2020–21 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team

The 2020–21 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team represents the University of California, Los Angeles during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I season. The Bruins are led by second-year head coach Mick Cronin and play their home games at Pauley Pavilion as members of the Pac-12 Conference.

2020–21 UCLA Bruins men's basketball
ConferencePac-12 Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 21
APNo. 21
2020–21 record13–3 (9–1 Pac-12)
Head coach
Associate head coachDarren Savino
Assistant coaches
  • Rod Palmer
  • Michael Lewis
Home arenaPauley Pavilion
(Capacity: 13,819)
2020–21 Pac-12 Conference men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
No. 21 UCLA9–1 .900  13–3  .813
USC8–2 .800  14–3  .824
Colorado7–4 .636  13–5  .722
Oregon5–3 .625  10–4  .714
Arizona*7–5 .583  13–5  .722
Stanford7–5 .583  11–7  .611
Oregon State5–5 .500  9–7  .563
Utah5–6 .455  8–7  .533
Arizona State3–5 .375  6–8  .429
Washington State4–7 .364  11–7  .611
Washington2–10 .167  3–14  .176
California2–11 .154  7–13  .350
† 2021 Pac-12 Tournament winner
As of January 30, 2021; Rankings from AP Poll
*Ineligible for both the 2021 Pac–12 Tournament and the 2021 NCAA Tournament due to self-imposed postseason ban.

UCLA was 6–2 to start the season when senior Chris Smith, who was the Pac-12 Most Improved Player and a first-team all-conference selection the season prior, was ruled out for the season after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the win against Utah.[1] The Bruins began Pac-12 conference play with a 5–0 record after beating rival Arizona on the road. This marked the fourth consecutive time UCLA had beaten Arizona in Tucson; it was also their fourth straight win against the Wildcats overall, making this the longest win streak by either team in the series since 2009. The win gave the Bruins their best start in the Pac-12 since 2012–13, when they won their most recent regular-season conference title.[2] UCLA extended their conference record to 8–0 with a 61–57 road win against California. It was their best conference start since opening 9–0 in 1982–83, and the Bruins improved to 12–2 overall,[3] including 7–0 in games decided by five points or less or which went into overtime.[4] In their following game against Stanford, they suffered their first Pac-12 defeat after surrendering a buzzer-beating layup on an inbounds pass in a 73–72 overtime loss.[5]

Previous season
Main article: 2019–20 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team

UCLA finished the season with a 19–12 record. After starting slowly at 8–9, they went on an 11–3 streak and finished second in the Pac-12 at 12–6 in conference play. Cronin was named the Pac-12 Coach of the Year, while junior Chris Smith earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors and was voted the Pac-12 Most Improved Player.[6] Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Pac-12 Tournament was canceled before the Bruins' first scheduled game in the quarterfinals, and the NCAA Tournament was called off as well.

Off-season

Departures
Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for Departure
Alex Olesinski F 6'10" 225 RS Senior Roswell, New Mexico Graduated
Prince Ali G 6'4" 195 RS Senior The Bronx, New York Graduated
Armani Dodson G 6'5" 210 Senior Fontana, California Walk–on; graduated
Isaac Wulff G 6'3" 185 Senior Laguna Beach, California Walk–on; graduated
Shareef O'Neal F 6'9" 220 RS Freshman Los Angeles, California Transferred to LSU (mid-season)[7]

Incoming Transfers
NamePos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Johnny JuzangF6'6"215SophomoreTarzana, CATransferred from Kentucky. Juzang was granted a waiver for immediate eligibility. Will have three years of remaining eligibility.[8][9]

2020 Recruiting class
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Jaylen Clark
SG / SF		 Riverside, CA Etiwanda (CA) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Feb 5, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 80
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: —  247Sports: 109  ESPN: —
  • 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 2020 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  • "2020 UCLA Bruins Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  • "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 11, 2020.

