2015–16 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team

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2015–16 UCLA Bruins men's basketball
UCLA Bruins script logo.png
Conference Pac-12 Conference
2015–16 record 15–17 (6–12 Pac-12)
Head coach Steve Alford (3rd year)
Assistant coach Ed Schilling
Assistant coach Duane Broussard
Assistant coach David Grace
Home arena Pauley Pavilion
Seasons
« 2014–15 2016–17 »
2015–16 Pac-12 Conference men's basketball standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   PCT     W   L   PCT
#5 Oregon 14 4   .778     31 7   .816
#13 Utah 13 5   .722     27 9   .750
#17 Arizona 12 6   .667     25 9   .735
#23 California 12 6   .667     23 11   .676
Colorado 10 8   .556     22 12   .647
USC 9 9   .500     21 13   .618
Oregon State 9 9   .500     19 13   .594
Washington 9 9   .500     19 15   .559
Stanford 8 10   .444     15 15   .500
UCLA 6 12   .333     15 17   .469
Arizona State 5 13   .278     15 17   .469
Washington State 1 17   .056     9 22   .290
2016 Pac-12 Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2015–16 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team represented the University of California, Los Angeles, during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They finished the season with a 15–17 record, the fourth time the program finished with a losing record since 1948, when John Wooden became their coach.[1] The Bruins were led by third-year head coach Steve Alford and played their home games at Pauley Pavilion as members in the Pac-12 Conference. Isaac Hamilton earned second-team All-Pac-12 honors, the only Bruin named to the all-conference team.[2]

With Kevon Looney having moved on to the National Basketball Association (NBA), sophomore Thomas Welsh was promoted to UCLA's starting lineup at center, while center Tony Parker moved to forward.[3][4] Freshman guard Aaron Holiday also opened the season as a starter, teaming with Hamilton and Bryce Alford to form a three-guard lineup.[5] The Bruins lost their season opener to mid-major Monmouth and lost consecutive games in the Maui Invitational to Kansas and Wake Forest.[6][7] However, they recovered to upset then-No. 1 Kentucky 87–77 at home and defeated then-No. 20 Gonzaga 71–66 on the road.[8] UCLA finished their non-conference schedule winning six of their last seven games, and entered Pac-12 play at 9–4 and ranked No. 25 in the nation.[6] They were comparatively better than a year earlier, when they entered conference play with five losses and a three-game losing streak.[8]

The Bruins had an early conference win against then-No. 7 Arizona,[9] but they were 4–5 halfway through the Pac-12 schedule, including 0–4 against the three teams with the quickest pace in the conference, Washington, USC, and Oregon.[10] Their defense was weakened without comparable replacements for Looney and Norman Powell, a senior from the prior season, and sophomore Gyorgy Goloman had been out for much of the season with a stress fracture in his leg.[11] UCLA coach Steve Alford believed his big front court was "slow" and had sophomore Jonah Bolden start in place of the senior Parker.[12] While Bolden was 1 inch (25 mm) taller than Parker, he was also 40 pounds (18 kg) lighter.[13] UCLA began their second half with a loss to USC, who swept the Bruins for the first time since 2010.[14][15] The Bruins lost both games in their crosstown rivalry by double digits for the first time since 1938.[14] In their next game, UCLA blew a 10-point halftime lead to Arizona en route to their fifth loss in seven games. The loss dropped them out of all major NCAA Tournament projections and mired in 10th place in the Pac-12.[16][17]

Previous season

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The Bruins finished in fourth place (11–7) in the Pac-12 conference. They earned a No. 11 seed in the NCAA Championship tournament, and advanced to the Sweet 16, becoming the lowest-seed UCLA team to ever reach the regional semifinals. They defeated SMU 60–59 in the second round and UAB 92–75 in the third round. Then the Bruins lost to Gonzaga for the second time of the season, 74-62 in the Sweet Sixteen. The program produced its 49th 20-win season. Norman Powell led the team in scoring with 16.4 points per game, followed by Bryce Alford with 15.4 points per game.

