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 Oregon16–2 .88933–6  .846
No. 4 Arizona †16–2 .88932–5  .865
No. 8 UCLA15–3 .83331–5  .861
Utah11–7 .61120–12  .625
California10–8 .55621–13  .618
USC10–8 .55626–10  .722
Colorado8–10 .44419–15  .559
Arizona State7–11 .38915–18  .455
Stanford6–12 .33314–17  .452
Washington State6–12 .33313–18  .419
Washington2–16 .1119–22  .290
Oregon State1–17 .0565–27  .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
Main article: 2015–16 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team

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
Recruits at the 2016 McDonald's All-American Boys Game
Lonzo Ball
T. J. Leaf
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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