2016–17 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team
American college basketball season
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]
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
Name
Pos.
Height
Weight
Year
Hometown
Notes
Tony Parker
F/C
6'9"
260
Senior
Atlanta, GA
Graduated
Noah Allen
G/F
6'7"
215
Junior
Pacific Grove, CA
Graduated; Transferred to Hawaii .[ 8]
Jonah Bolden
G/F
6'10"
220
Sophomore
Sydney, AU
Elected to play professionally in Serbia .[ 9]
2016 recruiting class
College recruiting information
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
Star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN : 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
Star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN : 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
Star ratings : Scout : Rivals : 247Sports : ESPN : 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:
Roster
2016–17 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)
200 lb (91 kg)
So
La Lumiere School
Roswell, New Mexico
G
2
Lonzo Ball
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
Fr
Chino Hills HS
Chino Hills, California
G
3
Aaron Holiday
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
So
Campbell Hall School
North Hollywood, California
G
4
Isaac Wulff (W)
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
Fr
Laguna Beach HS
Laguna Beach, California
G
5
Armani Dodson (W)
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
Fr
Henry J. Kaiser HS
Fontana, California
G
10
Isaac Hamilton
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
Sr
St. John Bosco HS
Los Angeles, California
F/C
13
Ike Anigbogu
6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
250 lb (113 kg)
Fr
Centennial HS
Corona, California
F
14
György Golomán
6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
215 lb (98 kg)
Jr
The Sagemont School
Körmend , Hungary
G
15
Jerrold Smith (W)
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
165 lb (75 kg)
Sr
St. Bernard HS
Los Angeles, California
G
20
Bryce Alford
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
Sr
La Cueva HS
Albuquerque, New Mexico
G
21
Alec Wulff (W)
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
Jr
Laguna Beach HS
Laguna Beach, California
F
22
T. J. Leaf
6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
225 lb (102 kg)
Fr
Foothills Christian HS
El Cajon, California
G
23
Prince Ali
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
So
Sagemont School
Pembroke Pines, Florida
C
34
Ikenna Okwarabizie
6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
250 lb (113 kg)
Jr
Tyler Junior College
Lagos, Nigeria
C
40
Thomas Welsh
7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
245 lb (111 kg)
Jr
Loyola 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 movementsLegend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking ( ) = First-place votes Week Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Final AP 16 16 14 11 2 (2) 2 (3) 2 (3) 2 (3) 4 4 (1) 3 (3) 8 11 10 6 5 3 (3) 3 (3) 8 Not released Coaches 20 16 13 9 2 (1) 2 (2) 2 (2) 2 (2) 5 4 3 (2) 7 8 9 5 5 2 (3) 3 (2) 6 9
*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings
Player statistics
This section needs to be updated . Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (December 2017 )
Player
GP
GS
MPG
FGM-FGA
3PM-3PA
FTM-FTA
RPG
APG
SPG
BPG
PPG
Bryce Alford
36
36
33.0
173–387
116–270
96–117
2.5
2.6
0.5
0.1
15.5
Prince Ali
0
0
0.0
0–0
0–0
0–0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
Ike Anigbogu
29
0
13.0
57–101
0–0
23–43
4.0
0.2
0.2
1.2
4.7
Lonzo Ball
36
36
35.1
189–343
80–194
66–98
6.0
7.6
1.8
0.8
14.6
György Golomán
35
5
11.5
54–93
1–10
21–33
2.4
0.7
0.6
0.8
3.7
Isaac Hamilton
36
36
30.0
193–426
74–202
47–57
3.6
2.8
0.7
0.2
14.1
Aaron Holiday
36
0
26.4
150–309
53–129
88–111
2.9
4.4
1.1
0.2
12.3
T. J. Leaf
35
35
29.9
235–381
27–58
72–106
8.2
2.4
0.6
1.1
16.3
Ikenna Okwarabizie
12
0
2.6
0–2
0–0
2–6
0.6
0.0
0.1
0.0
0.2
Alex Olesinski
0
0
0.0
0–0
0–0
0–0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
Jerrold Smith
13
0
1.9
3–11
0–2
1–2
0.0
0.1
0.2
0.0
0.5
Thomas Welsh
32
32
25.1
151–258
1–1
42–47
8.7
1.0
0.3
1.3
10.8
Alec Wulff
13
0
1.8
2–6
2–6
0–0
0.1
0.1
0.1
0.0
0.5
Isaac Wulff
5
0
2.0
2–2
0–0
1–2
0.4
0.0
0.0
0.0
1.0
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
See also
References
^ a b 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.
^ Phillips, Ryan (December 29, 2018). "UCLA Needs To Fire Steve Alford" . The Big Lead . USA Today. Retrieved January 3, 2019 .
^ 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.
^ 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.
^ 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.
^ 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.
^ 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.
^ Hull, Michael. "Junior guard/forward Noah Allen transferring to University of Hawai'i" . DailyBruin.com . Retrieved May 19, 2016 .
^ Bolch, Ben. "Jonah Bolden gives up final two years at UCLA to play professionally" . Los Angeles Times . Retrieved July 26, 2016 .
^ Bolch, Ben. "UCLA guard Prince Ali has knee surgery" . Los Angeles Times .
^ a b Dam, Tuanh. "UCLA's Prince Ali, Alex Olesinski to redshirt 2016-17 basketball season" . DailyBruin.com . The Daily Bruin. Retrieved January 7, 2017 .
^ Dam, Tuanh. "Freshman center Ike Anigbogu out with slight meniscus tear" . DailyBruin.com . The Daily Bruin. Retrieved October 26, 2016 .
^ "Mason earns Consensus All-America First Team distinction" . Salina Post . March 29, 2017. Archived from the original on April 23, 2017.
^ 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.
^ 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.
Venues Rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons NCAA national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics