2023–24 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team

2023–24 UCLA Bruins men's basketball
ConferencePac-12 Conference
Record16–17 (10–10 Pac-12)
Head coach
Associate head coachDarren Savino (5th season)
Assistant coaches
  • Rod Palmer (5th season)
  • Nate Georgeton (1st season)
  • Nemanja Jovanovic (1st season)
  • Brendyn Taylor (1st season)
Home arenaPauley Pavilion
(Capacity: 13,819)
Seasons
2023–24 Pac-12 Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 11 Arizona 15 – 5   .750 27 – 9   .750
No. 23 Washington State 14 – 6   .700 25 – 10   .714
Colorado 13 – 7   .650 26 – 11   .703
Oregon † 12 – 8   .600 24 – 12   .667
UCLA 10 – 10   .500 16 – 17   .485
Utah 9 – 11   .450 22 – 15   .595
California 9 – 11   .450 13 – 19   .406
Washington 9 – 11   .450 17 – 15   .531
USC 8 – 12   .400 15 – 18   .455
Stanford 8 – 12   .400 14 – 18   .438
Arizona State 8 – 12   .400 14 – 18   .438
Oregon State 5 – 15   .250 13 – 19   .406
† 2024 Pac-12 tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2023–24 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team represented the University of California, Los Angeles during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bruins were led by fifth-year head coach Mick Cronin, and they played their home games at Pauley Pavilion as a member of the Pac-12 Conference. It was the Bruins' final season as a member of the Pac-12 before joining the Big Ten Conference on July 1, 2024.

UCLA had seven freshmen on their roster, and eight newcomers overall,[1] along with three sophomores.[2] The Bruins won their first three games and started the season 5–2.[3][4] The team was limited offensively.[5] On January 11, 2024, they lost 90–44 to Utah for their eighth loss in nine games. The 46-point defeat was the second-worst in the program's history, behind a 48-point loss (109–61) to Stanford in 1997.[6] On January 27, UCLA defeated USC 65–50 at the Galen Center. It was the Bruins' first win in their crosstown rivalry under Cronin on the Trojans' home court, ending a five-game losing streak at the site. For the first time since 2004, the teams faced each other both with losing records.[7] UCLA beat Oregon 71–63, dropping the Ducks to second place, for their third straight win and fifth in their last six games.[2] They extended their winning streak to six games, and had won eight of their last nine, leading up to their rematch against Utah. However, the Bruins lost 70–69 to the Utes on a last-second basket.[8] They also lost their following game to USC to fall to 14–13 overall and 9–7 in the conference, needing to win the Pac-12 tournament to advance to the NCAA tournament.[9] UCLA lost their third game in a row, dropping back to .500 after allowing a season high in points in a 94–77 defeat to Washington.[10] The Bruins won their regular-season finale 59–47 at home against Arizona State to end a five-game losing streak, including three at Pauley Pavilion.[11]

In their Pac-12 tournament opener, Dylan Andrews scored a career-high 31 points to lead No. 5-seed UCLA to a 67–57 win over 12th-seeded Oregon State.[12] The Bruins were eliminated in the following game in the quarterfinals, losing 68–66 to No. 4-seed Oregon. With 4.4 seconds remaining, Andrews took the inbounds pass, drove downcourt, and shot a floater inside the free throw line over N'Faly Dante as the buzzer sounded, but the ball bounced off the back of the rim.[13][14] He ended the game with 24 points,[13] and averaged 21.2 points over the final six games.[15] Cronin's personal streak of 12 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances ended.[15]

Offseason

[edit]
UCLA Departures
Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for Departure
Tyger Campbell G 5'11" 180 RS Senior Cedar Rapids, IA Graduated; Declared for the 2023 NBA Draft
Jaime Jaquez Jr. G/F 6'7" 225 Senior Camarillo, CA Graduated; Declared for the 2023 NBA Draft
David Singleton G 6'4" 205 Senior Los Angeles, CA Graduated
Russell Stong G 6'3" 190 Senior Northridge, CA Walk-on; Graduated
Jaylen Clark G 6'5" 210 Junior Riverside, CA Declared for the 2023 NBA Draft
Mac Etienne F 6'10" 230 RS Freshman New York, NY Transferred to DePaul
Abramo Canka G/F 6'6" 200 Freshman Genoa, Italy Transferred to Wake Forest
Amari Bailey G 6'5" 185 Freshman Chicago, IL Declared for the 2023 NBA Draft
Incoming Transfers
Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Lazar Stefanovic G 6'7" 190 Sophomore Belgrade, Serbia Transfer from Utah. Will have two years of eligibility remaining.

