Saturday, March 21, 2015

UCLA Basketball Prepares to Face UAB in NCAA Tournament



Courtesy: UCLA Athletics
Release: Friday 03/20/2015
Article Link

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - UCLA (21-13) will play a third-round game in the NCAA Tournament against UAB (20-15) on Saturday, March 21. Game time is 9:10 a.m. PT/12:10 p.m. ET in Louisville, Ky. The Bruins earned a 60-59 win over SMU on Thursday to advance to the round of 32.
GAME INFORMATION
Venue: KFC Yum! Center (22,000)
Date: Saturday, March 21
Game Time: 9:10 a.m. (PT)/12:10 p.m. (ET)
Television: CBS
TV Talent: Verne Lundquist (play-by-play), Jim Spanarkel (analyst), Allie LaForce (reporter)
Radio: AM 570 (KLAC)
Radio Talent: Chris Roberts (play-by-play), Tracy Murray (analyst)
SIRIUS Satellite Radio: Channel 92
SIRIUS XM Radio: Channel 202
LISTEN LIVE
UCLA’s game this Saturday in Louisville (9:10 a.m. PT/12:10 p.m. PT) will be broadcast live in the Los Angeles area on AM 570 (KLAC). The pregame show kicks off at approximately 8:45 a.m. PT. Chris Roberts and former UCLA basketball standout Tracy Murray will have the call, live from the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky. Fans can also listen to the audio broadcast by using the TuneIn radio app (click here).
KEY NOTES ABOUT UCLA
- UCLA has advanced to the NCAA Tournament’s third round (Round of 32) for the second consecutive season and for the third time in the last five years ... the Bruins enter this Saturday’s game against UAB with a 21-13 overall record, having won five of their last six games ... last season, UCLA advanced to the Sweet 16 (lost to Florida).
- The Bruins are making their 47th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament ... UCLA has gone to the NCAA Tournament in four of the last five seasons and each of the last three years ... in two seasons as the program’s head coach, Steve Alford has led UCLA to consecutive 21-win seasons and back-to-back NCAA Tournament berths.
- UCLA has won at least 20 games in 32 of the previous 40 seasons (dating back to when former head coach John Wooden retired in 1975) ... head coach Steve Alford has led his teams to at least 21 wins each of the previous eight years (at New Mexico and UCLA), averaging 25.4 wins in that span (2007-08 through 2014-15).
- UCLA went 16-1 at home this season, marking the program’s best home record since going 16-0 in Pauley Pavilion in 2006-07 ... UCLA and Arizona were the only two Pac-12 programs to go 9-0 at home in conference action this year ... UCLA won every home league game for the first time since 2006-07 (going 9-0 each season).
BRUINS EDGE SMU, 60-59
Bryce Alford scored a game-high 27 points to help UCLA defeat SMU, 60-59, on Thursday ... the Bruins led 44-34 with 12 minutes remaining when SMU used a 19-0 scoring run to surge ahead, 53-44 (at 4:34) ... Alford scored 12 points in the game’s final four minutes, knocking down four 3-pointers, to help UCLA mount a furious comeback. - UCLA took the game’s final lead (60-59) with 13 seconds remaining, as a 3-point attempt by Bryce Alford was called for goaltending ... the Bruins held tough in the final 10 seconds, as neither of SMU guard Nic Moore’s final two 3-point field goal attempts were successful ... UCLA led by a 34-30 margin against SMU at halftime.
Norman Powell scored 19 points against SMU (11 in the first half), going 9-for-9 from the free throw line ... Powell has scored in double figures in 29 of UCLA’s 34 games ... he pushed his career scoring total to 1,345 points (No. 31 all-time), just four points shy of Jamaal Wilkes on UCLA’s all-time list.
- UCLA earned its first win in the NCAA Tournament as a double-digit seed (No. 11) ... prior to this season, UCLA had gone 0-1 in the tournament when seeded in double-digits ... in 2005, No. 11-seed UCLA dropped a 78-66 decision to No. 6-seed Texas Tech in the NCAA Tournament’s first round (game played in Tucson, Ariz.).
BRYCE’S 27-POINT GAME
Bryce Alford’s 27 points on Thursday are the most by any Bruin in the NCAA Tournament since Kevin Love tallied 29 versus Western Kentucky in the Sweet 16 on March 27, 2008 … Alford’s nine 3-point field goals are the most ever in the NCAA Tournament by a UCLA player (previously, five players had connected on five 3-pointers). - Alford shot 9 of 13 from the field, connecting on 9 of 11 three-point field goals ... he tied the school record for most 3-pointers in any game (Jason Kapono shot 9 for 11 from 3-point range against Washington State on Jan. 4, 2003) ... Alford’s previous career high was six 3-pointers versus Nicholls State on Nov. 20, 2014.
