2017–18 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team

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2017–18 UCLA Bruins men's basketball
NCAA tournament, First Four
ConferencePac-12 Conference
Record21–12 (11–7 Pac-12)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaPauley Pavilion
(Capacity: 13,819)
Seasons
2017–18 Pac-12 Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 12 Arizona † 14 – 4   .778 27 – 8   .771
USC 12 – 6   .667 24 – 12   .667
UCLA 11 – 7   .611 21 – 12   .636
Utah 11 – 7   .611 23 – 12   .657
Stanford 11 – 7   .611 19 – 16   .543
Oregon 10 – 8   .556 23 – 13   .639
Washington 10 – 8   .556 21 – 13   .618
Colorado 8 – 10   .444 17 – 15   .531
Arizona State 8 – 10   .444 20 – 12   .625
Oregon State 7 – 11   .389 16 – 16   .500
Washington State 4 – 14   .222 12 – 19   .387
California 2 – 16   .111 8 – 24   .250
† Pac-12 Tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll


The 2017–18 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team represented the University of California, Los Angeles during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bruins were led by fifth-year head coach Steve Alford and played their home games at Pauley Pavilion as members in the Pac-12 Conference. They finished the season 21–12, 11–7 in Pac-12 play to finish in a three-way tie for third place.

The Bruins opened their new practice facility, the Mo Ostin Basketball Center.[1] They defeated Stanford in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 tournament to advance to the semifinals where they lost to Arizona. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, where they lost 65–58 in the First Four to St. Bonaventure for the Bonnies' first tournament win in 48 years. It was the first time in UCLA's history that they had been relegated to a First Four play-in game.[1][2] It was the first time in the school's four tournament appearances under Alford that they did not advance to the Sweet 16.[3]

Previous season[edit]

Main article: 2016–17 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team

The Bruins finished the 2016–17 season 31–5 overall; and 15–3 in the conference. During the season, UCLA was invited and participated in the Wooden Legacy in Anaheim, California. UCLA defeated Portland, Nebraska, and Texas A&M to earn 1st place. UCLA also defeated Ohio State in the CBS Sports Classic in Paradise, Nevada. In the postseason, UCLA defeated USC but lost to Arizona in the semifinals of the 2017 Pac-12 Conference men's basketball tournament in Paradise, Nevada. The Bruins were invited and participated in the 2017 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, where they defeated Kent State and Cincinnati in Sacramento, California but lost to Kentucky in Memphis, Tennessee in the Sweet Sixteen.

Off-season[edit]

Departures[edit]

Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for Departure
Bryce Alford G 6'3" 185 Senior Albuquerque, NM Graduated
Isaac Hamilton G 6'5" 195 Senior Los Angeles, CA Graduated
Jerrold Smith G 6'0" 165 Senior Los Angeles, CA Walk-on; Graduated
Ike Anigbogu F/C 6'10" 250 Freshman Corona, CA Declared for 2017 NBA draft; drafted 47th overall to the Indiana Pacers.[4]
Lonzo Ball G 6'6" 190 Freshman Chino Hills, CA Declared for 2017 NBA draft; drafted 2nd overall to the Los Angeles Lakers.[5]
T. J. Leaf F 6'10" 225 Freshman El Cajon, CA Declared for 2017 NBA draft; drafted 18th overall to the Indiana Pacers.[6]

2017 recruiting class[edit]

UCLA recruits at the 2017 McDonald's All-American Boys Game
Jaylen Hands
Kris Wilkes
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
LiAngelo Ball
F/G 		Chino Hills, CA Chino Hills HS 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Apr 21, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars   ESPN grade: 79
Jalen Hill
PF 		Corona, CA Centennial HS 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jun 28, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 86
Jaylen Hands
PG 		San Diego, CA Foothills Christian HS 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 168 lb (76 kg) Sep 16, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 93
Cody Riley
PF 		Chatsworth, CA Sierra Canyon School 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 234 lb (106 kg) Oct 14, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 88
Chris Smith
SF 		Fort Worth, TX Huntington Prep School 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 192 lb (87 kg) Feb 11, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 82
Kris Wilkes
SF 		Indianapolis, IN North Central HS 6 ft 7.5 in (2.02 m) 191 lb (87 kg) Nov 13, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 95
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: #2   Rivals: #2  247Sports: #4  ESPN: #4
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2017 UCLA Basketball Commitment List". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
  • "2017 UCLA Player Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
  • "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 28, 2017.

