2016–17 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team

The 2016–17 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team represented the University of California, Los Angeles during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bruins were led by fourth-year head coach Steve Alford and played their home games at Pauley Pavilion as members in the Pac-12 Conference. They rode their offense to a 28–3 regular season record, averaging 91 points per game with a 53 percent field goal percentage.[1] The talented squad featured five future players in the National Basketball Association (NBA), including three eventual first-round draft picks.[2]

2016–17 UCLA Bruins men's basketball
Wooden Legacy champions
NCAA tournament, Sweet Sixteen
ConferencePac-12 Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 9
APNo. 8
Record31–5 (15–3 Pac-12)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Ed Schilling
  • Duane Broussard
  • David Grace
Home arenaPauley Pavilion
2016–17 Pac-12 Conference men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 9 Oregon162 .889336  .846
No. 4 Arizona162 .889325  .865
No. 8 UCLA153 .833315  .861
Utah117 .6112012  .625
California108 .5562113  .618
USC108 .5562610  .722
Colorado810 .4441915  .559
Arizona State711 .3891518  .455
Stanford612 .3331417  .452
Washington State612 .3331318  .419
Washington216 .111922  .290
Oregon State117 .056527  .156
Pac-12 Tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

UCLA entered the season ranked No. 16 in the preseason. After starting 13–0, the first time they were undefeated in non-conference play since they won a national championship in 1994–95, they moved up to No. 2 in the country.[3] However, the Bruins suffered their first defeat in an 89–87 loss to No. 21 Oregon in the conference opener.[4] UCLA won their next six games before losing at home to No. 14 Arizona for their first loss of the season at Pauley Pavilion. The Wildcats exposed the Bruins weaknesses on defense, which had to that point been obscured by their potent offense.[5] They suffered their second consecutive defeat after falling to USC, who won for the fourth straight time in their crosstown rivalry.[6] They won their last nine games of the regular season to tie the school record for most regular season wins.[7]

The Bruins struggled uncharacteristically with their offense during the Pac-12 tournament. They beat USC 76–74 while shooting just 41.2 percent before shooting a season-low 40.7 percent in an 86–75 loss to Arizona in the semifinals.[1] UCLA entered the NCAA tournament as a third seed in the South region. They advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the third time in four years, where they lost 86–75 to Kentucky.

Previous season

The Bruins finished the season 15–17 overall; and 6–12 in the conference. During the season, the Bruins were invited and participated in the Maui Invitational in Maui, Hawaii. UCLA defeated Cal Poly and UNLV but lost against Kansas and Wake Forest to earn 4th place. UCLA also lost to North Carolina in the CBS Sports Classic in Brooklyn, New York. In the postseason, the Bruins lost to USC in the first round of the 2016 Pac-12 Conference men's basketball tournament in Paradise, Nevada.

Off-season

Departures

NamePos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Tony ParkerF/C6'9"260SeniorAtlanta, GAGraduated
Noah AllenG/F6'7"215JuniorPacific Grove, CAGraduated; Transferred to Hawaii.[8]
Jonah BoldenG/F6'10"220SophomoreSydney, AUElected to play professionally in Serbia.[9]

2016 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Lonzo Ball
PG
Chino Hills, CA Chino Hills High School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jan 8, 2014 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 96
Ike Anigbogu
C
Corona, CA Centennial High School 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (100 kg) Apr 30, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 84
T. J. Leaf
PF
El Cajon, CA Foothills Christian High School 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Nov 12, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 94
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 11   Rivals: 5  ESPN: 5
  • 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:

  • "2016 UCLA Basketball Commitment List". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
  • "2016 UCLA Player Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
  • "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 8, 2015.

