The UCLA Bruins men’s basketball team is set to play Ohio State in Columbus on Saturday as part of a Big Ten Conference matchup. The game will be nationally televised on CBS, with tipoff scheduled for 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT). This marks UCLA’s first visit to Ohio State since 1968.
Earlier this week, the Bruins secured a 71-60 victory over Penn State, closing out a five-game stretch that included four road contests. Sophomore Trent Perry led the team with a career-high 30 points against Penn State, shooting perfectly from the free throw line (12-for-12) and making four three-pointers. Perry scored 22 of his points in the second half, which was the most by any UCLA player in a half this season.
UCLA’s performance at the free throw line during the Penn State game set a program record for most made free throws without a miss in the modern era (21-for-21), surpassing their previous best of 13-for-13 achieved in 1979 against California. Over their last nine games, the Bruins have shot 80.5 percent from the line.
The Bruins currently hold a 12-5 overall record and are 4-2 in Big Ten play. Tyler Bilodeau leads UCLA with an average of 17.7 points per game and ranks tenth among all Big Ten players in scoring. Senior Donovan Dent has averaged 12.3 points and leads the team with 6.4 assists per game, ranking third in assists within the conference.
Skyy Clark has also contributed significantly, averaging 13.5 points per game and leading all Big Ten players in three-point shooting percentage at 48.6 percent. Clark was named Big Ten Co-Player of the Week on December 22.
After facing Ohio State, UCLA will return home to host Purdue next Tuesday at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. The event will honor Coach John Wooden’s legacy, and bobbleheads commemorating Wooden will be distributed to the first 7,500 fans attending.
The Bruins have split their previous fourteen meetings with Ohio State evenly at seven wins each. Their last encounter took place at Pauley Pavilion in February of last year when UCLA won by eight points.
UCLA’s roster includes several returning contributors from last season as well as five transfer students: Xavier Booker (Michigan State), Jamar Brown (UMKC), Donovan Dent (New Mexico), Steven Jamerson II (San Diego), and Anthony Peoples Jr. (North Carolina Central). Both Dent and Bilodeau are featured on national positional award watch lists for point guard and power forward respectively.
Head coach Mick Cronin is tied for fifth-most victories among active NCAA Division I coaches over the past fifteen years, accumulating 373 wins alongside Michigan State’s Tom Izzo.
Single-game tickets for remaining home games are available through official channels; more information can be found via the university athletics website or by contacting UCLA Athletics directly.
