Tag: UCLA Basketball

UNC basketball only program to have two Top 10 Games of the Week

The UNC-Florida and UNC-UCLA games are must-watch college basketball this week.

The North Carolina Tar Heels are still trying to discover themselves on the basketball court, but Saturday’s win over La Salle showed how good they can be.

UNC (6-4, 1-0 ACC) beat the visiting Explorers, 93-67, on an afternoon unofficially known as the Cade Tyson breakout game. North Carolina’s top offseason transfer, who developed into a perimeter shooting ace at Belmont, broke out for a game-high 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting.

The Tar Heels’ 2-game winning streak is about to be tested, though, as they face Florida (Tuesday) and UCLA (Saturday) in their next two games.

With plenty of marquee college basketball matchups on tap the week before Christmas, UNC-Florida and UNC-UCLA were named two of the country’s Top 10 matchups.

College basketball analyst Andy Katz tabbed UNC-UCLA the fourth-ranked game, then UNC-Florida fifth.

On Tuesday, December 17 at 7 p.m., North Carolina will face the Florida Gators in the Jumpman Invitational. Florida (10-0) is favored, rightfully so, but Tar Heels guard RJ Davis expects the Spectrum Center (Charlotte, NC) to feel like a home-court advantage.

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On Saturday, Dec. 21 at 3 p.m. from New York City’s famed Madison Square Garden, UNC will take on a much-improved UCLA (9-1) squad. The Bruins are off to a 2-0 start during their first season in the Big 10, beating Oregon and Washington in consecutive games.

North Carolina has a 1-4 record against Power 4 opponents on its young season, with the Tar Heels’ lone victory coming against Georgia Tech in their ACC opener.

Alabama blew out UNC in the ACC-SEC Challenge, while Auburn did the same in the Maui Invitational. North Carolina nearly came back to beat then-top ranked Kansas on the road, then took Michigan State into overtime.

If the Tar Heels want to prove they’re a good team this season, beating Florida and UCLA will go a long way towards that goal.

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UCLA Bruins men’s basketball sets details with New Mexico

UCLA set to face New Mexico.

It was announced back in June that the UCLA Bruins and New Mexico Lobos would get together in men’s basketball. Finally, in late August, the details were set and arranged for the first meeting.

The Bruins and Lobos will get together in Henderson, Nevada on November 8th. This will be the second game of the season for the Bruins in the 2024-2025 season.

Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson will be the venue for the game. Coach Cronin, when asked about the opportunity to play the Lobos was very excited about the opportunity. He had this to say about the meeting:

“We’re excited to add New Mexico to our schedule this season. This game provides us with another good measuring stick, early in the season, to see what our team is made of and how we stack up against a program that went 26-10 last year. I have a ton of respect for Richard Pitino, and he has put UNM’s program in a really strong position in the Mountain West. This game also gives our fans in the Las Vegas region a chance to come cheer on the Bruins in November.”

The Bruins and Lobos have split four games against each other in history. The last time they played was in 1997 when the Bruins beat the Lobos in Anaheim.

Trojans Wire and UCLA Wire discuss Kobe Johnson, past and future

We talked to UCLA Wire about how Kobe Johnson will fit with Mick Cronin.

The USC-UCLA football rivalry will enter a new chapter this fall. The Trojan-Bruin basketball rivalry enters a new space next winter in the Big Ten. One big source of intrigue in Los Angeles college basketball next season will be Kobe Johnson, who transferred across town to Westwood to join Mick Cronin after Andy Enfield left USC for SMU.

We wrote this about Kobe Johnson after he transferred to UCLA:

“Kobe Johnson doesn’t hijack a team’s offense. He might not be that great a shooter or scorer, but at USC, he didn’t try to dominate the ball or take shots away from Boogie Ellis and Isaiah Collier. He took shots because he was open, not because he insisted on being the man to take a shot. He will be selfless and a team player, and that is certainly part of what attracted Mick Cronin when he pursued Kobe in the transfer portal.”

We had UCLA Wire editor Matt Wadleigh on our podcast to discuss this and other USC and UCLA sports topics. Here’s the show:

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UCLA Bruins featured in list of impressive NCAA championships

Lots of titles for UCLA.

The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of college basketball is the UCLA Bruins’ 11 NCAA titles. But UCLA’s success goes beyond just basketball.

