Wednesday, December 14, 2016

No. 2 UCLA (10-0) Hosts UC Santa Barbara (1-6) today

The Gauchos are led by junior guard Gabe Vincent (17.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1 spg) and junior forward Jalen Canty (11.3 ppg, 7.1 rpg). 

from ESPN.com (link)


The Bruins (10-0) will face UC Santa Barbara (1-6) in Pauley Pavilion on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.


Story Links



dec 11, 2016 | ucla men's basketball page | ARTICLE LINK

LOS ANGELES – No. 2 UCLA (10-0) faces UC Santa Barbara (1-6) on Wednesday evening in Pauley Pavilion. Game time is 7:30 p.m. (PT). UCLA's game will be televised on Pac-12 Network, with the radio broadcast available in the Los Angeles area on AM 570 (KLAC). The Bruins are seeking their 11th consecutive victory, which would mark the program's longest winning streak at any point in a season since March 2008.

GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Pauley Pavilion (13,800)
Tipoff Time: 7:36 p.m. (PT)
Television: Pac-12 Network
TV Talent: J.B. Long (play-by-play), Bill Walton (analyst)
Radio: AM 570
Radio Talent: Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Tracy Murray (analyst)
SIRIUS/XM Radio Channels: Ch. 83/Ch. 197
SIRIUS App. Channel: Ch. 959

WEDNESDAY'S MATCHUP
UCLA hosts UC Santa Barbara on Wednesday evening (7:30 p.m. PT) in Pauley Pavilion, marking the 20th contest in the all-time series between these programs. The Bruins won the last meeting against the Gauchos, 89-76, on Dec. 3, 2013, in Pauley Pavilion. Wednesday night's game will mark the Bruins' third-to-final non-conference game, as UCLA is set to close non-conference play against Ohio State next Saturday and Western Michigan on Wednesday, Dec. 21.

SERIES AT A GLANCE
UCLA had won the first 17 meetings against UC Santa Barbara in the all-time series before the Gauchos edged the Bruins by one point in a Dec. 2003 contest. In the most recent meeting, Jordan Adams led UCLA with 22 points (going 11 for 14 from the free throw line) and Kyle Anderson had 21 points.

ATTENDING THE GAME
For those attending Wednesday's game in Pauley Pavilion, please note that doors to the arena open to the public at 6:30 p.m. (game time is 7:30 p.m.). Fans are encouraged to be familiar with UCLA's clear bag policy, in affect at all home games this season. UCLA will continue to host a food drive that will benefit the L.A. Regional Food Bank – donate non-perishable food items at the main entrances outside Pauley Pavilion, prior to the game. In addition, UCLA will be giving away "Bruin Bucks Books" to the first 5,000 fans.

BRUINS SURGE PAST MICHIGAN
- The Bruins outscored Michigan 52-34 in the second half of Saturday's 102-84 win in Pauley Pavilion. With the game tied at halftime, 50-50, UCLA shot 74 percent in the second half (20/27) and made 15 of 17 two-point shots to secure its 10th straight win. TJ Leaf scored 21 points as five UCLA players scored in double figures.
- UCLA reached the 100-point mark for the fourth time in 10 games this season. The Bruins improved their all-time record against Michigan to 12-5 and became the first team since Duke on Dec. 8, 2001, to have eclipsed the 100-point mark against the Wolverines. Saturday's win helped UCLA improve to 2-0 this season versus the Big Ten.
- UCLA shot 67.2 percent against Michigan (39/58), the highest mark by any Bruins' team since Dec. 23, 2005 – when UCLA shot 67.3% (37/55) against Sacramento State. UCLA's 62.5 three-point percentage on Saturday was its highest since Nov. 29, 2013 – when the Bruins shot 76.5% from downtown (13/17) against Northwestern.

THE LATEST
- After defeating Kentucky (then ranked No. 1) on Dec. 3, the Bruins climbed to the No. 2 spot in each of last week's AP and USA Today Coaches polls. UCLA hadn't been ranked as high as No. 2 since Nov. 26, 2007, when the Bruins were tabbed No. 2 in the AP poll and No. 1 in the USA Today Coaches poll.
- UCLA has opened 10-0 for the first time since 2006-07, when the Bruins began the season with 14 consecutive wins. UCLA's 2006-07 team advanced to the Final Four. With a victory on Wednesday, the Bruins can extend their win streak to 11 games, UCLA's longest such streak since taking 14 straight in February and March of 2008.
- This marks the second consecutive year in which UCLA has defeated Kentucky when the Wildcats were ranked No. 1. UCLA downed Kentucky in Pauley Pavilion, 87-77, on Dec. 3, 2015. One year to the day (Dec. 3, 2016), the Bruins earned a 97-92 win at Kentucky's Rupp Arena, UCLA's first-ever game in that venue.
- UCLA has played the nation's No. 1-ranked team (AP poll) five times during head coach Steve Alford's four seasons in Westwood. The Bruins have played Kentucky each of the last three years (each time in December), with the Wildcats having been ranked No. 1 in both major polls at the time of all three games.
- The Bruins' 97-92 win at Kentucky on Dec. 3 marked UCLA's first win on the road at the nation's No. 1-ranked team since defeating Stanford, 79-73, at Maples Pavilion on Feb. 3, 2001. In fact, UCLA had not played a true road game at the country's No. 1-ranked team since Feb. 13, 2003 (lost at No. 1 Arizona, 106-70).
- UCLA's victory at Kentucky snapped the Wildcats' 42-game win streak in Rupp Arena. Kentucky had not lost at home since a 71-67 overtime setback to Arkansas on Feb. 27, 2014. In addition, the Bruins' 97 points were the most surrendered by any Kentucky team under eighth-year head coach John Calipari (his first season at UK was 2009-10).