Roster

2016–17 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
F 0 Alex Olesinski Current redshirt 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)200 lb (91 kg) SoLa Lumiere School Roswell, New Mexico
G 2 Lonzo Ball 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)190 lb (86 kg) FrChino Hills HS Chino Hills, California
G 3 Aaron Holiday 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)185 lb (84 kg) SoCampbell Hall School North Hollywood, California
G 4 Isaac Wulff (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)175 lb (79 kg) FrLaguna Beach HS Laguna Beach, California
G 5 Armani Dodson (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)190 lb (86 kg) FrHenry J. Kaiser HS Fontana, California
G 10 Isaac Hamilton 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)195 lb (88 kg) SrSt. John Bosco HS Los Angeles, California
F/C 13 Ike Anigbogu 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)250 lb (113 kg) FrCentennial HS Corona, California
F 14 György Golomán 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)215 lb (98 kg) JrThe Sagemont School Körmend, Hungary
G 15 Jerrold Smith (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)165 lb (75 kg) SrSt. Bernard HS Los Angeles, California
G 20 Bryce Alford 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)185 lb (84 kg) SrLa Cueva HS Albuquerque, New Mexico
G 21 Alec Wulff (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)185 lb (84 kg) JrLaguna Beach HS Laguna Beach, California
F 22 T. J. Leaf 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)225 lb (102 kg) FrFoothills Christian HS El Cajon, California
G 23 Prince Ali Current redshirt 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)190 lb (86 kg) SoSagemont School Pembroke Pines, Florida
C 34 Ikenna Okwarabizie 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)250 lb (113 kg) JrTyler Junior College Lagos, Nigeria
C 40 Thomas Welsh 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)245 lb (111 kg) JrLoyola HS Redondo Beach, California
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: July 26, 2016

  • Guard Prince Ali out since July with a torn meniscus.[10] In early January, Ali decided to redshirt for the 2016–17 season.[11]
  • Forward Alex Olesinski out since early November with left foot injury. In early January, Olesinski decided to redshirt for the 2016–17 season.[11]
  • Oct 25, 2016 – Forward/Center Ike Anigbogu out 4–6 weeks with torn meniscus in right knee.[12] Made return at Nov. 25 game against Nebraska.