In a recent post by College Basketball Report on X, the Bruins are one of six teams in the nation to have won NCAA titles in basketball, football, and baseball. The Bruins join Ohio State, Stanford, Cal, Michigan, and Florida on the list.

Though no team has taken home a national title since 2013, when UCLA baseball won the College World Series, their combined thirteen titles is certainly an impressive feat. Today, the Bruins are in the midst of rebuilding all three programs into potential title-winners.

With Mick Cronin revamping the Bruins on the hardwood through the transfer portal, DeShaun Foster ushering in a new day in Westwood on the gridiron, and the Bruins’ baseball team working through the kinks, it may not be long until Bruins fans see another national title win in the near future.

Photos from Bill Walton’s career with the UCLA Bruins

Bill Walton was a Bruins legend.

One of one. That is the only way to describe UCLA great Bill Walton. 

Often lauded as one of the best college basketball players of all time, Walton won two NCAA national titles and three NCAA Player of the Year awards, Walton was truly a mesmerizing and iconic figure to Bruins nation.

A native of La Mesa, California, Walton’s impact was so great that the Los Angeles Clippers, formerly the San Diego Clippers, started their franchise to land the all-time legend.

Though Walton would go number-one overall to the Portland Trailblazers, his impact on basketball goes beyond words, and his time at UCLA is only a part of his illustrious career.

College Basketball announcer and UCLA legend Bill Walton passes at age 71

Former UCLA Bruin legend and college basketball broadcaster Bill Walton passed away on Monday at age 71.

Bill Walton, known as one of the greatest college basketball players of all-time, passed away on Monday after a long bout with cancer. He was 71.

The modern college basketball audience will recognize Walton for his gregarious and eccentric – and often fully outlandish – broadcasting career, which included calling games for ESPN and the Pac-12 Network all the way up into this season. But Walton was an absolute menace on the court, playing three seasons for the UCLA Bruins from 1971-1974.

Freshmen weren’t allowed to play varsity back in Walton’s era, but once he made the squad he instantly became the best player in the sport – winning National Player of the Year three straight years and leading UCLA to a pair of national championships, twice winning Final Four Most Outstanding Player. His 44 points against Memphis in 1973 remains a national championship game record.

The Bruins went 86-4 during Walton’s three years, including a still-standing Division 1 record 88-game winning streak. The streak was snapped by Notre Dame – in a game Walton was playing with a back brace due to a broken spine suffered earlier in the season.

And that’s really the story for Walton. A titanic, singularly dominant force who dealt with significant, life altering injuries which he played through as best he could – leading to a magnificent Hall of Fame career and a lifetime of pain.

Big Bill led the Portland Trail Blazers to their first and to date only NBA championship – averaging 18.5 points, 19 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 3.7 blocks in the series against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Injuries prevented him from playing at that level again, but he adjusted and became a quality reserve for the Boston Celtics in the 1980’s and ultimately found a spot in the Hall of Fame.

Walton’s death sent a wave of tributes across social media, ranging from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Barack Obama, and the timing of his passing – one day after the final regular season sporting event of his beloved Pac-12 Conference – feels at once heartbreaking and profoundly serendipitous: which is exactly how Walton would have wanted it.

BREAKING: UCLA Bruins legend Bill Walton passes away at 71

The world lost an absolute treasure on Monday.

Bruins Nation lost a legend today. In a post issued by the NBA Communications office, the league announced that Bill Walton passed away on Monday. 

Playing for the Bruins from 1971-1974, Walton won two NCAA national championships in 1972 and 1973 while being named a three-time national player of the year. The first-overall pick in the 1974 NBA Draft, Walton won two NBA Titles with the Portland Trail Blazers and Boston Celtics and the NBA Most Valuable Player award in 1979. Inducted into both the NBA and NCAA Hall of Fame, Walton was an icon both on and off the court. 

Known for his acting in commercials, TV, and movies, as well as his die-hard love for the Grateful Dead, Walton is an icon for the Bruins, who will be dearly missed. 

Most recently, a commentator for ESPN’s college basketball coverage, Walton’s name and number also hang in the rafters, with his number 32 jersey retired in Westwood. 

Trent Perry invites Mick Cronin-Andy Enfield comparisons at UCLA

People will compare Andy Enfield to Mick Cronin based on how Trent Perry is used at UCLA.

Former USC basketball commit and Harvard-Westlake point guard Trent Perry committed to UCLA. He signed his national letter of intent this past week. After Andy Enfield left for SMU, Perry decommitted and went to Mick Cronin at UCLA.

