Wikipedia

2018–19 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team

The 2018–19 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team represented the University of California, Los Angeles during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bruins played their home games at Pauley Pavilion as members in the Pac-12 Conference. They were led by sixth-year head coach Steve Alford until he was fired mid-season and assistant Murry Bartow was named the interim head coach.[2] Their lineup featured three former McDonald's All-Americans: sophomores Jaylen Hands and Kris Wilkes were both named second-team All-Pac-12, while first-year player Moses Brown was voted to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team.[3] UCLA finished the season 17–16, and lost in the second round of the Pac-12 tournament. They missed the postseason for the second time in four years.[4]

2018–19 UCLA Bruins men's basketball
ConferencePac-12 Conference
Record17–16 (9–9 Pac-12)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaPauley Pavilion
(Capacity: 13,819)
Seasons
2018–19 Pac-12 Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Washington 15 – 3   .833 27 – 9   .750
Arizona State 12 – 6   .667 23 – 11   .676
Utah 11 – 7   .611 17 – 14   .548
Oregon State 10 – 8   .556 18 – 13   .581
Colorado 10 – 8   .556 23 – 13   .639
Oregon † 10 – 8   .556 25 – 13   .658
UCLA 9 – 9   .500 17 – 16   .515
USC 8 – 10   .444 16 – 17   .485
Arizona 8 – 10   .444 17 – 15   .531
Stanford 8 – 10   .444 15 – 16   .484
Washington State 4 – 14   .222 11 – 21   .344
California 3 – 15   .167 8 – 23   .258
† Pac-12 Conference tournament winner

Ranked No. 21 in the preseason AP Poll,[4] the Bruins began the season 4–0 and climbed to No. 17.[5] However, they lost six of the next nine and finished with a 7–6 record in nonconference play, closing it out with four straight losses, the last of which was a 73–58 defeat to Liberty.[5][6] They committed a season-high 24 turnovers in the game,[7] and the 15-point setback was the most lopsided home loss in Alford's tenure with UCLA.[6] Combined with an earlier home loss to mid-major program Belmont, it was the first time the Bruins had lost consecutive home games to non-Power Five schools since 2012–13.[8] Four days after Belmont, they lost by 29 at Cincinnati, their largest margin of defeat since 2014–15.[9] UCLA had not lost four straight since the end of 2015–16, when they finished the season under .500.[9] They had not suffered four consecutive nonconference losses since 2010–11.[10] On December 31, 2018, two days after the Bruins' loss to Liberty, UCLA fired Alford and named Bartow the interim head coach.[2]

The Bruins were inconsistent under Bartow, logging as many three-game winning streaks as three-game losing streaks.[4] They opened conference play 2–0 at home against San Francisco Bay Area schools Stanford and California.[11] Emphasizing the team's speed and athleticism,[11] he had the Bruins play more aggressive, trapping and applying pressure on defense and attacking on offense by running on both missed and made baskets. Six Bruins scored in double figures against Cal after five reached the threshold against the Cardinal. In their 13 non-conference games under Alford, UCLA never had more than four double-figure scorers.[12][13] The Bruins won the following game in overtime 87–84 at Oregon after rallying from 17 points down with less than seven minutes left in the second half, and later trailing by nine with 51 seconds remaining. It was the largest comeback in the final minute of a Pac-12 game and tied the sixth-largest deficit overcome in the last minute in Division I history. UCLA's 3–0 start in the conference was their best since starting 5–0 in the Pac-12 in 2012–13, the last time they claimed a conference regular-season title.[14] However, they lost their next three games, falling to 3–7 in their last 10, and 10–9 overall.[15] After wins over Arizona and Washington State, during which they set season-highs in field goal percentage of 57.9 and 58.8 percent, respectively,[16] they lost to Washington after committing 23 turnovers.[17] The Bruins were 5–4 halfway through the conference schedule. While Bartow was pushing for a faster pace, an unintended consequence was UCLA's conference-leading 17.3 turnovers per game, almost four more than they committed during non-conference play.[17]