Schedule

Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Australia Tour
Aug. 23, 2016*
2:30 a.m.
Sydney W 123–76 
 21  Leaf  10  Holiday  9  Tied  Brydens Stadium 
Sydney, NSW
Aug. 27, 2016*
2:00 a.m.
Melbourne United L 84–89 
 18  Tied  13  Ball  5  Hamilton  State Basketball Centre 
Melbourne, VIC
Aug. 29, 2016*
2:00 a.m.
Brisbane Bullets W 94–91 
 17  Holiday  11  Welsh  7  Ball  Logan Metro Indoor Sports Centre 
Brisbane, QLD
Exhibition
Nov. 1, 2016*
7:30 p.m., P12N
No. 16 Master's W 100–58 
 22  Alford  12  Leaf  6  Ball  Pauley Pavilion (5,339)
Los Angeles, CA
Non-conference regular season
Nov. 11, 2016*
6:00 p.m., P12N
No. 16 Pacific W 119–80  1–0
 30  Alford  15  Leaf  11  Ball  Pauley Pavilion (8,743)
Los Angeles, CA
Nov. 13, 2016*
6:00 p.m., P12N
No. 16 Cal State Northridge W 102–87  2–0
 22  Hamilton  13  Welsh  6  Ball  Pauley Pavilion (7,149)
Los Angeles, CA
Nov. 17, 2016*
8:00 p.m., P12N
No. 16 San Diego W 88–68  3–0
 26  Leaf  11  Welsh  8  Ball  Pauley Pavilion (6,893)
Los Angeles, CA
Nov. 20, 2016*
7:00 p.m., P12N
No. 16 Long Beach State W 114–77  4–0
 21  Leaf  10  Leaf  11  Ball  Pauley Pavilion (8,294)
Los Angeles, CA
Nov. 24, 2016*
8:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 14 vs. Portland
Wooden Legacy quarterfinal
W 99–77  5–0
 18  Ball  10  Welsh  11  Ball  Titan Gym (3,816)
Fullerton, CA
Nov. 25, 2016*
9:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 14 vs. Nebraska
Wooden Legacy semifinal
W 82–71  6–0
 18  Alford  11  Welsh  6  Ball  Titan Gym (5,153)
Fullerton, CA
Nov. 27, 2016*
5:30 p.m., ESPN
No. 14 vs. Texas A&M
Wooden Legacy championship
W 74–67  7–0
 17  Hamilton  9  Leaf  10  Ball  Honda Center (4,221)
Anaheim, CA
Nov. 30, 2016*
8:00 p.m., P12N
No. 11 UC Riverside W 97–57  8–0
 27  Hamilton  12  Welsh  13  Ball  Pauley Pavilion (6,328)
Los Angeles, CA
Dec. 3, 2016*
10:30 a.m., CBS
No. 11 at No. 1 Kentucky W 97–92  9–0
 19  Hamilton  13  Leaf  7  Ball  Rupp Arena (23,976)
Lexington, KY
Dec. 10, 2016*
5:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 2 Michigan W 102–84  10–0
 21  Leaf  8  Leaf  7  Hamilton  Pauley Pavilion (13,571)
Los Angeles, CA
Dec. 14, 2016*
7:30 p.m., P12N
No. 2 UC Santa Barbara W 102–62  11–0
 25  Leaf  10  Tied  9  Leaf  Pauley Pavilion (7,484)
Los Angeles, CA
Dec. 17, 2016*
12:00 p.m., CBS
No. 2 vs. Ohio State
CBS Sports Classic
W 86–73  12–0
 20  Tied  9  Ball  9  Ball  T-Mobile Arena (19,298)
Paradise, NV
Dec. 21, 2016*
8:00 p.m., P12N
No. 2 Western Michigan W 82–68  13–0
 22  Alford  8  Tied  7  Holiday  Pauley Pavilion (10,695)
Los Angeles, CA
Pac-12 regular season
Dec. 28, 2016
6:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 2 at No. 21 Oregon L 87–89  13–1
(0–1)
 20  Tied  10  Welsh  7  Holiday  Matthew Knight Arena (12,364)
Eugene, OR
Dec. 30, 2016
8:00 p.m., P12N
No. 2 at Oregon State W 76–63  14–1
(1–1)
 23  Ball  10  Leaf  7  Ball  Gill Coliseum (5,596)
Corvallis, OR
Jan. 5, 2017
6:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 4 California W 81–71  15–1
(2–1)
 24  Alford  11  Leaf  7  Ball  Pauley Pavilion (13,659)
Los Angeles, CA
Jan. 8, 2017
5:00 p.m., FS1
