Sunday, January 12, 2014

UCLA Basketball Faces Arizona State at Home on Sunday

Jordan Adams has scored in double figures in 14 of 15 games (photo by Don Liebig)
Jordan Adams has scored in double figures in 14 of 15 games (photo by Don Liebig)

Courtesy: UCLA Athletics

Courtesy: UCLA Athletics
Release: Saturday 01/11/2014
Article Link
LOS ANGELES – No. 25 UCLA returns to action at home versus Arizona State (13-3, 2-1 Pac-12) on Sunday, Jan. 12. Game time in Pauley Pavilion is 7 p.m. (PT). The Bruins (12-3, 1-1) have won six of their last seven meetings against Arizona State, having won two of three games versus the Sun Devils in 2012-13. Sunday evening’s game will be nationally televised on ESPNU.
GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Pauley Pavilion (13,800)
Tipoff Time: 7:05 pm (PT)
TV: ESPNU
TV Talent: Roxy Bernstein (play-by-play), Corey Williams (analyst)
Radio: AM 570 (KLAC)
Radio Talent: Chris Roberts (play-by-play), Tracy Murray (analyst)
SIRIUS Satellite Radio: Channel 85
SIRIUS XM Radio: Channel 85
THE LATEST
UCLA enters its game on Sunday versus Arizona State with a 12-3 overall mark after having opened the season with eight consecutive victories (UCLA’s first 8-0 start since going 14-0 to begin the 2006-07 campaign) … through games played Thursday, Jan. 9, UCLA ranked ninth in the nation in scoring (86.2 ppg), second in field goal percentage (51.8) and fifth in assists per game (18.5) ... UCLA ranks second in the Pac-12 in points per game.
Sophomore Jordan Adams has led UCLA in scoring, either by himself or tied with teammates, in 10 of 15 games ... he has scored in double figures in 14 of UCLA’s 15 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 (9.1 rpg), assists (6.5 apg) and steals (1.8 spg).
SUNDAY’S CONTEST
UCLA continues Pac-12 play against Arizona State on Sunday night and holds a 63-18 lead against the Sun Devils in the all-time series. Last season, UCLA went 2-1 against Arizona State. The Bruins secured a 79-74 overtime win in Pauley Pavilion and overcame a double-digit second-half deficit against ASU in the Pac-12 Tournament (quarterfinals). Arizona State has been led this season by sophomore Jahii Carson (18.6 ppg, 4.8 apg) and senior Jordan Bachynski (12.6 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 4.8 bpg). UCLA has won six of its last seven games against Arizona State.
TRIPLE THREAT
No player in the country is averaging as close to a triple-double as is UCLA’s Kyle Anderson (15.2 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 6.5 apg). Through games played Thursday, Jan. 9, Anderson was the nation’s only player to be averaging at least 10.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg and 6.0 apg. Iowa State’s DeAndre Kane (16.1/7.1/6.3), BYU’s Kyle Collinsworth (13.1/8.4/5.6) and Connecticut’s Shabazz Napier (16.1/6.5/5.7) trail Anderson in that category.
PROTECTING THE BALL
Through games played Thursday, Jan. 9, UCLA leads all Pac-12 teams in assists per game (18.5), assist to turnover ratio (1.75), steals per game (10.8), turnover margin (+4.7) and fewest turnovers per game (10.5). UCLA ranked third in the nation in assist turnover ratio, fourth in assists per game and second in steals per game. Guards Kyle Anderson (98 assists, 45 turnovers) and Bryce Alford (47 assists, 17 turnovers) have combined for 145 of the Bruins’ 277 assists (52.3 percent). Alford is tied for third in the Pac-12 with a 2.8 assist to turnover ratio.
STRONG PERCENTAGES
UCLA has recorded the nation’s second-highest field goal percentage (51.8 pct) through games played Thursday, Jan. 9. The Bruins have five of their primary eight contributors making at least 50 percent of their shots. Tony Parker has made a team-leading 61.3 percent of his field goal attempts (third-best mark in the Pac-12), while Norman Powell has connected on 57.0 percent of his shots (ninth-highest percentage in the Pac-12). Zach LaVine’s 53.4 field goal percentage ranks second in the Pac-12 among all freshmen (behind USC’s Nikola Jovanovic, 55.2 pct.).
GETTING BUCKETS
Sophomore guard Jordan Adams leads UCLA with 18.5 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.
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.
BEST MARKS SINCE ... 
UCLA tied its record for the most points scored (107) against USC in the all-time series on Jan. 5 with a 107-73 victory over the Trojans in Pauley Pavilion ... previously, UCLA had 107 points versus USC on Dec. 30, 1966.
UCLA’s 107 points scored on Sunday versus USC were the most for any Bruins’ squad in a regular-season conference game since Dec. 23, 1987, when UCLA scored 110 in an 116-110 double overtime loss at Stanford.
The Bruins made 13 of 17 three-point attempts (.765) in a 95-79 win over Northwestern (Nov. 28) ... UCLA nearly set the school’s single-game record for three-point percentage (.769, 10/13, vs. California on Jan. 21, 1990).
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 32.3 percent of its total scoring (418/1294). LaVine ranks third on the team with 12.2 points per game. Alford has scored 8.1 points per game and is tied for third in the Pac-12 with a 2.8 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 86.2 points through 15 games, the program’s highest per game offensive output this early in a season since averaging 87.0 ppg after 15 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).
PICKED THEIR POCKETS
UCLA has three players that rank among the Pac-12’s top 10 in steals. Jordan Adams (52 steals, 3.5 spg) leads all Pac-12 players, having logged at least at least two steals in 13 of 15 games. He had a career-high eight steals against Sacramento State on Nov. 12. Kyle Anderson (27 steals, 1.8 spg) ranks fourth in the conference in steals. Norman Powell (22 steals, 1.5 spg) is ninth among Pac-12 players in that category.
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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