Friday, February 21, 2014

No. 23 UCLA Basketball Prepares to Face Stanford on Saturday

Travis Wear has shot 65.0 percent through UCLA's last six games (photo by Scott Chandler)
Travis Wear has shot 65.0 percent through UCLA's last six games (photo by Scott Chandler)

Courtesy: UCLA Athletics

Courtesy: UCLA Athletics
Release: Friday 02/21/2014
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STANFORD, Calif. – No. 23 UCLA continues its road trip with a game at Stanford on Saturday afternoon (3 p.m., PT). The Bruins (21-5, 10-3 Pac-12) are looking to become the first time this season to sweep the Pac-12 “Bay Area” schools (California and Stanford). UCLA defeated California, 86-66, on Wednesday evening at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley, Calif.
GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Maples Pavilion (7,329)
Tipoff Time: 3:05 pm (PT)
TV: ESPN2
TV Talent: Dave Flemming (play-by-play), Sean Farnham (analyst)
Radio: AM 570 (KLAC)
Radio Talent: Chris Roberts (play-by-play), Tracy Murray (analyst)
WHAT’S NEXT? 
UCLA will conclude its road trip at Stanford on Saturday at 3 p.m. (PT). The Bruins have won seven of their last eight games and are currently riding a four-game winning streak. UCLA has won 15 of its last 18 games against Stanford since the start of the 2005-06 season. The Bruins defeated Stanford in Pauley Pavilion on Jan. 23 by a 91-74 margin. In that contest, Tony Parker scored a career-high 22 points and added seven rebounds.
DOWN THE STRETCH
UCLA will play three of its final five remaining regular season games on the road. The Bruins opened their week with an 86-66 win at California on Wednesday night. Jordan Adams scored a game-high 28 points for UCLA in that contest, helping the Bruins sweep the regular-season series against Cal.
HEATING UP
Travis Wear has averaged 10.7 points in UCLA’s last six games, shooting 65.0 percent in those contests. Wear has made 6 of 7 three-point attempts in the Bruins’ last five games (85.7 percent).
REACHING 20
The Bruins defeated Utah, 80-66, last Saturday to reach the 20-win plateau for the 48th time in school history and for the 31st time in the last 39 years (since John Wooden retired in 1975). UCLA has won at least 21 games in seven of its last nine seasons. Steve Alford has led his teams to at least 21 victories in each of the last seven seasons (nine of the last 10 years). He guided New Mexico to at least 22 wins in each of the previous six years.
THE LATEST
UCLA ranked 10th in the nation in scoring, second among Pac-12 teams (83.1 ppg), through Feb. 16.
The Bruins lead the Pac-12 in assists (17.6), steals (10.0), turnover margin (+4.34) and assist turnover ratio (1.7).
Through 26 games, Kyle Anderson (15.3 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 6.8 apg) has become the first UCLA player to average at least 10.0/5.0/5.0 since Bill Walton finished with 19.3 ppg, 14.7 rpg and 5.5 apg as a senior in 1973-74.
Kyle Anderson has become the first NCAA Division I player to average at least 14.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg and 6.0 apg in one season since Ohio State’s Evan Turner finished the 2009-10 campaign with 20.4 ppg, 9.2 rpg and 6.0 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 this season.
TRIPLE THREAT
No player in the country has averaged as close to a triple-double as has Kyle Anderson (15.3 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 6.8 apg). Through games played Feb. 20, 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).
PROTECTING THE BALL
UCLA leads all Pac-12 teams in assists per game (17.6), steals per game (10.0), assist turnover ratio (1.7) and turnover margin (+4.4), through games played on Feb. 19. The Bruins have committed the second fewest turnovers per game (10.6) of any Pac-12 team. UCLA’s defense has forced the highest average of turnovers among Pac-12 teams (15.0). Kyle Anderson (176 assists, 83 turnovers) has accounted for 38.4 percent of UCLA’s total assists.
KEY SCORER
Sophomore guard Jordan Adams leads UCLA with 17.5 points per game, the seventh-highest scoring average among Pac-12 players (through Feb. 19). 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 shot 37.5 percent from three-point range (42 of 112) as a sophomore after having shot 30.7 percent from three-point distance (46 of 150) as a freshman.
PICKED THEIR POCKETS
UCLA has three players that rank among the Pac-12’s top eight leaders in steals (through Feb. 19). Jordan Adams (78 steals, 3.0 spg) leads all Pac-12 players, having logged at least two steals in 21 of 26 games. He had a career-high eight steals against Sacramento State on Nov. 12. Kyle Anderson (42 steals, 1.6 spg) ranks fourth in the conference, while Norman Powell (36 steals, 1.4 spg) is eighth. UCLA leads all Pac-12 teams with 10.0 steals per game.
TRIPLE-DOUBLE
Kyle Anderson became the fourth player on record in UCLA history to register a triple-double (13 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists) in UCLA’s 81-70 win over Morehead State on Nov. 22, 2013. 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. Since UCLA consistently tracked assists as a statistic beginning in 1971-72, the Bruins have had four triple-doubles (including one point-rebound-block effort from Jelani McCoy).
FROM DOWNTOWN
Kyle Anderson has made 22 of 42 three-point attempts (52.4 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 Stanford as the Bruins’ third-leading scorer, averaging 11.1 points per game. Powell’s 55.3 overall field goal percentage ranks seventh among Pac-12 players (through Feb. 19). The junior guard from San Diego, Calif., has scored in double figures in 16 games this season, leading UCLA to a 15-1 record in those contests. Powell has played in more games in a UCLA uniform (94) 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 227 rebounds and 176 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.
MIDSEASON ACCOLADES
Kyle Anderson is one of six players in the nation who have 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 selected to the latest Bob Cousy Award midseason list. Anderson was among five players to be named a “midseason” All-America selection by The Sporting News.
HIGH OCTANE
The Bruins have averaged 83.2 points through 26 games, the program’s highest per game offensive output through the first 23 games in any season since averaging 87.6 ppg after 26 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 28.7 percent of UCLA’s scoring (620/2164). LaVine ranks fourth on the team in scoring (10.4 ppg) and is sixth among Pac-12 players with a 42.6 three-point FG percentage (40/94). 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 40 three-point field goals is tied for 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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