Entering the second half, UCLA had a favorable schedule with seven of their last nine regular-season games against schools that were ranked in the bottom half of the Pac-12.[17] However, they lost their third straight game on February 9 after blowing a 22-point lead with 12:10 remaining in a 93–92 loss to Utah, which won on a buzzer-beating three-point field goal. The Bruins allowed 61 points in the second half, the most they had surrendered in a half since allowing 64 points in a win against Cal State Northridge in 1998.[18] The Bruins dropped into a four-way tie for seventh place in the Pac-12.[19] Combined with a loss earlier in the week to Colorado, it was the first time that UCLA had been swept in a home series since 2015–16.[18] However, UCLA won four of their next five. The four wins consisted of two overtime games, a one-point victory, and a 19-point comeback.[20] They entered the final week of the regular season with a chance to finish as high as third place in the conference, but lost their final two games to fall to seventh.[21]

In their opening game of the Pac-12 tournament, UCLA switched to a man-to-man defense after having played predominantly zone under Bartow, and they defeated Stanford 79–72. Bruins freshman guard David Singleton broke his foot in the final minute, ending his season.[22] The Bruins lost their next game 83–72 to second-seeded Arizona State in the quarterfinals. They were down by two points with 3:59 remaining before halftime. However, they were outscored 14–0 to end the half, and trailed by double-digits throughout most of the rest of the game.[23][24] Afterwards, Bartow stated that he was not interested in having his interim tag removed, and expressed optimism that UCLA would "hire a very good coach".[23]

Previous season

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Main article: 2017–18 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team

The Bruins finished the 2017–18 season 21–12, 11–7 in Pac-12 play to finish in a three-way tie for third place. They defeated Stanford in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 tournament to advance to the semifinals where they lost to Arizona. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they lost in the First Four to St. Bonaventure.

Off-season

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Departures

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Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for Departure
Thomas Welsh C 7'0" 255 Sr. Redondo Beach, California Graduated; 2018 NBA draft[25]
György Golomon PF 6'11" 225 Sr. Körmend, Hungary Graduated
Ikenna Okwarabizie C 6'9" 255 Sr. Lagos, Nigeria Graduated
Alec Wulff G 6'3" 185 Sr. Laguna Beach, California Walk-on; Graduated
Aaron Holiday PG 6'1" 185 Jr. Chatsworth, California Declared for 2018 NBA draft[26]

2018 recruiting class

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College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
David Singleton
SG 		Torrance, CA Bishop Montgomery High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Apr 20, 2017 
Star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 84
Jules Bernard
SF 		Los Angeles, CA Windward School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Oct 10, 2017 
Star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 87
Kenneth Nwuba
C 		Jackson, MS Huntington Prep 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (110 kg) Nov 7, 2017 
Star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 77
Moses Brown
C 		Briarwood, NY Archbishop Molloy High School 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jan 22, 2018 
Star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 91
Tyger Campbell
PG 		Des Moines, IA La Lumiere School 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Feb 6, 2018 
Star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 81
Shareef O'Neal
PF 		Los Angeles, CA Crossroads School 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Feb 27, 2018 
Star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 89
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:

  • "2018 UCLA Commits". Rivals.com.
  • "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Roster