2023 recruiting class

[edit]
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Sebastian Mack
SG 		Henderson, NV Coronado HS (NV) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Nov 16, 2022 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Brandon Williams
PF 		Middle Village, NY Christ The King HS (NY) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Sep 20, 2022 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Devin Williams
PF 		Corona, CA Centennial HS (CA) 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Aug 28, 2022 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
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:

  • "UCLA 2023 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com.
  • "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Roster

[edit]
2023–24 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 2 Dylan Andrews 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So Compass Prep Gardena, CA
F 3 Adem Bona 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 245 lb (111 kg) So Prolific Prep Ebonyi, Nigeria
G 4 Will McClendon 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS So Bishop Gorman HS Las Vegas, NV
G/F 5 Brandon Williams 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Fr Christ the King HS Queens, NY
G 8 Ilane Fibleuil 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr INSEP Massy, France
F 9 Berke Büyüktuncel 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Fr Ozluce Doga Kolegi Bursa, Turkey
G 10 Lazar Stefanovic 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jr Utah Belgrade, Serbia
G 12 Sebastian Mack 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Coronado HS Chicago, IL
F/C 14 Kenneth Nwuba 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 255 lb (116 kg) RS Sr Huntington Prep Lagos, Nigeria
C 15 Aday Mara 7 ft 3 in (2.21 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Fr IES El Picarral Zaragoza, Spain
F 20 Logan Cremonesi (W) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) RS Jr Mater Dei HS Oceanside, CA
F 21 Evan Manjikian (W) Current redshirt 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 245 lb (111 kg) So Sierra Canyon Glendale, CA
F 22 Devin Williams 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Centennial HS Riverside, CA
G 27 Jan Vide 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr SEK El Castillo Domžale, Slovenia
G 30 Jack Seidler (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS Fr Marlboro HS Marlboro, NJ
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

