2019–20 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team


The 2019–20 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team represented the University of California, Los Angeles, during the 2019–20 NCAA Division I season. The Bruins were led by first-year head coach Mick Cronin and played their home games at Pauley Pavilion as members in the Pac-12 Conference. UCLA finished the season with a 19–12 record. After starting slowly at 8–9, they went 11–3 and finished second in the Pac-12 at 12–6. Cronin was named the Pac-12 Coach of the Year, while junior Chris Smith earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors and was voted the Pac-12 Most Improved Player.[1] Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Pac-12 tournament was canceled before the Bruins' first scheduled game in the quarterfinals, and the NCAA tournament was called off as well.[2]

2019–20 UCLA Bruins men's basketball
ConferencePac-12 Conference
Record19–12 (12–6 Pac-12)
Head coach
Associate head coachDarren Savino
Assistant coaches
  • Rod Palmer
  • Michael Lewis
Home arenaPauley Pavilion
(Capacity: 13,819)
Seasons
2019–20 Pac-12 Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 13 Oregon 13 5   .722 24 7   .774
UCLA 12 6   .667 19 12   .613
USC 11 7   .611 22 9   .710
Arizona State 11 7   .611 20 11   .645
Arizona 10 8   .556 21 11   .656
Colorado 10 8   .556 21 11   .656
Stanford 9 9   .500 20 12   .625
Oregon State 7 11   .389 18 13   .581
Utah 7 11   .389 16 15   .516
California 7 11   .389 14 18   .438
Washington State 6 12   .333 16 16   .500
Washington 5 13   .278 15 17   .469
Note: The 2020 Pac-12 Tournament was canceled prior to the quarterfinals due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rankings from AP poll

UCLA started the season 7–6 in non-conference play, including home losses to mid-major programs Hofstra and Cal State Fullerton.[3][4] After beginning 1–3 in the Pac-12, they won seven of their next nine, including an upset win on the road against Arizona followed by consecutive 12-point second-half comebacks against Washington State and Washington.[1][5] Still, the Bruins needed a strong finish to offset their early-season struggles and become contenders for an NCAA tournament bid.[4] Their late-season surge continued with their fifth straight win, defeating No. 18 Colorado on the road to sweep the season series. UCLA erased a nine-point deficit in the second half with a 14–0 run and recorded 14 deflections in the final 13 minutes against the Buffaloes,[6] which largely contributed to the Bruins' rise up 25 spots that week to No. 76 on the NCAA Evaluation Tool, one metric used by the NCAA tourney selection committee.[7] UCLA extended its winning streak to seven after home wins against Arizona State and Arizona.[8] It was the Bruins' first regular season sweep in their rivalry with the Wildcats since 2012–13.[9] In their regular-season finale, UCLA lost 54–52 at USC after the Trojans made a game-winning three-point field goal with one second remaining. The Bruins earned a No. 2 seed and a first-round bye in the Pac-12 Tournament.[10] On March 12, the Pac-12 canceled the tournament prior to its quarterfinals due to the coronavirus pandemic, and the NCAA Tournament was canceled later that day as well.[2]

UCLA's roster consisted of mostly role players.[11] For the first time since 1977–78, it did not include a McDonald's All-American; the honor began in 1977.[12][13][14] The team's most high-profile player—Shareef O'Neal, the son of Hall of Fame player Shaquille O'Neal—transferred midseason after failing to earn regular playing time. Smith, who averaged 13.1 points per game, was the only Bruin to average in double figures.[1]

Previous season

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The Bruins finished the 2018–19 season 17–16, 9–9 in Pac-12 play. They were led by sixth-year head coach Steve Alford until he was fired mid-season and assistant Murry Bartow was named the interim head coach.[15] Their lineup featured three former McDonald's All-Americans: sophomores Jaylen Hands and Kris Wilkes were both named second-team All-Pac-12, while first-year player Moses Brown was voted to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team.[16] UCLA finished the season 17–16, and lost in the second round of the Pac-12 tournament. They missed the postseason for the second time in four years.[17]

Off-season

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Departures

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Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for Departure
Jaylen Hands PG 6'3" 180 Sophomore San Diego, California Declared for the 2019 NBA draft; selected 56th overall by the Los Angeles Clippers.[18]
Kris Wilkes F 6'8" 215 Sophomore Indianapolis, Indiana Declared for the 2019 NBA Draft.[19]
Moses Brown C 7'1" 245 Freshman Queens, New York Declared for the 2019 NBA Draft.[20]