Off-season

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Norman Powell 4 G 6'4" 215 Senior San Diego, California Graduated
David Brown 13 G 6'3" 185 Senior Anaheim Hills, California Graduated
Kory Alford 2 G 6'4" 185 RS Junior Albuquerque, New Mexico Graduated
Nick Kazemi 0 G 6'3" 210 RS Junior Santa Ana, California Graduated
Wanaah Bail 1 F 6'9" 215 Sophomore Houston, Texas Transferred[18]
Kevon Looney 5 F 6'9" 220 Freshman Milwaukee, Wisconsin Declared for 2015 NBA draft[19]

Incoming transfers

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Ikenna Okwarabizie 34 C 6'10" 245 Sophomore Lagos, Nigeria Junior college transfer from Tyler Junior College

2015 Recruiting class

Name Home town High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Aaron Holiday
#15 PG
North Hollywood, CA Campbell Hall School 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Mar 3, 2014 
Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Prince Ali
#12 SG
Pembroke Pines, FL Sagemont School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Aug 16, 2014 
Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Alex Olesinski
F
Roswell, NM La Lumiere School 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Mar 4, 2015 
Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN: N/A
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:

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Roster

2015–16 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year High school/previous college Home town
F 0 Alex Olesinski 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr La Lumiere School Roswell, New Mexico
G 1 Wonder Smith (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Windward School Los Angeles, California
G/F 2 Noah Allen 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jr Palma HS Pacific Grove, California
G 3 Aaron Holiday 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Campbell Hall School North Hollywood, California
G 5 Prince Ali 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Sagemont School Pembroke Pines, Florida
G 10 Isaac Hamilton 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr St. John Bosco HS Los Angeles, California
F 14 György Goloman 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 215 lb (98 kg) So The Sagemont School Körmend, Hungary
G 15 Jerrold Smith (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Jr St. Bernard HS Los Angeles, California
G 20 Bryce Alford 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr La Cueva HS Albuquerque, New Mexico
G 21 Alec Wulff (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So Laguna Beach HS Laguna Beach, California
G 22 Gabriel Bell-Williams (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Campbell Hall School Toronto, Ontario
F/C 23 Tony Parker 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 260 lb (118 kg) Sr Miller Grove HS Atlanta, Georgia
G 24 Justis Bell-Williams (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Campbell Hall School Toronto, Ontario
C 34 Ikenna Okwarabizie 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 250 lb (113 kg) So East HS/Tyler Junior College Lagos, Nigeria
C 40 Thomas Welsh 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 245 lb (111 kg) So Loyola HS Redondo Beach, California
G/F 43 Jonah Bolden 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) RS Fr Brewster Academy Sydney, Australia
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

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

Roster
Last update: November 13, 2015

Schedule

UCLA's 2015–16 schedule includes home games against Kentucky, Long Beach State, Pepperdine, Cal Poly, Louisiana-Lafayette, Monmouth, Cal State Northridge, and McNeese State. UCLA will travel to play at Gonzaga and face off against North Carolina at a neutral venue. The Bruins will also make a trip to play three of the following in the Maui Invitational: Kansas, Indiana, St. John's, UNLV, Vanderbilt, and Wake Forest.[20]

During the Pac-12 Conference schedule, UCLA will play 18 games (9 home and 9 away) and will have home-and-homes with the following teams: Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon, Oregon State, USC, Washington, and Washington State. The Bruins will only play the Rocky Mountain teams (Colorado and Utah) at home. UCLA will also only play the Bay area teams (California and Stanford) on the road.[21]

