) and fourth in assist turnover ratio (2.4). He has led the Bruins in scoring in six of the team’s 15 games.
GETTING ADJUSTED
Isaac Hamilton, a 6-foot-4 sophomore guard from Los Angeles, has averaged 11.7 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game in all 15 contests. Hamilton, who did not play last season (NCAA rules) but did practice with the Bruins, has scored in double figures in seven of the team’s last nine games. In a four-game stretch that included games against Gonzaga and Kentucky and at both Alabama and Colorado, Hamilton led UCLA with 15.8 points per game, making 23 of 55 shots (.418) and 8 of 19 three-pointers (.421).
YEAR TWO
Steve Alford has entered his second season as UCLA’s head coach and his 24th year as a college basketball head coach. He directed UCLA to a 28-9 record in 2013-14, tying the school record for most victories in a head coach’s first year in Westwood (Gene Bartow went 28-4 in 1975-76). Alford (499-251 career) stands one win shy of career victory No. 500. He has recorded more NCAA wins than any collegiate head coach of age 50 or younger. There are currently 20 active NCAA Division I coaches who have won at least 500 NCAA games (minimum five years as a Division I head coach).
PARKER’S PROGRESSION
Junior forward Tony Parker has made consistent strides over the course of three seasons. After having played just 6.3 minutes per game as a freshman (2012-13, averaged 2.4 ppg, 1.2 rpg), Parker played 17.2 minutes per game last season and has logged 24.0 minutes per game in 15 starts this season. He registered 6.9 points and 4.4 rebounds per game in 2013-14. This season, Parker has recorded 9.7 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-9 forward from Atlanta, Ga., has shot 56.2 percent from the field in 85 career games.

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