No. 4 Stanford W 89–75  16–1
(3–1)
 21  Ball  10  Leaf  8  Ball  Pauley Pavilion (13,659)
Los Angeles, CA
Jan. 12, 2017
8:00 p.m., FS1
No. 4 at Colorado W 104–89  17–1
(4–1)
 37  Alford  6  Welsh  8  Ball  Coors Events Center (8,755)
Boulder, CO
Jan. 14, 2017
3:00 p.m., P12N
No. 4 at Utah W 83–82  18–1
(5–1)
 17  Ball  10  Leaf  8  Ball  Jon M. Huntsman Center (15,027)
Salt Lake City, UT
Jan. 19, 2017
8:00 p.m., FS1
No. 3 Arizona State W 102–80  19–1
(6–1)
 33  Hamilton  9  Tied  12  Ball  Pauley Pavilion (12,689)
Los Angeles, CA
Jan. 21, 2017
1:00 p.m., CBS
No. 3 No. 14 Arizona
Rivalry
L 85–96  19–2
(6–2)
 24  Ball  9  Welsh  8  Ball  Pauley Pavilion (13,659)
Los Angeles, CA
Jan. 25, 2017
8:00 p.m., FS1
No. 8 at USC
Rivalry
L 76–84  19–3
(6–3)
 20  Hamilton  10  Ball  4  Tied  Galen Center (10,258)
Los Angeles, CA
Feb. 1, 2017
6:00 p.m., P12N
No. 11 at Washington State W 95–79  20–3
(7–3)
 32  Leaf  14  Leaf  7  Ball  Beasley Coliseum (4,109)
Pullman, WA
Feb. 4, 2017
7:30 p.m., P12N
No. 11 at Washington W 107–66  21–3
(8–3)
 22  Ball  10  Leaf  5  Tied  Alaska Airlines Arena (10,000)
Seattle, WA
Feb. 9, 2017
7:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 10 No. 5 Oregon
Dick Enberg Day
W 82–79  22–3
(9–3)
 15  Tied  11  Ball  4  Alford  Pauley Pavilion (13,659)
Los Angeles, CA
Feb. 12, 2017
2:00 p.m., FS1
No. 10 Oregon State W 78–60  23–3
(10–3)
 22  Ball  9  Tied  9  Ball  Pauley Pavilion (12,649)
Los Angeles, CA
Feb. 18, 2017
7:00 p.m., P12N
No. 6 USC
Rivalry
W 102–70  24–3
(11–3)
 26  Alford  16  Welsh  8  Ball  Pauley Pavilion (13,659)
Los Angeles, CA
Feb. 23, 2017
6:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 5 at Arizona State W 87–75  25–3
(12–3)
 25  Leaf  11  Tied  6  Tied  Wells Fargo Arena (10,176)
Tempe, AZ
Feb. 25, 2017
5:15 p.m., ESPN
No. 5 at No. 4 Arizona
Rivalry/ESPN College GameDay
W 77–72  26–3
(13–3)
 15  Alford  8  Welsh  8  Ball  McKale Center (14,644)
Tucson, AZ
Mar. 1, 2017
8:00 p.m., FS1
No. 3 Washington W 98–66  27–3
(14–3)
 29  Alford  7  Tied  8  Ball  Pauley Pavilion (13,659)
Los Angeles, CA
Mar. 4, 2017
7:15 p.m., ESPN
No. 3 Washington State W 77–68  28–3
(15–3)
 16  Holiday  11  Welsh  14  Ball  Pauley Pavilion (13,659)
Los Angeles, CA
Pac-12 Tournament
Mar. 9, 2017
8:30 p.m., ESPN
(3) No. 3 vs. (6) USC
Quarterfinals
W 76–74  29–3
 22  Hamilton  11  Welsh  7  Ball  T-Mobile Arena (18,153)
Paradise, NV
Mar. 10, 2017
8:30 p.m., ESPN
(3) No. 3 vs. (2) No. 7 Arizona
Semifinals
L 75–86  29–4
 20  Hamilton  8  Tied  6  Ball  T-Mobile Arena (19,224)
Paradise, NV
NCAA Tournament
Mar. 17, 2017*
6:57 pm, truTV
(3 S) No. 8 vs. (14 S) Kent State
First Round
W 97–80  30–4
 23  Leaf  8  Welsh  11  Holiday  Golden 1 Center (16,514)
Sacramento, CA
Mar. 19, 2017*
6:40 pm, TBS
(3 S) No. 8 vs. (6 S) No. 18 Cincinnati
Second Round
W 79–67  31–4
 18  Ball  7  Tied  9  Ball  Golden 1 Center (16,774)
Sacramento, CA
Mar. 24, 2017*
6:40 pm, CBS
(3 S) No. 8 vs. (2 S) No. 5 Kentucky
Sweet Sixteen
L 75–86  31–5
 17  Leaf  7  Leaf  8  Ball  FedExForum (17,532)
Memphis, TN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
S=South Region.
All times are in Pacific Time.

