Media Availability March 17, 2021 prior to MSU game tomorrow

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Men's Basketball March 15, 2021

Bruins Set to Face Michigan State on Thursday

uclabruins.com/INDIANAPOLIS – UCLA will make its 50th all-time appearance at the NCAA Tournament this week. The No. 11-seed Bruins (17-9) will take on No. 11-seed Michigan State (15-12) on Thursday night at Purdue's Mackey Arena (West Lafayette, Ind.). UCLA's matchup on Thursday is one of four "First Four" contests in this season's NCAA Tournament. The winner of this Thursday's showdown will face No. 6-seed BYU on Saturday evening.

 
Through the program's previous 49 NCAA Tournament appearances, UCLA has gone 106-42 with a nation-leading 11 NCAA Championships. UCLA won 10 of those 11 NCAA titles from 1964-75, including a streak of seven consecutive national championships from 1967 through 1973 (under the late Coach John Wooden). UCLA most recently advanced to the NCAA Tournament (First Four) in 2018. The Bruins have not reached the Final Four since three consecutive trips in 2006, 2007 and 2008 under former head coach Ben Howland. Head coach Mick Cronin, in his second season at UCLA, has now led Murray State, Cincinnati and UCLA to NCAA Tournaments in 18 seasons as a collegiate head coach.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Mackey Arena (West Lafayette, Indiana)
Game Time: 6:57 p.m. PT (9:57 p.m. ET)
Television: TBS
TV Talent: Brian Anderson (play-by-play), Jim Jackson (analyst), Allie LaForce (sideline)
Radio (UCLA Sports Network): AM 570
Radio Talent: Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Tracy Murray (analyst)
SIRIUS and XM Radio Channels: Ch. 206 / Ch. 206
SIRIUSXM Internet Channel: Ch. 206
 
ACCESSING GAME NOTES
All men's basketball game notes are available online (link: https://ucla.in/3m8vfrm). In an effort to reduce wasted paper, UCLA Athletics encourages individuals to view game notes online (via laptop, tablet or a mobile device). The link above also provides access to PDF versions of game notes from opposing teams, as well as PDF versions from the previous three men's basketball seasons.
 
ABOUT THE BRUINS
- UCLA went 13-6 in Pac-12 play this season, winning their first eight conference contests.
- The Bruins are making their 50th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, their first since 2018.
- Mick Cronin is currently midway through his second season as the Bruins' head coach (36-21 record in two years).
- None of UCLA's players who will be suiting up on Thursday have ever played in the NCAA Tournament.
- Dating back to last season, UCLA has won 20 of its past 27 Pac-12 contests (and 28 of 40 overall games).
- Not including Chris Smith (injured), UCLA has five active players who have averaged at least 10.0 points per game.
- UCLA ranked No. 3 in the Pac-12 in fewest turnovers per game (11.1) and fewest fouls committed per game (16.0).
- The Bruins ranked No. 3 among all Pac-12 programs in 3-point percentage (36.7%), trailing Oregon and Arizona.
- The Bruins have committed fewer fouls than their opponent in 21 of 26 games this season.
 
INDIVIDUAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS
- Tyger Campbell (first team), Jaime Jaquez Jr. (second team) and Johnny Juzang (second team) earned All-Pac-12 honors.
- Tyger Campbell (10.5 ppg, 5.6 apg) ranks No. 2 in the Pac-12 in assists per game and No. 4 in assist-turnover ratio (2.8).
- Tyger Campbell (34.0) and Jaime Jaquez Jr. (33.8) have ranked No. 4 and 7, respectively, in the Pac-12 in minutes/game.
- Tyger Campbell has secured first-team NABC All-District honors (one of five players to earn first team acclaim).
- Johnny Juzang leads all Pac-12 players in free throw percentage (93.3%, 42 of 45), headed into the NCAA Tournament.
- David Singleton ranks No. 3 in the Pac-12 in 3-point percentage (45.9%, 34-for-74), through Monday, March 15.
 
10 CONSECUTIVE
Mick Cronin is one of just five coaches to have led his teams to the past 10 NCAA Tournaments. That includes nine consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances as the head coach at Cincinnati (2011-19). Joining Cronin on that list are Mark Few (Gonzaga), Tom Izzo (Michigan State), Bill Self (Kansas) and Roy Williams (North Carolina).
 
NOT OUR FIRST FOUR
UCLA advanced to the NCAA Tournament's "First Four" in March of 2018, marking the program's most recent NCAA Tournament appearance. The Bruins lost to St. Bonaventure, 65-58, on March 13, 2018 at the University of Dayton (UD Arena). Chris Smith is UCLA's only player on this year's roster to have been on that team.This marks the Bruins' second apperance at the "First Four" since the NCAA adopted the current 68-team format in 2011.
 