Date
Time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (Attendance)
City, State
Exhibition
Oct 30*
7:30 pm
Cal State Los Angeles W 95–57 
 20  Hamilton   11  Bolden   7  Alford  Pauley Pavilion (6,930)
Los Angeles, CA
Non-conference regular season
Nov 13*
8:00 pm, P12N
Monmouth L 81–84 OT 0–1
 22  Alford   19  Parker   5  Alford  Pauley Pavilion (6,674)
Los Angeles, CA
Nov 15*
7:00 pm, P12N
Cal Poly
Maui Invitational Opening Round
W 88–83  1–1
 22  Welsh   14  Parker   8  Alford  Pauley Pavilion (6,595)
Los Angeles, CA
Nov 19*
7:30 pm, P12N
Pepperdine W 81–67  2–1
 19  Alford   15  Parker   5  Tied  Pauley Pavilion (6,063)
Los Angeles, CA
Nov 23*
8:30 pm, ESPN2
vs. UNLV
Maui Invitational Quarterfinals
W 77–75  3–1
 20  Tied   8  Welsh   4  Bolden  Lahaina Civic Center (2,400)
Maui, HI
Nov 24*
7:00 pm, ESPN
vs. #5 Kansas
Maui Invitational Semifinals
L 73–92  3–2
 19  Hamilton   8  Parker   3  Holiday  Lahaina Civic Center (2,400)
Maui, HI
Nov 25*
4:30 pm, ESPN2
vs. Wake Forest
Maui Invitational 3rd Place Game
L 77–80  3–3
 18  Tied   15  Parker   7  Alford  Lahaina Civic Center (2,400)
Maui, HI
Nov 29*
4:00 pm, P12N
Cal State Northridge W 77–45  4–3
 14  Tied   11  Parker   10  Alford  Pauley Pavilion (6,193)
Los Angeles, CA
Dec 3*
6:00 pm, ESPN
#1 Kentucky W 87–77  5–3
 21  Welsh   11  Welsh   7  Holiday  Pauley Pavilion (12,202)
Los Angeles, CA
Dec 6*
6:00 pm, P12N
Long Beach State W 83–76  6–3
 24  Alford   10  Tied   7  Holiday  Pauley Pavilion (6,443)
Los Angeles, CA
Dec 12*
7:00 pm, ESPN2
at #20 Gonzaga W 71–66  7–3
 20  Hamilton   11  Bolden   5  Holiday  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
Spokane, WA
Dec 15*
6:00 pm, P12N
#22 Louisiana–Lafayette W 89–80  8–3
 27  Alford   9  Parker   7  Alford  Pauley Pavilion (5,460)
Los Angeles, CA
Dec 19*
10:00 am, CBS
#22 vs. #11 North Carolina
CBS Sports Classic
L 76–89  8–4
 23  Hamilton   11  Parker   4  Alford  Barclays Center (16,311)
Brooklyn, NY
Dec 22*
8:00 pm, P12N
McNeese State W 67–53  9–4
 18  Hamilton   14  Welsh   8  Alford  Pauley Pavilion (6,499)
Los Angeles, CA
Pac-12 regular season
Jan 1
8:00 pm, FS1
#25 at Washington L 93–96 2OT 9–5
(0–1)
 30  Alford   15  Welsh   5  Hamilton  Alaska Airlines Arena (6,920)
Seattle, WA
Jan 3
6:30 pm, P12N
#25 at Washington State L 78–85  9–6
(0–2)
 27  Hamilton   10  Welsh   5  Alford  Beasley Coliseum (1,912)
Pullman, WA
Jan 7
6:00 pm, ESPN2
#7 Arizona
Rivalry
W 87–84  10–6
(1–2)
 25  Alford   12  Parker   6  3 tied  Pauley Pavilion (12,026)
Los Angeles, CA
Jan 9
2:00 pm, P12N
Arizona State W 81–74  11–6
(2–2)
 26  Hamilton   16  Welsh   5  Tied  Pauley Pavilion (9,973)
Los Angeles, CA
Jan 13
8:00 pm, ESPN2
USC
Rivalry
L 75–89  11–7
(2–3)
 27  Parker   12  Parker   8  Hamilton  Pauley Pavilion (12,993)
Los Angeles, CA
Jan 20
8:00 pm, ESPNU
at Oregon State W 82–73  12–7
(3–3)
