Arizona Basketball

Notebook: UCLA at Arizona Wildcats

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PAC-12 1979-2016
Conference game records of Pac-12 teams since Arizona and Arizona State joined the league in 1978-79. *Colorado and Utah joined in 2011-12.
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— UCLA and Arizona will meet for the 95th time tonight with the Bruins leading the overall series 54-40, but since Lute Olson was hired in 1983-84, the Wildcats have a 37-34 lead. Sean Miller is 8-8 against the Bruins since his hire in 2009-10, including a 3-2 mark against UCLA coach Steve Alford. … Incredibly, since Arizona and ASU joined what was then the Pac-10 in 1978-79, the Wildcats and Bruins have nearly identical records in conference games. UCLA is 461-217 and Arizona is 460-217 (thanks to records provided in the Pac-12 media guide for allowing me to compile that stat). …

— After last week’s loss at USC, Alford’s team stands at 13-10 overall and 4-6 in the conference. This marks the 14th time in 21 seasons (66.7 percent) at the Division I level that Alford’s teams have reached double-digit losses. At Power 5 conference schools Iowa and UCLA, his combined record is 215-139, a winning percentage of 60.7. … In 12 seasons as a head coach at Xavier and Arizona, Miller has reached double-digit loss seasons four times (25 percent). He has two such seasons at Arizona in his seven years at the school. His record at Arizona is 182-57, a winning percentage of 76.2. …

— UCLA power forward Jonah Bolden, who last year had to hitch a ride to Tucson to watch the Bruins play the Wildcats, figures to play a key role in tonight’s game for the Bruins. Bolden, an Australian, was forced to sit out last season after the NCAA ruled him ineligible because of matters concerning his transfer from an Australian school the Findlay Prep in Henderson, Nev., during his senior season. Bolden eventually transferred to Brewster Academy in New Hampshire. … Bolden has started in place of senior forward Tony Parker in the last couple of games in an effort by Alford to make the Bruins more athletic and quick, especially on defense. UCLA coaches believed the combination of Parker and center Thomas Welsh was too slow. In his two starts against Washington State and USC, however, Bolden has a total of three points. …

— Alford’s son Bryce Alford, who beat Arizona with a last-second three-pointer last month in Pauley Pavilion, was quoted as saying this week: “We play our best basketball when it counts. We’ve got to start doing that real quick.” At this point a year ago, UCLA was 14-9 overall and 6-4 in the Pac-12. They closed the regular season with five wins in eight games, then reached the conference tournament semifinals, enough to land an at-large berth in the NCAA’s field of 68. They were a No. 11 seed, but won a pair of games to reach the Sweet 16. … UCLA has defeated Kentucky, Gonzaga and Arizona this season but is in a deeper hole than last year at 13-10 and 4-6 in the Pac-12. The Bruins have dropped three of their last four games, and their RPI was at 68 as of Thursday. Most bracketologists have them missing the tournament for the first time since 2012. The Bruins are the only conference team to lose to last-place Washington State this season. …

— After the 87-84 loss at UCLA on Jan. 7, Miller commented that his defense was the worst he’s had since his first season with the Wildcats. Bryce Alford became isolated against center Kaleb Tarczewski because Kadeem Allen did not fight hard enough through a screen. Tarczewski stepped back on a ball fake by Alford, who was given too much space to nail the three-pointer. … UCLA shot 52 percent from the floor and Alford had 25 points on 9 of 18 shooting. … “That was a long time ago,” Miller said this week. “We’re a better defensive team right now than we were then. Although I don’t think we’re night-and-day different, we have steadily improved.” …

— The NBA All-Star Game break means plenty of former Arizona players in the NBA should be in Tucson this weekend to attend the UCLA and USC games. The Brooklyn Nets’ Rondae Hollis-Jefferson tweeted this last night:

— UCLA’s perimeter play is always dangerous. In addition to Bryce Alford, guards who can go off at any time are Isaac Hamilton and Aaron Holiday. Hamilton, a junior, has scored in double figures in 19 consecutive games, the longest such streak since the 2012-13 season, when Shabazz Muhammad scored in double figures in 19 straight games as a freshman. The last UCLA player to record at least 10 points in 20 or more consecutive games is Kevin Love, who scored in double figures in all 39 games during his freshman season (2007-08). … Holiday, a freshman, has averaged 11.3 points, 3.7 assists and 3 rebounds per game, starting all 23 games. Holiday has scored in double figures in the team’s last nine games, including a season-high 19 points in UCLA’s loss at Oregon on Jan. 23. He leads the Bruins in three-point field goal percentage (40.3), having made 27 of 67 attempts. Holiday has made 24 of his last 28 free throw attempts (85.7 percent), shooting 73.7 percent overall from the line (56 for 76). …

— Arizona frontcourt players Tarczewski, Ryan Anderson, Dusan Ristic and on occasion Mark Tollefsen will have their hands full with Parker, Bolden and Welsh on the defensive boards. … Parker and Welsh rank first and second, respectively, among all Pac-12 players in offensive rebounds. Parker, who ranks third in the league in total rebounds per game (9.3), has registered 3.9 offensive boards per game. Welsh, the league’s sixth-leading rebounder (8.8 rpg), has averaged 3.6 offensive rebounds per game. Parker and Welsh have each recorded nine double-doubles, tied for the fourth-highest total among Pac-12 players. … Anderson (12), Tarczewski (3) and Tollefsen (1) have given the Wildcats a total of 16 double-doubles this season. Anderson has 32 double-doubles in his career, 20 of them in three seasons with Boston College. His force inside is evident with his 20 potential three-point plays (field goal plus a free throw after a foul). He has converted 17 of those. …

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UCLA (13-10, 4-6) VS.
NO. 17 ARIZONA (19-5, 7-4)

Tip Time: 7:05 p.m. MST
TV: ESPN (Dave Pasch/Bill Walton)
Radio: Arizona IMG Sports Network (Brian Jeffries/Ryan Hansen)

THE SERIES
Overall: UCLA leads 54-40
In Tucson: Arizona leads 23-15
Current streak: UCLA won 1
Last meeting: UCLA won 87-84 in Los Angeles (1-7-16)
Sean Miller vs. UCLA: 8-9

WHAT IS PRODUCTIVITY RATING?:
PP: Productivity Points (Points, assists, rebounds, steals, blocked shots, FGs made, FTs made added together and then subtracted by missed FGs, missed FTs, personal fouls and turnovers)
MIN: Minutes played overall
PR: Productivity rating per minute played (Productivity points divided by minutes played)

SEASON PRODUCTIVITY RATING
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PRODUCTIVITY REPORT
ARIZONA PAC-10/12
PLAYERS OF THE YEAR:
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Previous result:
ARIZONA 77, WASHINGTON 72
PRODUCTIVITY RATING
* — STARTERS
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ARIZONA’S TOP SCORING CENTERS
Rank: Overall school ranking.
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MOST CAREER VICTORIES IN GAMES PLAYED
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CHASING 1,000 POINTS
Rank is school rank
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HOW ARE THEY DOING?
Present RPI ranking of non-conference opponents Arizona has played according to KenPom.com.
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PAC-12 POMEROY RATINGS
Present RPI ranking of Pac-12 teams according to KenPom.com.
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THREE-POINT FIELD GOALS CAREER
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MOST CAREER STARTS
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ARIZONA SCHEDULE/PRODUCTIVITY RESULTS
*-John Wooden Legacy in Fullerton/Anaheim (Calif.)
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ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He is a former Arizona Daily Star beat reporter for the Arizona basketball team, including when the Wildcats won the 1996-97 NCAA title. He has also written articles for CollegeAD.com, Bleacher Report, Lindy’s Sports, TucsonCitizen.com, The Arizona Republic, Sporting News and Baseball America, among many other publications. He has also authored the book “The Highest Form of Living”, which is available at Amazon.

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