Roster[edit]

2017–18 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
F 0 Alex Olesinski 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) RS So La Lumiere School Roswell, New Mexico
F 2 Cody Riley (S) Current redshirt 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 265 lb (120 kg) Fr Sierra Canyon School Kansas City, Kansas
G 3 Aaron Holiday 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr Campbell Hall School Chatsworth, California
G 4 Jaylen Hands 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Foothills Christian HS San Diego, California
G 5 Chris Smith 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Huntington Prep School Chicago, Illinois
G 10 Isaac Wulff (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So Laguna Beach HS Laguna Beach, California
G 13 Kris Wilkes 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr North Central HS Indianapolis, Indiana
F 14 György Golomán 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Sr The Sagemont School Körmend, Hungary
G 21 Alec Wulff (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr Laguna Beach HS Laguna Beach, California
G 22 Armani Dodson (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Henry J. Kaiser HS Fontana, California
G 23 Prince Ali 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS So Sagemont School The Bronx, New York
F 24 Jalen Hill (S) Current redshirt 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Fr Centennial HS Corona, California
G 30 Joseph Wallace (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Sierra Canyon Woodland Hills, California
C 34 Ikenna Okwarabizie 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 255 lb (116 kg) Sr Tyler Junior College Lagos, Nigeria
C 40 Thomas Welsh (C) 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 255 lb (116 kg) Sr Loyola HS Redondo Beach, California
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: December 7, 2017

China incident[edit]

At the start of the regular season, three of UCLA's players, Jalen Hill, Cody Riley, and LiAngelo Ball, were arrested in China for allegedly shoplifting before their game against Georgia Tech. The arrested players were confined to their hotel for several days until the charges were dropped and the players were allowed to leave the country.[7]

The players involved were suspended indefinitely from the team after their return to campus,[8] with LiAngelo eventually withdrawing from UCLA on December 4, 2017.[9] He would go on to play professionally overseas in Lithuania with his younger brother LaMelo.

On December 22, 2017, UCLA announced that the other two suspended players, Riley and Hill, would remain suspended for the whole season, but would be allowed to rejoin practices and team activities on December 26.[10]

Schedule and results[edit]