UCLA vs. MICHIGAN STATE
The Bruins have gone 6-4 against Michigan State in an all-time series that began in 1952. Most recently, Michigan State defeated UCLA (75-62) in the 2019 Maui Invitational and at the 2018 Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational (Michigan State won, 87-67, in Nov. 2018 at Orleans Arena). Last season's matchup in Maui was the first time one of Mick Cronin's teams faced Michigan State and head coach Tom Izzo. Prior to those two matchups (2018, 2019), UCLA edged Michigan State (78-76) in the first round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament in Tampa, Fla. (only previous NCAA Tournament meeting).
 
A CLOSER LOOK
Chris Smith scored a team-high 13 points off the bench in last season's 75-62 loss to Michigan State on the final day of the Maui Jim Maui Invitational. Cody Riley had 11 points, while Tyger Campbell and Prince Ali each totaled 10 points. The Bruins out-rebounded the Spartans by a 33-22 margin and trailed at halftime, 26-23.
 
THE LAST TIME OUT
UCLA absorbed an 83-79 loss in overtime to Oregon State in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Tournament on Thursday, March 11 (at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas). Jules Bernard finished with team-highs in scoring (19 points) and rebounding (10 rebounds). UCLA led 32-16 with two minutes to play in the first half and was ahead at the intermission, 34-24. Oregon State overcame a 69-65 deficit in the game's final 45 seconds and the two teams were deadlocked (70-70) at the conclusion of the second half. Oregon State shot 57.7 percent in the second half against UCLA last Thursday.
 
SINCE 1985, SWEET 16
In March of 2017, the Bruins advanced to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 (regional semifinals) for the 14th time since the tournament field expanded to at least 64 teams, starting in 1985. Previous Sweet 16 trips (since 1985) have occurred in 1990, 1992, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2014, 2015 and 2017. Through those 14 appearances, the Bruins have posted a 6-8 record with four trips to the Final Four (1995, 2006, 2007 and 2008). In the four most recent trips to the Final Four, UCLA has compiled a 3-3 record (including the 1995 NCAA title). Overall, UCLA has advanced to 49 NCAA Tournaments and 18 NCAA Final Fours and won a nation-leading 11 NCAA Championships.
 
MOST RECENT "SWEET 16"
UCLA advanced to the Sweet 16 in March 2017 for the third time in four seasons. Through that four-year span (2014-2017), the Bruins were just the sixth team in the country to have earned at least three Sweet 16 trips. Joining UCLA on that six-team list included Arizona, Gonzaga, Kentucky, North Carolina and Wisconsin. As the No. 3 seed in the 2017 tournament's South Region (Sacramento, Calif.), UCLA downed Kent State in a first round contest (97-80) before taking down Cincinnati two days later (79-67). The Bruins' season ended in the Sweet 16, as No. 2-seed Kentucky outlasted UCLA, 86-75, at FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn. That marked UCLA's fourth game against Kentucky in four seasons.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
The winner of Thursday night's nationally-televised contest between UCLA and Michigan State will face BYU on Saturday night in Indianapolis. Similar to Michigan State, the Bruins faced BYU in last season's Maui Jim Maui Invitational. UCLA lost to BYU (78-63) in the first contest for both teams on the island of Maui (Nov. 25, 2019). UCLA trailed BYU at halftime, 36-32, and took a 52-51 lead with just over 11 minutes to play in the second half. BYU closed the game on a 27-11 scoring run to record the first-round victory. Jules Bernard scored a team-high 16 points for the Bruins.
 
THE ALL-TIME SERIES
UCLA has registered a 12-12 all-time record against BYU. Prior to last season's non-conference tilt at the Maui Jim Maui Invitational, the Bruins had secured an 86-79 win over BYU at the Honda Center (as part of the John Wooden Classic) on Dec. 18, 2010. The two schools first faced off during the 1929-30 season.
 
STREAK SNAPPED
UCLA's 18-game home winning streak ended in the regular-season finale (lost to USC, 64-63). USC's Tahj Eaddy hit a 3-pointer from the corner with 1.4 seconds left on the clock. The Bruins had won 18 consecutive home games prior to that contest. That 18-game streak began with a 50-40 win against California on Jan. 19, 2020. The Bruins' 18-game home winning streak marked the program's best such streak (at home) since logging 25 consecutive home victories from Feb. 2006 through Nov. 2007. Most recently, UCLA had a perfect home record in 2006-07, going 16-0 in Pauley Pavilion.
 