[edit]
Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 31, 2023*
6:00 p.m. 		Cal State Dominguez Hills W 97–56  0–0
  23 – Mack   10 – Fibleuil   7 – Mack  Pauley Pavilion (2,968)
Los Angeles, CA
Non-conference regular season
November 6, 2023*
8:30 p.m., P12N 		Saint Francis (PA) W 75–44  1–0
  28 – Bona   9 – Bona   4 – Stefanovic  Pauley Pavilion (6,783)
Los Angeles, CA
November 10, 2023*
8:00 p.m., P12N 		Lafayette W 68–50  2–0
  18 – Tied   6 – Bona   4 – Andrews  Pauley Pavilion (6,259)
Los Angeles, CA
November 15, 2023*
7:00 p.m., P12N 		LIU W 78–58  3–0
  20 – Bona   11 – Bona   7 – Vide  Pauley Pavilion (4,751)
Los Angeles, CA
November 20, 2023*
8:30 p.m., ESPN2 		vs. No. 4 Marquette
Maui Invitational quarterfinals 		L 69–71  3–1
  25 – Mack   8 – Stefanovic   4 – Andrews  Stan Sheriff Center (4,936)
Honolulu, HI
November 21, 2023*
2:00 p.m., ESPN2 		vs. Chaminade
Maui Invitational Consolation 2nd round 		W 76–48  4–1
  16 – Mack   10 – Mara   6 – Andrews  Stan Sheriff Center (3,602)
Honolulu, HI
November 22, 2023*
9:00 p.m., ESPN2 		vs. No. 11 Gonzaga
Maui Invitational 5th Place Game 		L 65–69  4–2
  16 – Tied   8 – Tied   4 – Andrews  Stan Sheriff Center (3,757)
Honolulu, HI
November 30, 2023*
8:00 p.m., P12N 		UC Riverside W 66–65  5–2
  17 – Andrews   5 – Mack   5 – Tied  Pauley Pavilion (6,609)
Los Angeles, CA
December 9, 2023*
4:00 p.m., FOX 		at Villanova L 56–65  5–3
  14 – Stefanovic   8 – Bona   4 – Andrews  Wells Fargo Center (16,823)
Philadelphia, PA
December 16, 2023*
12:00 p.m., CBS 		vs. Ohio State
CBS Sports Classic 		L 60–67  5–4
  14 – Mack   6 – Tied   3 – Andrews  State Farm Arena (17,058)
Atlanta, GA
December 19, 2023*
7:00 p.m., P12N 		Cal State Northridge L 72–76  5–5
  27 – Mack   10 – Bona   3 – Mara  Pauley Pavilion (7,274)
Los Angeles, CA
December 22, 2023*
6:00 p.m., ESPN2 		Maryland L 60–69  5–6
  17 – Mack   6 – Stefanovic   3 – Tied  Pauley Pavilion (7,056)
Los Angeles, CA
Pac-12 regular season
December 28, 2023
7:00 p.m., P12N 		at Oregon State W 69–62  6–6
(1–0) 		 13 – Tied   8 – Bona   4 – Andrews  Gill Coliseum (3,087)
Corvallis, OR
December 30, 2023
1:00 p.m., CBS 		at Oregon L 59–64  6–7
(1–1) 		 15 – Bona   11 – Bona   6 – Andrews  Matthew Knight Arena (7,268)
Eugene, OR
January 3, 2024
6:00 p.m., ESPN2 		Stanford L 53–59  6–8
(1–2) 		 14 – Mack   9 – Bona   2 – Tied  Pauley Pavilion (6,224)
Los Angeles, CA
January 6, 2024
7:00 p.m., P12N 		California L 57–66  6–9
(1–3) 		 20 – Mack   6 – Tied   2 – Tied  Pauley Pavilion (7,342)
Los Angeles, CA
January 11, 2024
6:00 p.m., ESPN2 		at Utah L 44–90  6–10
(1–4) 		 9 – Andrews   5 – Mack   2 – Andrews  Jon M. Huntsman Center (8,934)
Salt Lake City, UT
January 14, 2024
4:00 p.m., P12N 		Washington W 73–61  7–10
(2–4) 		 22 – Bona   7 – Stefanovic   8 – Andrews  Pauley Pavilion (6,532)
Los Angeles, CA
January 17, 2024
6:00 p.m., P12N 		at Arizona State W 68–66  8–10
(3–4) 		 18 – Stefanovic   6 – Tied   5 – Bona  Desert Financial Arena (10,096)
Tempe, AZ
January 20, 2024
1:00 p.m., ESPN2 		at No. 12 Arizona
Rivalry 		L 71–77  8–11
(3–5) 		 21 – Mack   8 – Stefanovic   4 – Mack  McKale Center (14,688)
Tucson, AZ
January 27, 2024
5:00 p.m., ESPN2 		at USC
Rivalry 		W 65–50  9–11
(4–5) 		 20 – Andrews   10 – Bona   4 – Andrews  Galen Center (10,300)
Los Angeles, CA
February 1, 2024
7:30 p.m., P12N 		Oregon State W 71–63  10–11
(5–5) 		 18 – Tied   7 – McClendon   3 – Andrews  Pauley Pavilion (6,095)
Los Angeles, CA
February 3, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN2 		Oregon W 71–63  11–11
(6–5) 		 21 – Andrews   10 – Stefanovic   7 – Andrews  Pauley Pavilion (8,723)
Los Angeles, CA
February 7, 2024
6:00 p.m., P12N 		at Stanford W 82–74  12–11
(7–5) 		 21 – Mack   8 – Bona   4 – Andrews  Maples Pavilion (3,844)
Stanford, CA
February 10, 2024
2:30 p.m., FOX 		at California W 61–60  13–11
(8–5) 		 13 – Bona   13 – Stefanovic   2 – Andrews  Haas Pavilion (9,280)
Berkeley, CA
February 15, 2024
6:00 p.m., ESPN 		Colorado W 64–60  14–11
(9–5) 		 19 – Mack   7 – Bona   3 – McClendon  Pauley Pavilion (7,183)
Los Angeles, CA
February 18, 2024
4:00 p.m., FS1 		Utah L 69–70  14–12
(9–6) 		 19 – Stefanovic   8 – Stefanovic   3 – Stefanovic  Pauley Pavilion (9,537)
Los Angeles, CA
February 24, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN 		USC
Rivalry 		L 56–62  14–13
(9–7) 		 14 – Bona   6 – Tied   5 – Andrews  Pauley Pavilion (13,659)
Los Angeles, CA
February 29, 2024
7:30 p.m., FS1 		at Washington L 77–94  14–14
(9–8) 		 22 – Stefanovic   11 – Bona   11 – Andrews  Alaska Airlines Arena (7,893)
Seattle, WA
March 2, 2024
4:00 p.m., P12N 		at No. 19 Washington State L 65–77  14–15
(9–9) 		 21 – Andrews   8 – Stefanovic   4 – Mack  Beasley Coliseum (8,096)
Pullman, WA
March 7, 2024
6:30 p.m., ESPN 		No. 5 Arizona
Rivalry 		L 65–88  14–16
(9–10) 		 20 – Stefanovic   5 – Bona   3 – Mack  Pauley Pavilion (8,428)
Los Angeles, CA
March 9, 2024
8:00 p.m., FS1 		Arizona State
Senior Night 		W 59–47  15–16
(10–10) 		 20 – Bona   12 – Bona   6 – Tied  Pauley Pavilion (7,424)
Los Angeles, CA
Pac-12 Tournament
March 13, 2024
2:30 p.m., P12N 		(5) vs. (12) Oregon State
First round 		W 67–57  16–16
  31 – Andrews   9 – Stefanovic   4 – Andrews  T-Mobile Arena (10,050)
Paradise, NV
March 14, 2024
2:30 p.m., P12N 		(5) vs. (4) Oregon
Quarterfinal 		L 66–68  16–17
  24 – Andrews   6 – Stefanovic   2 – Andrews  T-Mobile Arena (14,076)
Paradise, NV
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Pacific Time.