 25  Hamilton   5  Alford   12  Welsh  Gill Coliseum (5,321)
Corvallis, OR
Jan 23
1:00 pm, CBS
at Oregon L 72–86  12–8
(3–4)
 19  Holiday   8  Welsh   6  Alford  Matthew Knight Arena (10,525)
Eugene, OR
Jan 28
7:00 pm, FS1
Washington L 84–86  12–9
(3–5)
 28  Alford   11  Bolden   6  Alford  Pauley Pavilion (6,843)
Los Angeles, CA
Jan 30
4:00 pm, P12N
Washington State W 83–50  13–9
(4–5)
 22  Hamilton   10  Welsh   6  Hamilton  Pauley Pavilion (9,024)
Los Angeles, CA
Feb 4
7:30 pm, P12N
at USC
Rivalry
L 61–80  13–10
(4–6)
 15  Holiday   12  Welsh   7  Alford  Galen Center (10,258)
Los Angeles, CA
Feb 12
6:00 pm, ESPN
at #17 Arizona
Rivalry
L 75–81  13–11
(4–7)
 24  Hamilton   10  Parker   4  Tied  McKale Center (14,644)
Tucson, AZ
Feb 14
5:30 pm, ESPNU
at Arizona State W 78–65  14–11
(5–7)
 16  Bolden   9  Bolden   11  Alford  Wells Fargo Arena (6,710)
Tempe, AZ
Feb 18
7:00 pm, ESPN2
Utah L 73–75  14–12
(5–8)
 25  Hamilton   6  Welsh   6  Holiday  Pauley Pavilion (7,249)
Los Angeles, CA
Feb 20
8:00 pm, FS1
Colorado W 77–53  15–12
(6–8)
 22  Hamilton   6  Tied   9  Alford  Pauley Pavilion (8,492)
Los Angeles, CA
Feb 25
6:00 pm, ESPN2
at California L 63–75  15–13
(6–9)
 15  Tied   16  Welsh   5  Holiday  Haas Pavilion (11,858)
Berkeley, CA
Feb 27
1:30 pm, FOX
at Stanford L 70–79  15–14
(6–10)
 20  Alford   9  Welsh   6  Holiday  Maples Pavilion (6,364)
Stanford, CA
Mar 2
6:00 pm, ESPN2
#9 Oregon L 68–76  15–15
(6–11)
 19  Hamilton   7  Welsh   6  Hamilton  Pauley Pavilion (6,578)
Los Angeles, CA
Mar 5
3:30 pm, P12N
Oregon State L 82–86  15–16
(6–12)
 21  Hamilton   12  Welsh   5  Alford  Pauley Pavilion (7,940)
Los Angeles, CA
Pac-12 Tournament
Mar 9
6:00 pm, P12N
vs. USC
First round
L 71–95  15–17
 12  Welsh   6  Welsh   6  Hamilton  MGM Grand Garden Arena (12,916)
Paradise, NV
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Pacific Time.

Ranking movement

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Ranking movement
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. RV = Received votes. NV = Received no votes.
Poll Pre Wk 2 Wk 3 Wk 4 Wk 5 Wk 6 Wk 7 Wk 8 Wk 9 Wk 10 Wk 11 Wk 12 Wk 13 Wk 14 Wk 15 Wk 16 Wk 17 Wk 18 Post Final
AP RV NV NV NV RV 22 RV 25 NV RV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV N/A
Coaches RV NV NV NV RV RV RV RV NV RV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV NV

Notes

  • December 7, 2015 – Thomas Welsh was named Pac-12 Player of the Week
  • January 11, 2016 – Bryce Alford was named Pac-12 Player of the Week
  • January 20, 2016 – György Goloman returned from injury and played first game of season
  • March 5, 2016 – Forward/center Tony Parker was honored on Senior Day
  • March 24, 2016 – Sophomore center Thomas Welsh was named to the second-team Pac-12 All-Academic team

References

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External links