2019 recruiting class

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US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Jaime Jaquez Jr.
F
Camarillo, California Adolfo Camarillo HS 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) May 8, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 83
Jake Kyman
F
Rancho Santa Margarita, California SMCHS 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 190 lb (86 kg) May 8, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 80
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • 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:

  • "2019 UCLA Commits". Rivals.com.
  • "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Roster

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2019–20 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) 225 lb (102 kg) RS Sr La Lumiere School Roswell, NM
F 2 Cody Riley 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 250 lb (113 kg) RS So Sierra Canyon School Kansas City, KS
G 3 Jules Bernard 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So Windward School Los Angeles, CA
G/F 4 Jaime Jaquez Jr. 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr Camarillo HS Camarillo, CA
G 5 Chris Smith 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jr Huntington Prep Chicago, IL
G 10 Tyger Campbell 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) RS Fr La Lumiere School Cedar Rapids, IA
G/F 13 Jake Kyman 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr Santa Margarita Catholic HS Aliso Viejo, CA
F 14 Kenneth Nwuba   6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 250 lb (113 kg) So Huntington Prep Lagos, Nigeria
G 15 Armani Dodson (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sr Henry J. Kaiser HS Fontana, CA
G 20 Isaac Wulff (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr Laguna Beach HS Laguna Beach, CA
F 22 Shareef O'Neal (T) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) RS Fr Crossroads School Los Angeles, CA
G 23 Prince Ali 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS Sr Sagemont School The Bronx, NY
F/C 24 Jalen Hill 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 245 lb (111 kg) RS So Centennial HS Corona, CA
G 34 David Singleton 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So Bishop Montgomery HS Los Angeles, CA
G 43 Russell Stong (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So Crespi Carmelite HS Northridge, CA
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on
  • (T) Transferred
  •   Injured
  •   Current redshirt