SCORE AND DISTRIBUTE
- Through games played Dec. 10, UCLA ranked first in the nation in assists per game (23.9), total assists (239), field goal percentage (56.2) and three-point field goal percentage (47.1). Freshman guard Lonzo Ball has averaged 8.8 assists per game, the second-highest average in the nation behind Creighton's Maurice Watson Jr. (9.1 apg).
- UCLA (currently at 97.5 points per game) has averaged well above its league-record 92.3 points per game average set in 1967-68, as well as Oregon State's 21.7 assists per game mark established in 1979-80. Prior to the assist being a regularly-recorded stat, UCLA had averaged a school-best 22.4 assists per game in 1973-74.
Lonzo Ball has four double-doubles (point-assist) and has recorded at least 10 assists in five of 10 games. Ball set UCLA's single-game freshman assists record (13) against UC Riverside on Nov. 30, surpassing a mark established by Pooh Richardson (12 assists) on Jan. 11, 1986, in a double-overtime victory at Washington State.
Lonzo Ball has nearly as many assists (88) as he does total shot attempts (91). He is the only player in the nation to be averaging at least 15.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game. Ball and Oregon freshman Payton Pritchard are the only freshmen in the nation to have dished at least 13 assists in one game this season.
Lonzo Ball ranks second, nationally, in assists per game (8.8). No other player in the Pac-12 has averaged as many as 6.5 assists per game. UCLA has never had a player average 8.0 or more assists per game in one full season. Pooh Richardson registered 7.6 assists per game as a senior at UCLA in 1988-89.

UNDEFEATED
The Bruins (10-0) are off to their best start since opening the 2006-07 campaign with 14 consecutive wins. This marks the 15th time in school history in which UCLA has opened with at least 10 consecutive wins (nine of those previous 14 seasons culminated with a national title). Since head coach John Wooden retired following the 1974-75 season, the Bruins have been 10-0 (or better) four times – 2016-17, 2006-07, 1993-94 and 1991-92. UCLA last opened a season with eight straight wins in 2013-14, head coach Steve Alford's first season in Westwood.

SEASONED SENIORS
Bryce Alford ranks No. 20 on the school's all-time scoring list. He enters this Wednesday's game having scored 1,520 points in 115 career games (13.5 career ppg). Alford has scored in double figures in nine of 10 games this season and currently ranks third on the team with 15.6 points per game. He scored 18 points, including 13 in the second half, in UCLA's 102-84 win over Michigan before a sellout crowd in Pauley Pavilion on Saturday, Dec. 10.
Isaac Hamilton, who tied his career high with seven 3-pointers against UC Riverside (Nov. 30), has averaged a team-leading 17.7 points per game and has scored in double figures in all 10 contests. He has shot 51.5 percent overall and has connected on 45.6 percent of his 3-point field goal attempts (31/68). A former standout at St. John Bosco High School, Hamilton crossed the school's career 1,000-point plateau on Nov. 24 in a win over Portland.

IMPACT FRESHMAN
TJ Leaf, a 6-foot-10 freshman forward from El Cajon, Calif., has averaged 17.6 points and 9.3 rebounds in the Bruins' 10 contests. Leaf and classmate Lonzo Ball were teammates in the 2016 McDonald's All-American Game in Chicago. Leaf has totaled four double-doubles, including a 17-point, 13-rebound, 5-assist game on Dec. 3 at No. 1-ranked Kentucky. Leaf and Kevon Looney (now with the Golden State Warriors) are the only freshmen in program history to have recorded at least two double-doubles in their first three UCLA contests (Looney was at UCLA in 2014-15).

SCORING BALANCE
Seven UCLA players scored in double figures against Pacific (Nov. 11). In addition, six Bruins scored in double figures against San Diego (Nov. 17), Long Beach State (Nov. 20), Portland (Nov. 24) and Kentucky (Dec. 3). Prior to this season, UCLA had not seen seven of its players score in double figures in the same game since Dec. 19, 1998 (UCLA def. CSUN, 114-97). UCLA's previous games with at least six double-figure scorers took place in wins over Montana State (Nov. 14, 2014 – Pauley Pavilion) and against Stanford in overtime (March 4, 2000 – Maples Pavilion, at Stanford).

SHARING THE BALL
UCLA has recorded a season-high 29 assists in three games this year (vs. Pacific on Nov. 11, vs. Portland on Nov. 24 and vs. UC Riverside on Nov. 30). Previously, UCLA had not had as many as 29 assists since Dec. 31, 2006 (vs. Washington). UCLA last reached the 30-assist total in a game on Feb. 23, 1995, recording 32 assists at California (UCLA won, 104-88). The Bruins also had 32 assists on Nov. 27, 1993 (against Loyola Marymount) and on Feb. 23, 1989 (versus Washington). UCLA totaled 38 assists on Dec. 2, 1990 in the team's 149-98 win over Loyola Marymount.

SPARK PLUG
Sophomore guard Aaron Holiday has averaged 13.3 points, 4.2 assists and 3.0 rebounds in the Bruins' first 10 games. In UCLA's 97-92 win at Kentucky, Holiday scored 13 points – all in the first half – to help the Bruins to a 49-45 halftime lead (and eventual 97-92 victory). In the team's season opener against Pacific (Nov. 11), he came off the bench midway through the first half and scored UCLA's next 10 consecutive points over a 1-minute, 27-second span. Through Saturday, Dec. 10, Holiday led all Pac-12 players in 3-point field goal percentage (60.0, 21-for-35).

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