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2018–19 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
F 0 Alex Olesinski 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) RS Jr La Lumiere School Roswell, New Mexico
C 1 Moses Brown 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Fr Archbishop Molloy HS Queens, New York
F 2 Cody Riley 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 lb (109 kg) RS Fr Sierra Canyon School Kansas City, Kansas
G 3 Jules Bernard 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Windward School Los Angeles, California
G 4 Jaylen Hands 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So Foothills Christian HS San Diego, California
G 5 Chris Smith 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) So Huntington Prep Chicago, Illinois
G 10 Tyger Campbell   5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr La Lumiere School Cedar Rapids, Iowa
G 13 Kris Wilkes 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) So North Central HS Indianapolis, Indiana
F 14 Kenneth Nwuba 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Fr Huntington Prep Lagos, Nigeria
G 15 Armani Dodson (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Henry J. Kaiser HS Fontana, California
G 20 Isaac Wulff (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jr Laguna Beach HS Laguna Beach, California
F 22 Shareef O'Neal   6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr Crossroads School Los Angeles, California
G 23 Prince Ali 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS Jr Sagemont School Bronx, New York
F/C 24 Jalen Hill 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 235 lb (107 kg) RS Fr Centennial HS Corona, California
G 30 Joseph Wallace (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So Sierra Canyon School Woodland Hills, California
G 34 David Singleton 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Bishop Montgomery HS Los Angeles, California
G 43 Russell Stong (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Crespi Carmelite HS Northridge, California
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 27, 2018*
7:30 pm, P12N 		No. 21 NYIT W 125–73 
 25 – Ali   13 – Brown   7 – Hands  Pauley Pavilion (6,034)
Los Angeles, CA
Non–conference regular season
November 6, 2018*
6:00 pm, P12N 		No. 21 Purdue Fort Wayne W 96–71  1–0
  27 – Wilkes   17 – Brown   7 – Hands  Pauley Pavilion (5,931)
Los Angeles, CA
November 9, 2018*
8:00 pm, P12N 		No. 21 Long Beach State W 91–80  2–0
  17 – Tied   10 – Brown   3 – Tied  Pauley Pavilion (7,920)
Los Angeles, CA
November 16, 2018*
8:00 pm, P12N 		No. 20 Saint Francis (PA)
Las Vegas Invitational campus-site game 		W 95–58  3–0
  23 – Brown   14 – Brown   4 – Hands  Pauley Pavilion (6,127)
Los Angeles, CA
November 19, 2018*
8:00 pm, P12N 		No. 17 Presbyterian
Las Vegas Invitational campus-site game 		W 80–65  4–0
  19 – Hands   20 – Hill   3 – Tied   Pauley Pavilion (6,076)
Los Angeles, CA
November 22, 2018*
7:00 pm, FS1 		No. 17 vs. No. 11 Michigan State
Las Vegas Invitational semifinals 		L 67–87  4–1
  15 – Wilkes   10 – Brown   3 – Hands  Orleans Arena (7,489)
Paradise, NV
November 23, 2018*
1:00 pm, FOX 		No. 17 vs. No. 7 North Carolina
Las Vegas Invitational third place game 		L 78–94  4–2
  22 – Wilkes   9 – Riley   9 – Hands  Orleans Arena (6,500)
Paradise, NV
November 28, 2018*
6:00 pm, P12N 		Hawaii W 80–61  5–2
  23 – Ali   7 – Tied   11 – Hands  Pauley Pavilion (6,062)
Los Angeles, CA
December 2, 2018*
7:00 pm, P12N 		Loyola Marymount W 82–58  6–2
  17 – Tied   10 – Tied   10 – Hands  Pauley Pavilion (8,242)
Los Angeles, CA
December 8, 2018*
7:30 pm, ESPN2 		Notre Dame
Rivalry 		W 65–62  7–2
