UCLA’s men’s basketball team will play against Minnesota this Saturday at Williams Arena in Minneapolis. The game is scheduled for 11 a.m. PT and will be broadcast nationally on FS1. UCLA currently holds a 19-9 overall record and an 11-6 mark in Big Ten play, tying them with Wisconsin for sixth place in the conference standings.
The Bruins have three regular-season games left, including Saturday’s matchup at Minnesota, a home game against Nebraska next Tuesday, and their season finale at USC on March 7. Ticket information for UCLA’s final home game can be found through the school’s athletics website or by contacting the ticket office directly.
UCLA recently achieved two consecutive home victories over No. 10 Illinois and USC. On Tuesday, Donovan Dent scored a season-high 30 points with eight assists to help secure an 81-62 win over USC. Last weekend, UCLA overcame a 23-point deficit to defeat Illinois in overtime, marking their largest comeback ever and the second-largest in Big Ten history.
Donovan Dent has become a key player for the Bruins this season, ranking third in the Big Ten and fifth nationally with an average of 7.2 assists per game as of Wednesday. Over his last two games, Dent averaged 22 points and 11.5 assists without committing any turnovers.
“Donovan Dent became the fourth UCLA player to have recorded 15 or more assists in a game (15 assists, no turnovers),” according to the team report.
Tyler Bilodeau continues to lead UCLA in scoring with an average of 18.1 points per game and has scored at least ten points in each of the last 21 games he played since December 3rd.
UCLA holds a historical edge over Minnesota with five wins out of eight previous meetings but lost their most recent encounter last season when Minnesota overcame a halftime deficit to win at Pauley Pavilion.
The Bruins are aiming for their seventh season with at least twenty wins in the past decade if they defeat Minnesota on Saturday. Through Wednesday’s games, they also ranked second among all Big Ten teams in three-point shooting percentage (37.8%) and led the conference from beyond the arc thanks largely to Bilodeau’s accuracy (44.8%).
In addition to strong performances from veterans like Bilodeau and Dent, sophomore Trent Perry has shown improvement by increasing his scoring average from last year and recording several double-digit point games this season.
Senior Skyy Clark returned from injury earlier this month after missing ten games due to a hamstring strain; he leads UCLA in three-point shooting percentage at nearly forty-eight percent across eighteen appearances this year.
Since taking over as head coach before the start of the 2019-20 season, Mick Cronin has guided UCLA to an impressive home record of ninety-five wins against sixteen losses—a winning percentage above eighty-five percent—at Pauley Pavilion.
This year marks sixty seasons since Pauley Pavilion opened its doors for UCLA basketball; following renovations completed twelve years ago, it remains one of college basketball’s notable venues.
The current roster includes eight players from Southern California counties; all fifteen student-athletes hail from within the United States.
With two regular-season contests remaining after Saturday—including one against another top-fifteen NET-ranked opponent—the Bruins look to maintain momentum heading into postseason play.