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
November 1, 2017*
7:00 pm, P12N 		No. 21 Cal State Los Angeles W 111–80  –
  22 – Welsh   14 – Welsh   11 – Hands  Pauley Pavilion (4,408)
Los Angeles, CA
Non-conference regular season
November 10, 2017*
8:30 pm, ESPN 		No. 21 vs. Georgia Tech
Pac-12 China Game 		W 63–60  1–0
  18 – Wilkes   8 – Welsh   7 – Holiday  Baoshan Sports Centre (4,011)
Shanghai, China
November 15, 2017*
8:00 pm, P12N 		No. 23 Central Arkansas
Hall of Fame Classic campus-site game 		W 106–101 OT 2–0
  24 – Holiday   12 – Wilkes   6 – Hands  Pauley Pavilion (6,782)
Los Angeles, CA
November 17, 2017*
6:00 pm, P12N 		No. 23 South Carolina State
Hall of Fame Classic campus-site game 		W 96–68  3–0
  22 – Hands   15 – Welsh   4 – Tied  Pauley Pavilion (7,035)
Los Angeles, CA
November 20, 2017*
4:00 pm, ESPNU 		No. 23-t vs. Creighton
Hall of Fame Classic semifinals 		L 89–100  3–1
  25 – Holiday   13 – Welsh   7 – Holiday  Sprint Center (10,234)
Kansas City, MO
November 21, 2017*
4:30 pm, ESPN3 		No. 23-t vs. Wisconsin
Hall of Fame Classic consolation 		W 72–70  4–1
  18 – Holiday   8 – Welsh   5 – Holiday  Sprint Center (10,160)
Kansas City, MO
November 26, 2017*
3:00 pm, P12N 		No. 23-t UC Irvine W 87–63  5–1
  21 – Ali   13 – Welsh   7 – Holiday  Pauley Pavilion (8,329)
Los Angeles, CA
November 29, 2017*
7:00 pm, P12N 		Cal State Bakersfield W 75–66  6–1
  16 – Holiday   10 – Welsh   6 – Holiday  Pauley Pavilion (5,973)
Los Angeles, CA
December 3, 2017*
6:00 pm, P12N 		Detroit W 106–73  7–1
  23 – Hands   9 – Tied   5 – Golomán  Pauley Pavilion (6,109)
Los Angeles, CA
December 6, 2017*
8:00 pm, P12N 		Montana
Canceled due to Skirball Fire[11] 		Pauley Pavilion 
Los Angeles, CA
December 9, 2017*
9:00 am, CBS 		at Michigan L 69–78 OT 7–2
  27 – Holiday   10 – Welsh   7 – Holiday  Crisler Center (12,137)
Ann Arbor, MI
December 16, 2017*
12:30 pm, CBS 		No. 25 Cincinnati L 63–77  7–3
  17 – Holiday   9 – Welsh   4 – Welsh  Pauley Pavilion (10,018)
Los Angeles, CA
December 19, 2017*
6:00 pm, P12N 		South Dakota W 85–82  8–3
  19 – Welsh   11 – Welsh   5 – Holiday  Pauley Pavilion (5,767)
Los Angeles, CA
December 23, 2017*
1:00 pm, CBS 		vs. No. 7 Kentucky
CBS Sports Classic 		W 83–75  9–3
  20 – Tied   11 – Welsh   8 – Holiday  Smoothie King Center (8,119)
New Orleans, LA
Pac-12 regular season
December 29, 2017
8:00 pm, ESPN2 		Washington State W 96–82  10–3
(1–0) 		 33 – Holiday   14 – Welsh   4 – Tied  Pauley Pavilion (8,089)
Los Angeles, CA
December 31, 2017
5:00 pm, P12N 		Washington W 74–53  11–3
(2–0) 		 21 – Wilkes   12 – Welsh   5 – Holiday  Pauley Pavilion (7,639)
Los Angeles, CA
January 4, 2018
7:00 pm, FS1 		at Stanford L 99–107 2OT 11–4
(2–1) 		 31 – Holiday   10 – Welsh   3 – Tied  Maples Pavilion (4,497)
Stanford, CA
January 6, 2018
3:30 pm, P12N 		at California W 107–84  12–4
(3–1) 		 21 – Holiday   14 – Welsh   5 – Holiday  Haas Pavilion (8,888)
Berkeley, CA
January 11, 2018
8:00 pm, ESPN2 		Utah W 83–64  13–4
(4–1) 		 20 – Holiday   9 – Ali   6 – Holiday  Pauley Pavilion (8,739)
Los Angeles, CA
January 13, 2018
7:30 pm, P12N 		Colorado L 59–68  13–5
(4–2) 		 20 – Welsh   9 – Wilkes   4 – Holiday  Pauley Pavilion (10,164)
Los Angeles, CA
January 18, 2018
8:00 pm, FS1 		at Oregon State L 63–69  13–6
(4–3) 		 22 – Holiday   13 – Welsh   5 – Wilkes  Gill Coliseum (5,330)
Corvallis, OR
January 20, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN 		at Oregon L 91–94  13–7
(4–4) 		 21 – Wilkes   10 – Welsh   5 – Holiday  Matthew Knight Arena (12,364)
Eugene, OR
January 25, 2018
7:30 pm, FS1 		California W 70–57  14–7
(5–4) 		 21 – Holiday   7 – Wilkes   6 – Holiday  Pauley Pavilion (8,028)
Los Angeles, CA
January 27, 2018
7:30 pm, P12N 		Stanford W 89–73  15–7
(6–4) 		 21 – Holiday   10 – Welsh   10 – Hands  Pauley Pavilion (10,519)
Los Angeles, CA
February 3, 2018
3:00 pm, ESPN2 		USC
Rivalry 		W 82–79  16–7
(7–4) 		 23 – Holiday   8 – Welsh   9 – Holiday  Pauley Pavilion (12,837)
Los Angeles, CA
February 8, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN 		at No. 13 Arizona
Rivalry 		W 82–74  17–7
(8–4) 		 17 – Holiday   12 – Welsh   8 – Holiday  McKale Center (14,644)
Tucson, AZ
February 10, 2018
4:00 pm, P12N 		at Arizona State L 79–88  17–8
(8–5) 		 20 – Holiday   8 – Welsh   5 – Holiday  Wells Fargo Arena (14,025)
Tempe, AZ
February 15, 2018
8:00 pm, FS1 		Oregon State W 75–68  18–8
(9–5) 		 17 – Holiday   17 – Welsh   10 – Holiday  Pauley Pavilion (8,890)
Los Angeles, CA
February 17, 2018
7:15 pm, ESPN 		Oregon W 86–78 OT 19–8
(10–5) 		 29 – Holiday   14 – Welsh   6 – Holiday  Pauley Pavilion (13,001)
Los Angeles, CA
February 22, 2018
6:00 pm, ESPN 		at Utah L 78–84  19–9
(10–6) 		 23 – Holiday   7 – Tied   7 – Holiday  Jon M. Huntsman Center (13,141)
Salt Lake City, UT
February 25, 2018
1:00 pm, ESPNU 		at Colorado L 76–80  19–10
(10–7) 		 21 – Holiday   10 – Welsh   6 – Holiday  Coors Events Center (8,176)
Boulder, CO
March 3, 2018
7:15 pm, ESPN 		at USC
Rivalry 		W 83–72  20–10
(11–7) 		 34 – Holiday   9 – Tied   7 – Holiday  Galen Center (10,258)
Los Angeles, CA
Pac-12 Tournament
March 8, 2018
2:30 pm, P12N 		(4) vs. (5) Stanford
Quarterfinals 		W 88–77  21–10
  34 – Holiday   11 – Welsh   8 – Holiday  T-Mobile Arena (15,182)
Paradise, NV
March 9, 2018
6:00 pm, P12N 		(4) vs. (1) No. 15 Arizona
Semifinals 		L 67–78 OT 21–11
  17 – Welsh   17 – Welsh   3 – 3 tied  T-Mobile Arena (16,596)
Paradise, NV
NCAA tournament
March 13, 2018*
6:10 pm, truTV 		(11 E) vs. (11 E) St. Bonaventure
First Four 		L 58–65  21–12
  20 – Holiday   15 – Welsh   7 – Holiday  UD Arena (12,336)
Dayton, OH
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
E=East.
All times are in Pacific Time.