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
( ) = First place votes.
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
AP161614112 (2)2 (3)2 (3)2 (3)44 (1)3 (3)81110653 (3)3 (3)8Not released
Coaches20161392 (1)2 (2)2 (2)2 (2)543 (2)789552 (3)3 (2)69

*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings

Player statistics

Player GP GS MPG FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Bryce Alford363633.0173–387116–27096–1172.52.60.50.115.5
Prince Ali000.00–00–00–00.00.00.00.00.0
Ike Anigbogu29013.057–1010–023–434.00.20.21.24.7
Lonzo Ball363635.1189–34380–19466–986.07.61.80.814.6
György Golomán35511.554–931–1021–332.40.70.60.83.7
Isaac Hamilton363630.0193–42674–20247–573.62.80.70.214.1
Aaron Holiday36026.4150–30953–12988–1112.94.41.10.212.3
T. J. Leaf353529.9235–38127–5872–1068.22.40.61.116.3
Ikenna Okwarabizie1202.60–20–02–60.60.00.10.00.2
Alex Olesinski000.00–00–00–00.00.00.00.00.0
Jerrold Smith1301.93–110–21–20.00.10.20.00.5
Thomas Welsh323225.1151–2581–142–478.71.00.31.310.8
Alec Wulff1301.82–62–60–00.10.10.10.00.5
Isaac Wulff502.02–20–01–20.40.00.00.01.0

Notes

  • Dec. 21, 2016 – First time a UCLA team went undefeated in non-conference play since the 1994–95 season
  • March 24, 2017 – Ball told reporters after the Regional semi-final game that he will not return next season to play for the Bruins

Honors

Preseason award watchlists

Midseason awards

  • Lonzo Ball – Wooden Legacy MVP (Nov. 27)
  • Lonzo Ball – Pac-12 Player of the Week (Nov. 28)
  • T. J. Leaf – Pac-12 Player of the Week (Dec. 5)
  • T. J. Leaf – Pac-12 Player of the Week (Dec. 19)
  • Bryce Alford – Pac-12 Player of the Week (Jan. 16)
  • Lonzo Ball – Pac-12 Player of the Week (Feb. 13)

Postseason awards

References

  1. Kaufman, Joey (March 10, 2017). "UCLA falls in Pac-12 Tournament semifinals to Arizona". Los Angeles Daily News. Archived from the original on March 12, 2017.
  2. Phillips, Ryan (December 29, 2018). "UCLA Needs To Fire Steve Alford". The Big Lead. USA Today. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  3. Bolch, Ben (December 27, 2016). "Bruins to open Pac-12 play with 'target on our back'". The Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 1, 2017.
  4. Bolch, Ben (December 28, 2016). "Second-ranked UCLA takes a harsh shot, losing in final second to No. 21 Oregon". The Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 1, 2017.
  5. Bolch, Ben (January 21, 2017). "UCLA has little to celebrate (except Kareem) during 96-85 loss to Arizona". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 22, 2017.
  6. Bolch, Ben (January 26, 2017). "UCLA holds a lengthy team meeting after fourth consecutive loss to USC". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 31, 2017.
  7. Fowler, Clay (March 8, 2017). "Will UCLA's offensive philosophy stand up in tournament play?". The Orange County Register. Archived from the original on March 10, 2017.
  8. Hull, Michael. "Junior guard/forward Noah Allen transferring to University of Hawai'i". DailyBruin.com. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
  9. Bolch, Ben. "Jonah Bolden gives up final two years at UCLA to play professionally". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
  10. Bolch, Ben. "UCLA guard Prince Ali has knee surgery". Los Angeles Times.
  11. Dam, Tuanh. "UCLA's Prince Ali, Alex Olesinski to redshirt 2016-17 basketball season". DailyBruin.com. The Daily Bruin. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  12. Dam, Tuanh. "Freshman center Ike Anigbogu out with slight meniscus tear". DailyBruin.com. The Daily Bruin. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
  13. "Mason earns Consensus All-America First Team distinction". Salina Post. March 29, 2017. Archived from the original on April 23, 2017.
  14. Bolch, Ben (March 6, 2017). "UCLA's Lonzo Ball is Pac-12 freshman of the year and one of three Bruins on first team". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 8, 2017.
  15. Bolch, Ben (March 16, 2017). "UCLA teammates see two sides of freshman guard Lonzo Ball". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 17, 2017.
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