    2021 Recruiting class

    Roster
    2020–21 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team
    PlayersCoaches
    Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
    G 0 Jaylen Clark 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)195 lb (88 kg) FrEtiwanda HS Riverside, CA
    G 1 Jules Bernard 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)205 lb (93 kg) JrWindward School Los Angeles, CA
    F 2 Cody Riley 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)255 lb (116 kg) RS JrSierra Canyon School Kansas City, KS
    G 3 Johnny Juzang 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)210 lb (95 kg) SoKentucky Tarzana, CA
    G/F 4 Jaime Jaquez Jr. 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)220 lb (100 kg) SoCamarillo HS Camarillo, CA
    G 5 Chris Smith  6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)215 lb (98 kg) SrHuntington Prep Chicago, IL
    G 10 Tyger Campbell 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)180 lb (82 kg) RS SoLa Lumiere School Cedar Rapids, IA
    G/F 13 Jake Kyman 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)220 lb (100 kg) SoSanta Margarita Catholic HS Aliso Viejo, CA
    F 14 Kenneth Nwuba 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)255 lb (116 kg) RS SoHuntington Prep Lagos, Nigeria
    F 23 Logan Cremonesi (W) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)210 lb (95 kg) FrMater Dei HS Oceanside, CA
    F/C 24 Jalen Hill 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)245 lb (111 kg) RS JrCentennial HS Corona, CA
    G 34 David Singleton 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)210 lb (95 kg) JrBishop Montgomery HS Los Angeles, CA
    G 43 Russell Stong (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)190 lb (86 kg) JrCrespi Carmelite HS Northridge, CA
    Head coach
    Assistant coach(es)
    Legend
    • (C) Team captain
    • (S) Suspended
    • (I) Ineligible
    • (W) Walk-on

    Roster

    Schedule and results
    Date
    time, TV    		 Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
    city, state
    Regular season
    November 25, 2020*
    7:30 pm, CBSSN    		 No. 22 at San Diego State L 58–73  0–1
    		  17 – Jaquez  12 – Riley  4 – Campbell  Viejas Arena (0)
    San Diego, CA
    November 27, 2020*
    12:00 pm, P12N    		 No. 22 vs. Pepperdine W 107–98 3OT 1–1
    		  26 – Smith  12 – Smith  7 – Campbell  Viejas Arena (0)
    San Diego, CA
    December 3, 2020*
    5:00 pm, P12N    		 Seattle W 78–52  2–1
    		  17 – Campbell  11 – Smith  6 – Campbell  Pauley Pavilion (0)
    Los Angeles, CA
    December 6, 2020
    5:00 pm, P12N    		 California W 76–56  3–1
    (1–0)    		  21 – Smith  7 – Hill  12 – Campbell  Pauley Pavilion (0)
    Los Angeles, CA
    December 9, 2020*
    6:00 pm, P12N    		 San Diego W 83–56  4–1
    		  17 – Jaquez  10 – Tied  5 – Campbell  Pauley Pavilion (0)
    Los Angeles, CA
    December 11, 2020*
    6:30 pm, P12N    		 Marquette W 69–60  5–1
    		  18 – Jaquez  7 – Tied  9 – Campbell  Pauley Pavilion (0)
    Los Angeles, CA
    December 15, 2020*
    6:00 pm, P12N    		 Long Beach State Cancelled[lower-alpha 1] Pauley Pavilion 
    Los Angeles, CA
    December 19, 2020*
    1:15 pm, CBS    		 vs. No. 20 Ohio State
    CBS Sports Classic    		 L 70–77  5–2
    		  15 – Riley  6 – Tied  5 – Campbell  Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (0)
    Cleveland, OH
    December 31, 2020
    4:00 pm, FS1    		 Utah W 72–70  6–2
    (2–0)    		  16 – Smith  5 – Tied  10 – Campbell  Pauley Pavilion (0)
    Los Angeles, CA
    January 2, 2021
    5:00 pm, P12N    		 Colorado W 65–62  7–2
    (3–0)    		  14 – Jaquez  7 – Bernard  7 – Campbell  Pauley Pavilion (0)
    Los Angeles, CA
    January 7, 2021
    7:30 pm, ESPN    		 at Arizona State W 81–75 OT 8–2
    (4–0)    		  22 – Riley  13 – Riley  5 – Campbell  Desert Financial Arena (0)
    Tempe, AZ
    January 9, 2021
    6:00 pm, ESPN    		 at Arizona
    Rivalry    		 W 81–76  9–2
    (5–0)    		  22 – Campbell  9 – Jaquez  2 – Campbell  McKale Center (0)
    Tucson, AZ
    January 14, 2021
    2:00 pm, FS1    		 Washington State W 91–61  10–2
    (6–0)    		  17 – Juzang  7 – Hill  6 – Campbell  Pauley Pavilion (0)
    Los Angeles, CA
    January 16, 2021
    2:00 pm, P12N    		 Washington W 81–76  11–2
    (7–0)    		  20 – Bernard  9 – Bernard  5 – Campbell  Pauley Pavilion (0)
    Los Angeles, CA
    January 21, 2021
    6:00 pm, ESPNU    		 No. 24 at California W 61–57  12–2
    (8–0)    		  13 – Riley  8 – Hill  6 – Campbell  Haas Pavilion (0)
    Berkeley, CA
    January 23, 2021
    2:00 pm, FOX    		 No. 24 at Stanford L 72–73 OT 12–3
    (8–1)    		  27 – Juzang  4 – Tied  4 – Campbell  Kaiser Permanente Arena (1)
    Santa Cruz, CA
    January 28, 2021
    6:00 pm, ESPN    		 No. 23 Oregon Postponed Pauley Pavilion 
    Los Angeles, CA
    January 30, 2021
    4:00 pm, P12N    		 No. 23 Oregon State W 57–52  13–3
    (9–1)    		  16 – Riley  10 – Riley  4 – Campbell  Pauley Pavilion (0)
    Los Angeles, CA
    February 1, 2021
    2:00 pm, ESPN2    		 No. 21 Oregon Rescheduled from December 23, 2020 & January 19, 2021; moved to Los Angeles; then postponed again Pauley Pavilion 
    Los Angeles, CA
    February 6, 2021
    7:00 pm, ESPN    		 No. 21 at USC
    Rivalry    		     Galen Center 
    Los Angeles, CA
    February 11, 2021
    8:00 pm, FS1    		 at Washington State     Beasley Coliseum 
    Pullman, WA
    February 13, 2021
    4:30 pm, P12N    		 at Washington     Alaska Airlines Arena 
    Seattle, WA
    February 18, 2021
    TBD, ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU    		 Arizona
    Rivalry    		     Pauley Pavilion 
    Los Angeles, CA
    February 20, 2021
     ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU    		 Arizona State     Pauley Pavilion 
    Los Angeles, CA
    February 25, 2021
    TBD, P12N    		 at Utah     Jon M. Huntsman Center 
    Salt Lake City, UT
    February 27, 2021
    TBD, ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU    		 at Colorado     CU Events Center 
    Boulder, CO
    March 6, 2021
    TBD, CBS    		 USC
    Rivalry    		     Pauley Pavilion 
    Los Angeles, CA
    Pac-12 Tournament
    March 10–13, 2021
    TBD, P12N/ESPN/ESPN2    		 vs. TBD     T-Mobile Arena 
    Paradise, NV
    *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
    All times are in Pacific Time.