  14 – Wilkes   11 – Hill   11 – Hands  Pauley Pavilion (12,985)
Los Angeles, CA
December 15, 2018*
2:00 pm, P12N 		Belmont L 72–74  7–3
  20 – Wilkes   9 – Brown   7 – Hands  Pauley Pavilion (8,037)
Los Angeles, CA
December 19, 2018*
6:00 pm, ESPN2 		at Cincinnati L 64–93  7–4
  21 – Wilkes   10 – Riley   12 – Hands  Fifth Third Arena (12,689)
Cincinnati, OH
December 22, 2018*
12:00 pm, CBS 		vs. No. 15 Ohio State
CBS Sports Classic 		L 66–80  7–5
  18 – Wilkes   7 – Wilkes   9 – Hands  United Center (15,124)
Chicago, IL
December 29, 2018*
3:00 pm, P12N 		Liberty L 58–73  7–6
  14 – Wilkes   9 – Brown   3 – Hill  Pauley Pavilion (7,456)
Los Angeles, CA
Pac-12 regular season
January 3, 2019
8:00 pm, ESPN 		Stanford W 92–70  8–6
(1–0) 		 17 – Brown   10 – Brown   6 – Hands  Pauley Pavilion (8,026)
Los Angeles, CA
January 5, 2019
1:00 pm, P12N 		California W 98–83  9–6
(2–0) 		 18 – Wilkes   9 – Brown   6 – Hands  Pauley Pavilion (9,045)
Los Angeles, CA
January 10, 2019
6:00 pm, ESPN 		at Oregon W 87–84 OT 10–6
(3–0) 		 22 – Ali   11 – Brown   7 – Hands  Matthew Knight Arena (10,105)
Eugene, OR
January 13, 2019
7:00 pm, FS1 		at Oregon State L 66–79  10–7
(3–1) 		 21 – Wilkes   9 – Brown   4 – Wilkes  Gill Coliseum (5,853)
Corvallis, OR
January 19, 2019
1:00 pm, CBS 		at USC
Rivalry 		L 67–80  10–8
(3–2) 		 15 – Ali   9 – Wilkes   4 – Wilkes  Galen Center (5,226)
Los Angeles, CA
January 24, 2019
8:00 pm, FS1 		Arizona State L 73–84  10–9
(3–3) 		 15 – Wilkes   10 – Riley   4 – Hands  Pauley Pavilion (7,555)
Los Angeles, CA
January 26, 2019
7:00 pm, ESPN2 		Arizona
Rivalry 		W 90–69  11–9
(4–3) 		 34 – Wilkes   15 – Brown   11 – Hands  Pauley Pavilion (11,164)
Los Angeles, CA
January 30, 2019
7:00 pm, P12N 		at Washington State W 87–67  12–9
(5–3) 		 16 – Brown   7 – Brown   8 – Hands  Beasley Coliseum (2,497)
Pullman, WA
February 2, 2019
1:00 pm, ESPN2 		at Washington L 55–69  12–10
(5–4) 		 20 – Wilkes   7 – Brown   4 – 2 tied  Alaska Airlines Arena (10,000)
Seattle, WA
February 6, 2019
6:00 pm, P12N 		Colorado L 73–84  12–11
(5–5) 		 17 – Brown   8 – Brown   6 – Hands  Pauley Pavilion (6,983)
Los Angeles, CA
February 9, 2019
2:00 pm, FOX 		Utah L 92–93  12–12
(5–6) 		 27 – Hands   5 – Hands   7 – Hands  Pauley Pavilion (7,268)
Los Angeles, CA
February 13, 2019
7:00 pm, P12N 		at California W 75–67 OT 13–12
(6–6) 		 27 – Wilkes   11 – Brown   4 – Brown  Haas Pavilion (7,182)
Berkeley, CA
February 16, 2019
7:00 pm, ESPN2 		at Stanford L 80–104  13–13
(6–7) 		 29 – Hands   7 – Brown   4 – Hands  Maples Pavilion (5,418)
Stanford, CA
February 21, 2019
8:00 pm, FS1 		Oregon State W 68–67  14–13
(7–7) 		 14 – Brown   11 – Brown   8 – Hands  Pauley Pavilion (6,944)
Los Angeles, CA
February 23, 2019
7:00 pm, ESPN2 		Oregon W 90–83  15–13
(8–7) 		 27 – Hands   7 – Brown   9 – Hands  Pauley Pavilion (10,588)
Los Angeles, CA
February 28, 2019
6:00 pm, ESPN 		USC
Rivalry 		W 93–88 OT 16–13
(9–7) 		 21 – Hands   14 – Brown   10 – Hands  Pauley Pavilion (12,427)
Los Angeles, CA
March 7, 2019
6:00 pm, ESPN2 		at Colorado L 68–93  16–14
(9–8) 		 19 – Wilkes   8 – Riley   2 – Smith  CU Events Center (7,797)
Boulder, CO
March 9, 2019
4:00 pm, P12N 		at Utah L 81–92  16–15
(9–9) 		 20 – Wilkes   13 – Hill   4 – Hands  Jon M. Huntsman Center (12,914)
Salt Lake City, UT
Pac-12 Tournament
March 13, 2019
6:00 pm, P12N 		(7) vs. (10) Stanford
First round 		W 79–72  17–15
  22 – Hands   11 – Hands   3 – Tied  T-Mobile Arena (8,876)
Paradise, NV
March 14, 2019
6:00 pm, P12N 		(7) vs. (2) Arizona State
Quarterfinals 		L 72–83  17–16
  25 – Wilkes   8 – Hill   4 – Hands  T-Mobile Arena (13,012)
Paradise, NV
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Pacific Time.