The four-star recruit and No. 30 overall prospect in the class of 2024 – according to 247Sports – is Cronin’s third acquisition of the recruiting cycle. Cronin also acquired former USC player Kobe Johnson in the transfer portal.

As a senior in 2023-24 at Harvard-Westlake, Perry averaged 18.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game. He shot 47.2 percent from the field and 86 percent at the free throw line.

Perry, the 2024 Gatorade California Boys Basketball Player of the Year, helped lead Harvard-Westlake to the 2023 and 2024 CIF State Open Division championships and the 2024 CIF Southern Section Open Division crown. A two-time Mission League MVP, he secured McDonald’s All-America honors in 2024 and was crowned the California MaxPreps High School Boys Basketball Player of the Year.

The Bruins will have a high-profile backcourt with Dylan Andrews, Sebastian Mack, and Louisville transfer Skyy Clark along with Trent Perry.

USC versus UCLA should be a fun time in the Big Ten next season. Andy Enfield might be gone from USC, and he won’t coach against Mick Cronin any longer, but people will be evaluating how Cronin uses Perry, particularly at the offensive end of the floor. Enfield struggled to use Isaiah Collier effectively this past season. The standard Cronin sets will be measured against Enfield, even though Enfield is now at SMU.

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USC fans hope Trent Perry and Kobe Johnson do not thrive at UCLA

It will be a nightmare if Trent Perry and Kobe Johnson both have breakout seasons under Mick Cronin.

USC basketball has a new sheriff in town. Eric Musselman has remade a roster which is not yet 100-percent finished. That roster could turn out to be very good, and if it does, Trojan fans will be happy. However, while seeing USC improve is priority number one, there is a concern among Trojan fans that UCLA might soar with its own remade roster. Trent Perry, a former USC commit, joined Mick Cronin and the Bruins on Wednesday. We now have a situation in which a former USC commit and a former USC player will be Bruins next season. Kobe Johnson transferred from USC to UCLA. He and Perry will be hard to ignore on the Los Angeles college basketball scene.

UCLA Wire wrote about Perry after his commitment:

“The UCLA Bruins basketball program landed a massive commitment from McDonald’s All-American Trent Perry on Wednesday.

“Previously, Perry had received a crystal ball projection to go to Virginia before it changed and became favored for UCLA. On Wednesday, it was made official as the former USC commit now will head to Westwood.

“It is another huge recruiting win for Mick Cronin in what has been a terrific offseason after a disappointing 2023-2024 campaign.”

If Trent Perry and Kobe Johnson flourish at UCLA, it will be a throbbing headache for USC fans. The Trojan family simply has to hope that Eric Musselman will be so good that UCLA’s success becomes less of a storyline in L.A. college hoops.

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The only good thing about the USC men’s basketball season: UCLA was also bad

At least UCLA failed this year. USC has nothing to brag about, but the Bruins didn’t make life even worse.

The USC men’s basketball season is over. It was painful to watch. The one good thing — the only good thing — about this men’s basketball season for the Trojans is that their rivals from Westwood weren’t any better. UCLA also finished under .500 and failed to make the NCAA Tournament. Given UCLA’s status as a college basketball blue-blood, that makes the season just as much of a failure for the Bruins as it was for the Trojans. USC did have higher expectations than UCLA, but the Bruins should never, ever miss the NCAA Tournament. Such is not quite the standard at USC, a true football school. The Bruins are supposed to be a basketball school, and basketball schools should never miss March Madness.

UCLA did.

UCLA Wire has more on the Bruins’ season-ending loss to Oregon in the Pac-12 Tournament:

“The UCLA Bruins men’s basketball team defeated Oregon State in the Pac-12 Conference first round. On Thursday, UCLA’s season came to an end with a slim 68-66 loss to Oregon.

“The Bruins had a 34-29 halftime lead but Oregon hit key free throws down the stretch to get the win and move on to the next round of the Pac-12 tournament.

“Dylan Andrews, who had 30 points in the win on Wednesday, scored 24 on 10-21 from the field to lead the way for UCLA. Sebastian Mack had 16 points as they were the only two Bruins in double figures.”

USC had a real opportunity to establish itself as a destination program in Los Angeles, but at least UCLA did not increase its advantage or build its stature in L.A. The Bruins were right there alongside the Trojans in a men’s basketball nightmare this year in the City of Angels.

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