Wednesday, January 8, 2014

No. 25 UCLA Basketball to Host No. 1 Arizona on Thursday


Courtesy: UCLA Athletics
Release: Tuesday 01/07/2014
Article Link

LOS ANGELES – No. 25 UCLA will host No. 1 Arizona on Thursday in Pauley Pavilion. The game will be nationally televised by ESPN and is slated for a 6:05pm (PT) tipoff. The Bruins (12-2, 1-0 Pac-12) won all three meetings against the Wildcats (15-0, 2-0) last season and have won 14 of their last 20 contests against Arizona.
GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Pauley Pavilion (13,800)
Tipoff Time: 6:05 pm (PT)
TV: ESPN
TV Talent: Dave Pasch (play-by-play), Bill Walton (analyst), Andy Katz (sideline)
Radio: AM 570 (KLAC)
Radio Talent: Chris Roberts (play-by-play), Tracy Murray (analyst)
SIRIUS Satellite Radio: Channel 91
SIRIUS XM Radio: Channel 91
THE LATEST
UCLA has opened its season with 12 wins in its first 14 games for the first time since beginning the 2008-09 campaign with a 14-2 mark ... the Bruins opened this year with an 8-0 record … through games played on Sunday, Jan. 5, UCLA ranked eighth in the nation in scoring (87.1 ppg), second in field goal percentage (52.7) and fifth in assists per game (118.6) ... UCLA’s 87.1 points per game is second in the Pac-12.
UCLA tied its record for the most points scored (107) against USC in the all-time series with last Sunday’s 107-73 win over the Trojans in Pauley Pavilion ... previously, UCLA had 107 points versus USC on Dec. 30, 1966 … the Bruins’ 107 points scored against USC were the most by any UCLA squad in a regular-season conference game since Dec. 23, 1987, when UCLA scored 110 in an 116-110 double overtime loss at Stanford.
Sophomore Jordan Adams has led UCLA in scoring, either by himself or tied with teammates, in 10 of 14 games ... he has scored in double figures in 13 of UCLA’s 14 games and has reached the 20-point plateau eight times.
Sophomore Kyle Anderson has emerged as one of the country’s most dynamic players and is the only Pac-12 player to rank among the conference’s top five leaders in rebounds (8.9 rpg), assists (6.6 apg) and steals (1.7 spg).
BRUINS VERSUS WILDCATS
UCLA continues Pac-12 play against Arizona on Thursday evening, looking to extend its winning streak against the Wildcats to four games. The Bruins went 3-0 against Arizona last season, including a 66-64 win in a Pac-12 Tournament semifinal contest in Las Vegas and victories at both the McKale Center and Pauley Pavilion. UCLA has logged a 52-37 all-time record against Arizona, including a 14-6 mark since the start of the 2005-06 season.
AGAINST NUMBER ONE
UCLA welcomes the nation’s top-ranked team, Arizona, to Pauley Pavilion for Thursday night’s nationally televised contest (ESPN). The Bruins have compiled a 10-19 all-time record against the Associated Press’ No. 1-ranked team. UCLA’s last win against the nation’s top-ranked team came against Arizona in the Pac-10 Tournament on March 13, 2003 (UCLA won in overtime, 96-89, in Steve Lavin’s final season as the program’s head coach). UCLA last defeated the top-ranked team in Pauley Pavilion on Jan. 12, 2002 (87-77 win against Kansas).
Since the start of the 1999-2000 season, UCLA has gone 4-5 against the No. 1-ranked team, with eight of those nine contests taking place prior to the 2004-05 season. UCLA’s most recent game against the No. 1-ranked team took place Dec. 6, 2009, in Pauley Pavilion, with the Bruins losing to Kansas, 73-61.
GETTING BUCKETS
Sophomore guard Jordan Adams leads UCLA with 18.7 points per game, having scored at least 20 points in eight of 14 contests. Adams scored a career-high 30 points against Morehead State (Nov. 22, Pauley Pavilion) and registered his first collegiate double-double (22 points, 10 rebounds) in UCLA’s 80-71 loss at Missouri (Dec. 7). He finished second in scoring for UCLA last season, having averaged 15.3 points per game as a freshman.
TRIPLE THREAT
No player in the country is averaging as close to a triple-double as is UCLA’s Kyle Anderson (15.1 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 6.6 apg). Through games played Monday, Jan. 6, Anderson was the nation’s only player to be averaging at least 10.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg and 6.0 apg. Connecticut’s Shabazz Napier (16.0/6.4/5.8), BYU’s Kyle Collinsworth (13.0/8.3/5.4) , and Iowa State’s DeAndre Kane (15.0/7.1/6.1) trail Anderson in that category.
MAKING HISTORY
Kyle Anderson registered the third triple-double on record in school history on Nov. 22, logging 13 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in UCLA’s 81-70 victory against Morehead State. That marked UCLA’s first triple-double since Dec. 18, 1995, when Toby Bailey had 23 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against Stephen F. Austin. Through his UCLA career, Anderson has finished three assists shy of a triple-double in five games (twice last season, three times this season). Against Duke on Dec. 19, Anderson had 15 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and five steals.
BIG OFF THE BENCH
UCLA freshmen Zach LaVine and Bryce Alford have played instrumental roles off the bench. In all, the Bruins’ bench this season has accounted for 31.7 percent of its total scoring (387/1219). LaVine ranks third on the team with 12.4 points per game. Alford has scored 7.8 points per game and ranks third in the Pac-12 with a 3.1 assist to turnover ratio. LaVine scored 21 points against Nevada on Nov. 28 and followed that with an 18-point effort versus Northwestern on Nov 29. Alford scored a season-high 20 points in his first-ever Pac-12 game (vs. USC, Jan. 5).
HIGH OCTANE
The Bruins have averaged 87.1 points through their first 14 games, the program’s highest per game offensive output this early in a season since averaging 88.0 ppg after 14 contests 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).
THAT’S STEALING
Jordan Adams has recorded 122 career steals in 47 games (2.60 spg). He needs 24 more steals to break into UCLA’s all-time top 10 steals leaders. Ed O’Bannon and Gerald Madkins each finished with 146 career steals while at UCLA. Earl Watson owns the school record with 235 steals.
DOWN THE ROAD
After this week’s pair of home games against Arizona (Jan. 9) and Arizona State (Jan. 12), the Bruins will return to the road, playing at Colorado on Thursday, Jan. 16, and at Utah on Saturday, Jan. 18. UCLA’s game at Colorado will be televised by Pac-12 Networks. The game versus Utah will be nationally televised by Fox Sports 1. The Bruins won each of their games at Colorado (78-75) and at Utah (57-53) in January 2013.
INJURY REPORT
UCLA does not currently have any major injuries. Freshman Noah Allen missed 12 games earlier this season after suffering multiple fractures to his face in a collision sustained against Oakland (Nov. 12). Allen returned against USC on Jan. 5. Freshman Wanaah Bail missed UCLA’s first five games of the season recovering from left knee surgery performed on Nov. 28. Senior Travis Wear missed UCLA’s first three games (appendectomy on Oct. 28).

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