Rankings

[edit]
See also: 2023-24 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes т = Tied with team above or below
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
APRVRVRVRVRV—————————
Coaches2525т24RVRV—————————

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings

Awards and honors

[edit]
Recipient Award (Pac-12 Conference) Stats (PPG/RPG/APG) Week Date awarded Ref.
Sebastian Mack Freshman of the Week 19.0 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 2.3 APG 3 November 27 [16]
Sebastian Mack Freshman of the Week 7 December 26
Dylan Andrews Player of the Week Averaged 19.5 points, 5.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals 13 February 5, 2024 [17]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Davis, John (November 9, 2023). "UCLA men's basketball vs. Lafayette: What you need to know". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Bolch, Ben (February 3, 2024). "Young players fueling UCLA's resurgence as Bruins beat Oregon in a wild one". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  3. ^ Davis, John W. (November 19, 2023). "Berke Buyuktuncel cleared ahead of UCLA men's basketball vs. No. 4 Marquette: What you need to know". The Orange County Register. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  4. ^ Davis, John (December 8, 2023). "UCLA men's basketball at Villanova: What you need to know". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  5. ^ Bolch, Ben (January 3, 2024). "Mick Cronin questions players' aptitude after UCLA struggles during loss to Stanford". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  6. ^ Bolch, Ben (January 11, 2024). "UCLA's dismal season hits a new low in a 46-point loss to Utah". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  7. ^ Bolch, Ben (January 27, 2024). "Dylan Andrews and Adem Bona deliver UCLA to victory over rival USC". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  8. ^ Bolch, Ben (February 18, 2024). "Utah shocks UCLA on last-second basket, ending Bruins' six-game winning streak". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  9. ^ Bolch, Ben (February 24, 2024). "Sloppy defense and poor shooting plague UCLA's starting guards in loss to rival USC". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  10. ^ Bolch, Ben (February 29, 2024). "Fed up after another UCLA loss, Mick Cronin delivers stern warning to his players". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
  11. ^ Bolch, Ben (March 9, 2024). "UCLA overcomes sluggish start with a huge scoring run in win over Arizona State". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  12. ^ Bolch, Ben (March 13, 2024). "Dylan Andrews' hot shooting lifts UCLA to a Pac-12 tournament win over Oregon State". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  13. ^ a b Evans, Luca (March 16, 2024). "UCLA comes up short versus Oregon in Pac-12 Tournament". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  14. ^ Bolch, Ben (March 14, 2024). "Dylan Andrews and UCLA can't conjure any last-second magic in season-ending loss". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  15. ^ a b Bolch, Ben (March 15, 2024). "'Everybody's a free agent': UCLA is headed for what might be its wildest offseason". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  16. ^ "Pac-12 Men's Basketball Performance Awards, presented by Nextiva - November 27, 2023". Archived from the original on November 29, 2023.
  17. ^ "Pac-12 Men's Basketball Performance Awards, presented by Nextiva - February 5, 2024".
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