UCLA IN INDIANA
The Bruins are playing their first NCAA Tournament games in the state of Indiana since the 2006 Final Four, hosted that season at the RCA Dome (home of the NFL's Indianapolis Colts from 1984-2007). In 2006, UCLA downed LSU in the national semifinal (59-45) and lost to Florida (73-57) in the championship contest. Thursday's game against Michigan State will mark UCLA's first game at Purdue's Mackey Arena since Dec. 30, 2001, when the Bruins outlasted Purdue, 87-82. Last season, the Bruins played at Notre Dame in a non-conference showdown (Notre Dame won, 75-61).
 
COACH WOODEN'S ALMA MATER
John Wooden served as UCLA's head coach for 27 season (1948-49 through 1974-75), winning 10 NCAA titles in Westwood. Coach Wooden graduated from Purdue in 1932, securing All-America honors on the basketball team from 1930-32. He served as Purdue's team captain in 1931 and 1932.

UCLA (17-9) barely makes this year's tourney, will meet Michigan State (15-12) in First Four on Thursday

The No. 11-seed Bruins (17-9) have advanced to the 2021 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament and will face No. 11-seed Michigan State (15-12) in the "First Four" on Thursday in the state of Indiana. 

DETAILS: https://ucla.in/3twxpET 

Reactions from Coach Cronin:

Reactions from J3 and Cody Riley: 

Men's Basketball Secures Bid to NCAA Tournament

uclabruins.com/LOS ANGELES – The UCLA men's basketball team earned a No. 11 seed in the 68-team NCAA Tournament field, as announced Sunday when the complete 68-team bracket was revealed on CBS.
 
The Bruins (17-9) will compete in the "First Four" on Thursday against No. 11-seed Michigan State (15-12) at Purdue's Mackey Arena (West Lafayette, Ind.). The winner of that game will face No. 6-seed BYU next Saturday.
 
UCLA's game on Thursday will begin at 6:57 p.m. PT (9:57 p.m. ET, in Indiana) and will be televised on TBS. Complete tip-off times and TV designations for every game are available here.
 
This will mark UCLA's second appearance in the tournament's "First Four" round, a series of play-in games that began in 2011.
 
UCLA secured its 50th all-time berth in the annual NCAA Tournament (and the team's first bid since 2018). Due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, last season's NCAA Tournament was canceled just three days in advance of Selection Sunday.
 
The Bruins went 13-6 in Pac-12 play after having opened their league schedule with eight consecutive victories.
 
Most recently, UCLA absorbed an 83-79 overtime loss to Oregon State on Thursday afternoon in the quarterfinal round of the Pac-12 Tournament. Oregon State defeated top-seeded Oregon on Friday and No. 3-seed Colorado in the tournament title game on Saturday night.
 
UCLA had a trio of sophomores named as All-Pac-12 selections last week. Tyger Campbell was one of 10 players in the league to secure first-team All-Pac-12 honors. Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Johnny Juzang were among the five student-athletes selected as second-team honorees.
 
This marks the first season in which head coach Mick Cronin has led UCLA to the NCAA Tournament. Cronin, in his second year as The Michael Price Family UCLA Men's Head Basketball Coach, has guided his teams to each of the past 10 NCAA Tournaments – including a string of nine consecutive appearances while at Cincinnati (2011-2019).
 
Cronin is one of just five coaches in the nation to have led his teams to the past 10 consecutive NCAA Tournaments – along with Mark Few (Gonzaga), Tom Izzo (Michigan State), Bill Self (Kansas) and Roy Williams (North Carolina).
 
UCLA seeks its first win in the NCAA Tournament since 2017, when the Bruins advanced to the "Sweet 16" with consecutive wins in Sacramento.

Team UCLA

Team MSU

Is this the end? UCLA bows out of Pac-12 tourney, losing to the OSU Beavers 83-79 in OT

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ABSOLUTE HEARTBREAKER!!! 2nd year in a row, UCLA ends season with a loss to USC on a last second shot 64-63.

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UCLA hobbling to end of the season. Loses at Oregon 82-74. Bruins now 17-7, 13-5. USC coming to town for senior/Chris Smith night/afternoon today!

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Men's Basketball Suffers 82-74 Setback at Oregon

uclabruins.com | EUGENE, Ore. – Despite a career-high 23 points from junior guard Jules Bernard, UCLA suffered an 82-74 loss to Oregon on Wednesday evening at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene.

With the loss, the Bruins fall to 17-7 overall and 13-5 in the Pac-12. The Ducks, who entered Wednesday's contest a half a game behind the Bruins in the league standings, improved to 17-6 overall and 13-4 in conference play.

Bernard, whose previous career high came in a 21-point effort against Pepperdine in November, led all Bruins on the evening, finishing 10 of 16 from the field, including 3 of 5 from behind the arc.