    Rankings
    See also: 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
    Ranking movements
    Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
    NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.
    Week
    Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Final 
    AP 22 RV RV RV RV RV RV RV 24 23 21 Not released 
    Coaches 21 21[lower-alpha 2] RV RV RV RV RV 21 20 21 21

    Honors

    Preseason award watchlists

    Pac-12 Player of the Week

      Notes
      1. The Long Beach State–UCLA game had originally been scheduled for November 30, but was postponed as a result of positive COVID-19 test results within the LBSU program.[10] It was later announced that the game would be rescheduled for December 15. However, the game was again postponed on December 15 following another positive test in the LBSU program. Long Beach State's athletics department later released a statement that claimed the game had been cancelled altogether,[11] although UCLA has yet to publicly confirm this.
      2. Coaches did not release a Week 1 poll.

      References
      1. Bolch, Ben (January 2, 2021). "UCLA beats Colorado after learning Chris Smith has torn ACL, will miss rest of season". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
      2. Bolch, Ben (January 9, 2021). "Tyger Campbell makes UCLA stand tall in victory at Arizona". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
      3. Bolch, Ben (January 21, 2021). "UCLA extends Pac-12 unbeaten streak with narrow victory over Cal". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 22, 2021.
      4. Bolch, Ben (September 24, 2021). "Finally left at a loss, UCLA must seek answers after Stanford heartbreak". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
      5. Bolch, Ben (January 23, 2021). "UCLA falls to Stanford on buzzer-beating layup in overtime for first Pac-12 loss". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
      6. Gold, Jon (March 11, 2020). "A decade later, UCLA's Mick Cronin is following Sean Miller's playbook to rebuild Bruins". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
      7. Lundberg, Robin (14 February 2020). "Shareef O'Neal Transferring to LSU, Talks Final Text From Kobe". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
      8. Cobb, David (April 9, 2020). "Kentucky transfer Johnny Juzang commits to UCLA and will pursue a waiver to play immediate eligibility". CBS Sports. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
      9. "NCAA makes Johnny Juzang eligible at UCLA for next season". NBC Sports. Associated Press. May 27, 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
      10. "UCLA-Long Beach State basketball game postponed due to COVID issues". The Orange Country Register. 30 November 2020. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
      11. Pierson, Tracy (15 December 2020). "UCLA/Long Beach State Game Cancelled, According to LBSU". Bruin Report Online. 247Sports. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
      12. "2021 Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Watch List Headlined By Two Former Award Winners And One 2020 Finalist". NaismithTrophy.com. November 19, 2020. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
      13. Bolch, Ben (December 2, 2020). "If he's underperforming, UCLA's Chris Smith wants to hear all about it". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
      14. "Basketball Hall of Fame Names Twenty Small Forwards to Watch List for 2021 Julius Erving Award" (PDF) (Press release). Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. November 4, 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 10, 2020.
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