Roster

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 30, 2019*
7:30 pm, P12N
Stanislaus State W 87–57 
 14  Campbell   9  Smith   11  Campbell  Pauley Pavilion (3,221)
Los Angeles, CA
Non–conference regular season
November 6, 2019*
8:00 pm, P12N
Long Beach State W 69–65  1–0
 15  Campbell   8  Smith   5  Campbell  Pauley Pavilion (6,265)
Los Angeles, CA
November 10, 2019*
4:00 pm, P12N
UCSB W 77–61  2–0
 22  Hill   10  Hill   6  Campbell  Pauley Pavilion (6,235)
Los Angeles, CA
November 15, 2019*
8:00 pm, P12N
UNLV W 71–54  3–0
 16  Smith   8  Hill   4  Tied  Pauley Pavilion (6,601)
Los Angeles, CA
November 18, 2019*
8:00 pm, P12N
Southern Utah
Maui Invitational campus-site game
W 76–61  4–0
 20  Smith   8  Tied   5  Campbell  Pauley Pavilion (4,427)
Los Angeles, CA
November 21, 2019*
8:00 pm, P12N
Hofstra L 78–88  4–1
 24  Hill   12  Hill   5  Campbell  Pauley Pavilion (4,836)
Los Angeles, CA
November 25, 2019*
8:30 pm, ESPN2
vs. BYU
Maui Invitational quarterfinals
L 63–78  4–2
 16  Bernard   6  Tied   6  Smith  Lahaina Civic Center (2,400)
Lahaina, HI
November 26, 2019*
2:00 pm, ESPNU
vs. Chaminade
Maui Invitational 2nd round consolation
W 74–48  5–2
 17  Jaquez Jr.   12  Jaquez Jr.   6  Campbell  Lahaina Civic Center (2,400)
Lahaina, HI
November 27, 2019*
11:30 am, ESPN2
vs. No. 3 Michigan State
Maui Invitational 5th place game
L 62–75  5–3
 13  Smith   8  Jaquez Jr.   2  Riley  Lahaina Civic Center (2,400)
Lahaina, HI
December 1, 2019*
5:00 pm, P12N
San Jose State W 93–64  6–3
 18  Tied   11  Hill   4  Tied  Pauley Pavilion (4,801)
Los Angeles, CA
December 8, 2019*
2:00 pm, P12N
Denver W 81–62  7–3
 21  Riley   11  Riley   4  Jaquez Jr.  Pauley Pavilion (5,243)
Los Angeles, CA
December 14, 2019*
12:00 pm, ABC
at Notre Dame
Rivalry
L 61–75  7–4
 10  Smith   11  O'Neal   2  Tied  Edmund P. Joyce Center (8,083)
South Bend, IN
December 21, 2019*
12:00 pm, CBS
vs. North Carolina
CBS Sports Classic
L 64–74  7–5
 16  Bernard   10  Jaquez Jr.   5  Campbell  T-Mobile Arena (12,740)
Paradise, NV
December 28, 2019*
2:00 pm, P12N
Cal State Fullerton L 74–77  7–6
 18  Campbell   10  Hill   9  Campbell  Pauley Pavilion (6,418)
Los Angeles, CA
Pac-12 regular season
January 2, 2020
7:00 pm, FS1
at Washington W 66–64  8–6
(1–0)
 21  Kyman   12  Smith   7  Campbell  Alaska Airlines Arena (9,027)
Seattle, WA
January 5, 2020
4:00 pm, P12N
at Washington State L 71–79 OT 8–7
(1–1)
 22  Smith   7  Tied   2  Tied  Beasley Coliseum (2,825)
Pullman, WA
January 11, 2020
7:00 pm, ESPN2
USC
Rivalry
L 63–74  8–8
(1–2)
 16  Smith   10  Smith   4  Campbell  Pauley Pavilion (13,659)
Los Angeles, CA
January 15, 2020
7:00 pm, P12N
Stanford L 59–74  8–9
(1–3)
 15  Jaquez Jr.   12  Hill   5  Campbell  Pauley Pavilion (5,148)
Los Angeles, CA
January 19, 2020
5:00 pm, ESPNU
California W 50–40  9–9
(2–3)
 17  Smith   8  Smith   7  Campbell  Pauley Pavilion (5,970)
Los Angeles, CA
January 23, 2020
8:00 pm, FS1
at Oregon State W 62–58  10–9
(3–3)
 15  Smith   5  Hill   4  Campbell  Gill Coliseum (4,073)
Corvallis, OR
January 26, 2020
2:00 pm, FOX
at No. 12 Oregon L 75–96  10–10
(3–4)
 20  Kyman   8  Hill   5  Jaquez Jr.  Matthew Knight Arena (9,309)
Eugene, OR
January 30, 2020
8:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 20 Colorado W 72–68  11–10
(4–4)
 30  Smith   9  Smith   2  Tied  Pauley Pavilion (5,566)
Los Angeles, CA
February 2, 2020
12:00 pm, FS1
Utah W 73–57  12–10
(5–4)
 22  Campbell   8  Hill   8  Campbell  Pauley Pavilion (4,497)
Los Angeles, CA
February 6, 2020
8:00 pm, ESPN2
at Arizona State L 66–84  12–11
(5–5)
 16  Riley   8  Smith   5  Campbell  Desert Financial Arena (7,708)
Tempe, AZ
February 8, 2020
7:00 pm, ESPN2
at No. 23 Arizona
Rivalry
W 65–52  13–11
(6–5)
 15  Smith   9  Hill   5  Campbell  McKale Center (14,644)
Tucson, AZ
February 13, 2020
8:00 pm, P12N
Washington State W 86–83 OT 14–11
(7–5)
 23  Smith   13  Smith   4  Jaquez Jr.  Pauley Pavilion (5,125)
Los Angeles, CA
February 15, 2020
7:00 pm, ESPN2
Washington W 67–57  15–11
(8–5)
 20  Smith   7  Campbell   6  Campbell  Pauley Pavilion (8,014)
Los Angeles, CA
February 20, 2020
7:30 pm, FS1
at Utah W 69–58  16–11
(9–5)
 16  Bernard   8  Hill   4  Campbell  Jon M. Huntsman Center (9,815)
Salt Lake City, UT
February 22, 2020
1:00 pm, CBS
at No. 18 Colorado W 70–63  17–11
(10–5)
 16  Riley   10  Jaquez Jr.   11  Campbell  CU Events Center (11,214)
Boulder, CO
February 27, 2020
8:00 pm, P12N
Arizona State W 75–72  18–11
(11–5)
 21  Kyman   8  Hill   14  Campbell  Pauley Pavilion (9,626)
Los Angeles, CA
February 29, 2020
7:00 pm, ESPN
Arizona
Rivalry
W 69–64  19–11
(12–5)
 17  Smith   7  Jaquez Jr.   8  Campbell  Pauley Pavilion (11,567)
Los Angeles, CA
March 7, 2020
12:15 pm, CBS
at USC
Rivalry
L 52–54  19–12
(12–6)
 13  Riley   6  Hill   5  Campbell  Galen Center (7,622)
Los Angeles, CA
Pac-12 Tournament
March 12, 2020
6:00 pm, P12N
(2) vs. (10) California
Quarterfinals
Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[21] T-Mobile Arena
Paradise, NV
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Pacific Time.