Wednesday's contest was tight throughout, however the Ducks played their best basketball down the stretch, outscoring the Bruins 14-6 in the final 4:06. After redshirt junior forward Cody Riley tied the game on a made layup and subsequent free throw to make it 68-68, Oregon went on a 7-0 run, capped by a three pointer from senior guard Chris Duarte, who finished with a game-high-tying 23 points on 7 of 12 shooting. Duarte was also 8 of 10 from the free-throw line.

"I don't care what the polls say, USC, Colorado and Oregon are top-20 teams," said UCLA head coach Mick Cronin. "Oregon healthy, they are probably seven, eight or nine in the country. It takes a tremendous amount of toughness to beat a team like that and without any seniors on this team, when the game gets to an intensity level on both ends, is when you're going to find out who's going to win. I've done this a lot and I've been in this before and you know why you don't win. They were just a tougher team on both ends."

In addition to Bernard, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Riley also notched double figures on the evening, finishing with 15 and 11 points, respectively.  

"It's extremely tough, but we have a game on Saturday so we just have to keep pushing forward and we kind of just have to leave this behind, learn from it and go forward," added Jaquez Jr. "I'm extremely confident in our team. We made it this far in the season. We still believe in each other no matter what happens, whether we lose or whether we win. We are a really tight group and I have the utmost confidence that we will bounce back from this."

The Bruins, who will close out the regular season with a home game against crosstown rival USC this Saturday (CBS: 1:00 p.m.), are looking to win the Pac-12's regular-season title for the first time since 2013.

POSTGAME QUOTES
Oregon 82, UCLA 74
March 3, 2021
 
Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men’s Head Basketball Coach
on the team’s struggles down the stretch
"I don't care what the polls say, USC, Colorado and Oregon are top-20 teams. Oregon healthy, they are probably seven, eight or nine in the country. It takes a tremendous amount of toughness to beat a team like that and without any seniors on this team, when the game gets to an intensity level on both ends, is when you're going to find out who's going to win. That’s when you find out who’s going to win. I've done this a lot and I've been in this before and you know why you don't win. (Eugene) Omoruyi is a senior. (Chris) Duarte is a senior. (Eric) Williams is a fourth-year guy. (LJ) Figueroa is a fifth-year guy. They were just a tougher team on both ends. Obviously the turnovers destroy you. They destroy you. They weren’t all against pressure. That’s all lack of toughness. At winning time against high-level teams, the tougher team is going to win. Whoever is tough enough to get the good shot, to take care of the ball, to sit down and get a defensive stop, that’s who is going to win the game. We are just not there."
 
on Oregon’s adjustments to stop Jules Bernard late
"We didn’t get shots off. I would like to know how many times we turned the ball over in the last 13 minutes. Hard for a guy to score when you turn the ball over.”
 
on how the team rebounds after two tough losses in a row
"I don’t look at it that way. I think you just have to keep trying to get better. I’m trying to build a program. Games like this tell you where you are at. I’m going to give you the true side of it. Games like this send a message to me about where we are at versus where I want to be. It exposes your weaknesses, tells you what you have to practice, and as a coach it tells you where you are at from a personnel standpoint. To me that’s the bright side. As far as tomorrow, we take it one day at a time to try and improve.”
 
UCLA junior Jules Bernard
on whether Oregon made adjustments to stop him down the stretch  
"We wanted to sort of slow down in the second half and get settled and get organized. Tyger (Campbell) was playing point and trying to get us into plays, but I think what really hurt us was when they started pressing and getting riled up, we just had too many turnovers and I think that hurt us the most.”
 
on his hot first half
"As a team, we were playing with confidence and we were playing calm when they were in there pressing. We were relaxed and we didn’t turn the ball over. Like our coaches, all of them say when we don’t turn the ball over, we can put enough points on to win the game and then we have to leave it up to our defense to get stops to help us win.”
 
UCLA sophomore Jaime Jaquez Jr.
on how tough it is to lose after playing well and having the lead
"It's extremely tough, but we have a game on Saturday so we just have to keep pushing forward and we kind of just have to leave this behind, learn from it and go forward. I'm extremely confident in our team. We made it this far in the season. We still believe in each other no matter what happens, whether we lose or whether we win. We are a really tight group and I have the utmost confidence that we will bounce back from this."

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Current Stats

Next up: 

USC on Senior/Chris Smith night/afternoon today at 1 pm on CBS.

Media availability Mar 1, 2021 (Prior to Oregon game on Wed)

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Colorado beats UCLA 70-61. Bruins now 17-6, 13-4.

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Next up @ Oregon on Wed Mar 3.