[12]

Rankings[edit]

See also: 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes т = Tied with team above or below
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516171819Final
AP212323-TRVRVRVRV—RVRV
Coaches1818232523RVRV—RVRV

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings

Honors[edit]

Preseason award watchlists[edit]

Pac-12 Player of the Week[edit]

Postseason awards[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Whicker, Mark (March 13, 2018). "Whicker: No more minutes for Aaron Holiday, or chances for UCLA". Los Angeles Daily News. Archived from the original on March 15, 2018.
  2. ^ "Bonnies stun UCLA 65-58 for 1st NCAA Tourney win in 48 years". ESPN.com. March 14, 2018. Archived from the original on March 15, 2018.
  3. ^ Plaschke, Bill (March 13, 2018). "UCLA simply got outplayed in its play-in game". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
  4. ^ Bolch, Ben. "UCLA's Ike Anigbogu picks an agent and is headed for the NBA draft". LATimes.com. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
  5. ^ "Lonzo Ball says he will enter NBA draft after UCLA's Sweet 16 loss". SI.com. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  6. ^ Bolch, Ben. "TJ Leaf leaves UCLA for the NBA". LATimes.com. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
  7. ^ Meyers, Jessica (November 10, 2017). "UCLA basketball players, reportedly accused of shoplifting, await their fate in scenic Chinese town". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  8. ^ "UCLA basketball players LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley and Jalen Hill suspended". ESPN. November 15, 2017. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  9. ^ Hoffman, Benjamin (December 4, 2017). "LiAngelo Ball Leaves U.C.L.A. Without Having Played a Game". The New York Times. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  10. ^ Gottlieb, Jeremy (December 22, 2017). "UCLA extends Jalen Hill and Cody Riley suspensions for the remainder of season". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  11. ^ Bolch, Ben. "Montana-UCLA basketball game canceled due to wildfire". LATimes.com. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  12. ^ "UCLA Announces Non-Conference Schedule". Athletics at the University of California, Los Angeles. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  13. ^ Fattal, Tarek (December 30, 2017). "UCLA basketball looking for another 'date' with Montana". Los Angeles Daily News. Archived from the original on December 30, 2017.
  14. ^ Nguyen, Thuc Nhi (February 19, 2018). "Aaron Holiday wins Pac-12 Player of the Week". Los Angeles Daily News. Archived from the original on February 20, 2018.
  15. ^ a b c d Nguyen, Thuc Nhi (March 5, 2018). "UCLA's Aaron Holiday named first-team All-Pac-12, Thomas Welsh on second team". Los Angeles Daily News. Archived from the original on March 6, 2018.
  16. ^ DeCourcy, Mike (March 5, 2018). "Sporting News 2017-18 college basketball All-Americans". Sporting News. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
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