[27]

Rankings

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See also: 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
AP212017RVNot released
Coaches2020^17RV

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings
^Coaches did not release a Week 2 poll.

Honors

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ @latbbolch (January 1, 2019). "Kory Barnett has been promoted to a UCLA assistant coach" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. ^ a b "UCLA Head Coach Steve Alford Relieved of Duties".
  3. ^ a b c d e Nguyen, Thuc Nhi (March 11, 2019). "UCLA's Jaylen Hands, Kris Wilkes named All-Pac-12 second team". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  4. ^ a b c Nguyen, Thuc Nhi (March 17, 2019). "UCLA men's basketball kept out of postseason tournaments on Selection Sunday". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Steve Alford's UCLA run ends with Liberty rock bottom". New York Post. December 31, 2018. Retrieved December 31, 2018.
  6. ^ a b Bolch, Ben (December 29, 2018). "UCLA suffers disappointing 73-58 loss to Liberty, the Bruins' fourth straight defeat". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
  7. ^ Bolch, Ben (February 2, 2019). "UCLA's sloppy play leads to 69-55 loss at Washington". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  8. ^ "Liberty extends UCLA's woes with 73-58 victory". ESPN.com. Associated Press. December 29, 2018. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
  9. ^ a b Kaufman, Joey (December 29, 2018). "UCLA falls to Liberty, closing non-conference play with fourth straight loss". Orange County Register. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
  10. ^ "Pac-12 caps worst December by major conference in 20 years as five teams lose". ESPN.com. December 29, 2018. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
  11. ^ a b Bennett, Brain (January 7, 2019). "Bennett on basketball: Bartow doubles down in attempt to turn UCLA's season around". Bay Area News Group. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  12. ^ Bolch, Ben (January 5, 2019). "UCLA relies on faster tempo and more pressure to rout California". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  13. ^ Nguyen, Thuc Nhi (January 5, 2019). "A men's basketball takes team-first attitude to beat Cal". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  14. ^ Bolch, Ben (January 10, 2019). "UCLA battles back for an improbable road win over Oregon". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
  15. ^ Nguyen, Thuc Nhi (January 24, 2019). "UCLA men's basketball fades against Arizona State for third straight loss". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  16. ^ Nguyen, Thuc Nhi (February 1, 2019). "UCLA men's basketball gets major test at first-place Washington". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  17. ^ a b c Nguyen, Thuc Nhi (February 5, 2019). "Halfway through Pac-12 play, UCLA men's basketball is well out of NCAA picture". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  18. ^ a b Nguyen, Thuc Nhi (February 9, 2019). "UCLA blows 22-point lead as Utah wins on 3-pointer at the buzzer". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  19. ^ Nguyen, Thuc Nhi (February 12, 2019). "UCLA men's basketball resets after crushing collapse against Utah". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  20. ^ Nguyen, Thuc Nhi (March 1, 2019). "UCLA men's basketball thrives on strong connection during late-season run". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  21. ^ Nguyen, Thuc Nhi (March 9, 2019). "UCLA men's basketball finishes seventh in Pac-12 after loss to Utah". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  22. ^ Bolch, Ben (March 13, 2019). "Jaylen Hands helps UCLA hold off Stanford rally in Pac-12 tournament victory". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  23. ^ a b Kaufman, Joey (March 15, 2019). "UCLA falls to Arizona State in Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinals". Orange County Register. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  24. ^ Bolch, Ben (March 14, 2019). "UCLA can't overcome sluggish first half in 83-72 loss to Arizona State in Pac-12 quarterfinals". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  25. ^ Williams, James H. (June 19, 2018). "Denver Nuggets select UCLA's Thomas Welsh in 2018 NBA Draft". OCRegister.com. The Orange County Register. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  26. ^ Michael, J. "Orange County Register". IndyStar.com. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  27. ^ "UCLA Hoops Announces Non–conference Schedule". Athletics at the University of California, Los Angeles. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
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