[22]

Honors

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  • February 3, 2020 – Jaime Jaquez Jr. was selected as Pac-12 Freshman of the Week.
  • February 24, 2020 - Tyger Campbell was selected as Pac-12 Freshman of the Week.
  • March 9, 2020 – Head coach Mick Cronin was named the Pac-12 Coach of the Year; Chris Smith, Jr was named Pac-12 Most Improved Player of the Year and first-team All-Pac-12.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Gold, Jon (March 11, 2020). "A decade later, UCLA's Mick Cronin is following Sean Miller's playbook to rebuild Bruins". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Bolch, Ben (March 12, 2020). "UCLA deals with loss of tournament experiences for its basketball teams". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  3. ^ Nguyen, Thuc Nhi (December 28, 2019). "Cal State Fullerton ends losing streak, extends UCLA's". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  4. ^ a b Bolch, Ben (February 17, 2020). "Here's how the UCLA men's basketball team makes the NCAA tournament". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  5. ^ "Smith, Riley help UCLA rally, beat Washington 67-57". ESPN.com. Associated Press. February 15, 2020. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  6. ^ Bolch, Ben (February 22, 2020). "Defense helps spark thrilling UCLA comeback in win over No. 18 Colorado". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  7. ^ Bolch, Ben (February 24, 2020). "UCLA hottest in Pac-12, needs big finish to save Mick Cronin's NCAA tournament streak". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  8. ^ Bolch, Ben (March 4, 2020). "UCLA is focusing on hoops, not hype, heading into crosstown rivalry game with USC". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  9. ^ Bolch, Ben (February 29, 2020). "UCLA rallies to beat Arizona and claim first place in Pac-12". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  10. ^ Curtis, Jake (March 10, 2020). "Pac-12 Basketball: One Shot Changed the Picture for UCLA, Oregon, USC". SI.com. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  11. ^ Bolch, Ben (March 3, 2020). "Former UCLA greats are in awe of current Bruins' late-season run". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  12. ^ Bolch, Ben (December 19, 2019). "UCLA's Shareef O'Neal works on establishing his own identity on court". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  13. ^ Parrish, Gary (December 28, 2019). "UCLA's loss to Cal State Fullerton serves as a reminder that Mick Cronin inherited an awful situation". CBSSports.com. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  14. ^ Timirios, Alex. "2019-20 UCLA Men's Basketball Information Guide" (PDF). UCLA Athletic Communications Office. p. 11. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  15. ^ "UCLA Head Coach Steve Alford Relieved of Duties".
  16. ^ Nguyen, Thuc Nhi (March 11, 2019). "UCLA's Jaylen Hands, Kris Wilkes named All-Pac-12 second team". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  17. ^ Nguyen, Thuc Nhi (March 17, 2019). "UCLA men's basketball kept out of postseason tournaments on Selection Sunday". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
  18. ^ Bolch, Ben (April 7, 2019). "UCLA's Jaylen Hands hires an agent and will declare for the NBA draft". LosAngelesTimes.com. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  19. ^ Bolch, Ben (March 27, 2019). "UCLA's Kris Wilkes announces he's headed to the NBA". LosAngelesTimes.com. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  20. ^ Bolch, Ben (April 23, 2019). "Moses Brown is leaving UCLA after one season to enter the NBA draft". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  21. ^ "2020 Pac-12 Tournament canceled Thursday amid coronavirus pandemic concerns".
  22. ^ "UCLA Hoops Announces Non–conference Schedule". Athletics at the University of California, Los Angeles. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
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