NEXT OPPONENT: UAB
- UCLA defeated UAB, 88-76, in the seventh-place game of the Battle 4 Atlantis (Bahamas) earlier this season ...Isaac Hamilton scored 21 points and Norman Powell added 17 in that game on Nov. 28, 2014.
- The Bruins have gone 3-0 all-time against UAB ... prior to this season’s meeting in the Bahamas, UCLA recorded victories against UAB on March 16, 1990 (NCAA Tournament) and Nov. 29, 1997 ... the Bruins’ game in 1990 took place in the first round of the NCAA Tournament (UCLA won, 68-56).
- With a victory Saturday, the Bruins could advance to the “Sweet 16” for the second straight season ... UCLA has not played in the Sweet 16 in consecutive years since advancing to three straight Final Fours in 2006, 2007 and 2008 ... last season, UCLA defeated Tulsa and Stephen F. Austin in San Diego to earn a trip to the Sweet 16.
POWELL GUIDES THE BRUINS
- UCLA has advanced to the Round of 32 after having lost five of eight contributors from the 2013-14 squad ... in fact, UCLA was the only school last season to have produced three NBA first-round draft picks (underclassmen Zach LaVineJordan Adams and Kyle Anderson) as four total players earned NBA roster spots.
- Leading scorer Norman Powell (16.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg) entered the season as UCLA’s only returning starter from last year’s squad ... Powell earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors this year and entered the NCAA Touranment ranking sixth in the Pac-12 in scoring ... he was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week three times this season.
- Among one of UCLA’s most durable players in program history, Norman Powell (139 career games) is looking to become UCLA’s first player since 2003 to have played in every game over four years in a UCLA uniform ... Jason Kapono last accomplished that feat (from 2000-03), having played in all 127 games during his four-year UCLA career.
THREE-POINT RECORDS
Bryce Alford has set the UCLA single-season record for most 3-point field goals made (88) ... with his 9-for-11 performance from 3-point territory on Thursday, Alford eclipsed previous record holders Arron Afflalo (87 in 2007) and Jason Kapono (82 in 2002) ... Alford’s total of 135 career 3-pointers ranks ninth on UCLA’s all-time list.
Bryce Alford has attempted 227 field goals from 3-point range this year, tied for the second-highest single-season total in school history (Arron Afflalo had 227 attempts in 2007) ... Alford has shot 38.8 percent from long distance this season ... in fact, he has made 59.4 percent of his 3-point attempts in the last five games (19-for-29)
KEY PLAYER NOTES
- Freshman Kevon Looney (11.7 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 14 double-doubles) entered the NCAA Tournament ranking second among all freshmen in the nation with 9.2 rebounds per game ... his 14 double-doubles are tops in the country among freshmen ... a second-team All-Pac-12 selection, Looney was listed to this year’s Pac-12 All-Freshmen Team.
- Sophomore Bryce Alford (15.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 4.9 apg) secured honorable mention All-Pac-12 Team acclaim after having ranked eighth in the league in scoring and fourth in assists per game ... Alford and Washington’s Nigel Williams-Goss were the Pac-12’s only players to rank in the top 10 in scoring and top five in assists per game.
- UCLA has had nine games this season in which all five starters scored in double figures ... Powell has scored in double figures in a team-leading 29 games (Alford in 28 games and Looney in 24 contests) ... Powell has led UCLA in scoring in 16 games, while Alford has been the team’s top scorer in 11 contests.
- Sophomore guard Isaac Hamilton scored a team-best 36 points in UCLA’s 96-70 win over USC on March 12 in the Pac-12 Tournament ... Hamilton’s 36 points are the most by any UCLA player since Dijon Thompson dropped 39 points againts Arizona State on Feb. 10, 2005 (no UCLA player had scored 30 points this season).

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