Well, tonight could be the final UCLA basketball game of the season. 2019 Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament, First Round Game Teams: 10-seed Stanford Cardinal (15-15, 8-10) vs. 7-seed UCLA Bruins (16-15, 9-9) When: 6:00 pm PT, Wednesday, March 13, 2019 Where: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV TV: Pac-12 Networks National, Los Angeles, Bay Area with Ted Robinson, Bill Walton, and Lewis Johnson Live Stream: Pac-12.com and the Pac-12 Now app Radio/Audio: AM 1150 in Los Angeles with Josh Lewin and Tracy Murray Sirius Channel 137/XM Channel 197 (UCLA feed) And, of course, here in the Bruins Nation Game Thread! Live Stats: UCLA StatBroadcast Game Notes: UCLA Stanford To be honest, I don’t think I’ve come across a Bruin fan anywhere online who thinks that, or who cares if, UCLA will win tonight. It seems like everyone is just ready for the season to be over, and it probably will be sometime around 8 pm tonight. If that happens, we will finally be rid of Murry Bartow who is as clueless as, or who may be more clueless than, Steve Alford. But, what if the Bruins come out tonight and actually play some defense. Well, then, we could be looking at another game tomorrow. You know the Jim Valvano mantra: Survive and advance. How long will this UCLA team survive? Listen to the Game Here on BN! This season, we are proud to, again, have today’s audio feed for everyone who opts to use the TuneIn player embedded below. For optimum results, start the audio feed then pause your DVR and sync them up together. Today’s game is on Pac-12 Networks with Ted Robinson, Bill Walton and Lewis Johnson. If you would prefer to listen to Josh Lewin and Tracy Murray call tonight’s game instead, you can do that right here. Join your fellow fans discussing tonight’s game below. This is your UCLA Bruins vs. Stanford Cardinal game thread. Go Bruins.<doc-sep>Everybody calls the conference tournament the second season. For the UCLA Bruins, they definitely need a second season, because we all know their first season was pretty bad. How did the second season start for the Bruins? First Half UCLA and the Stanford Cardinal started out the game struggling scoring the ball. The Bruins just didn’t struggle as much as the Cardinal. Heading into the first media timeout the Stanford was 1 of 8 from the floor and UCLA was up 7-2 early. While the Cardinal continued to struggle to score, the Bruins could not fully take advantage of their poor shooting, as UCLA was shooting 27% heading into the second media timeout and only up, 11-6. The Bruins started to find their offense as the half progressed and their defense continued to hold Stanford. UCLA went on a 7-0 run that was paced by a Jaylen Hands three and a steal and dunk that pushed their lead to 31-18 and forced a timeout at the 3:44 mark. For the remainder of the half, the Bruins continued to play spirited defense while the Cardinal continued to struggle from the field. Stanford ended the half shooting 8 of 35 and UCLA went into the half up, 36-22. Second Half I didn’t mention it in the first half, but the fact that the Bruins did what they did defensively in the first half miraculously came with them playing man defense. It sure is amazing to watch what happens when you allow some long and athletic kids to play man defense. The second half started with UCLA still playing an aggressive man defense and forcing the Cardinal into tough shot after tough shot. Heading into the first media timeout, the Bruins had outscored Stanford 12-7 to start the half and were up 48-31. UCLA continued to push and went on a 9-0 run, aided by Jalen Hill as his aggressiveness on the offensive end helped to extend the lead even further to 57-31. We knew things couldn’t be that easy as the Cardinal went on a mini 6-0 run, capped by a dunk by Marcus Sheffield. This prompted a good Murry Bartow timeout at the 10:04 mark of the second half as the Bruins were still up 57-37. Stanford continued to fight and started shooting better from the field. A three-point shot by Bryce Wills at the 3:58 made the score 67-55. Of course, UCLA could not close the game out easily and they missed multiple front ends of one-and-ones, and a Sheffield three-point shot at the 1:05 mark made the score 69-62. I, for one, started having Utah flashbacks. The Bruins were finally able to hit some free throws and sloppily closed out one of the longest minutes of college basketball I have ever seen, 79-72. Next up for the Bruins will be a quarterfinal game tomorrow night against the Arizona State Sun Devils at 6:00 pm PT. UCLA Player Grades Moses Brown: C+ Brown only played limited minutes in this one, but he was effective early on the defensive end and he kind of helped set the tone for the Bruins. Kris Wilkes: C Wilkes struggled from the floor, but, in the move of the game, he took over the coaching for the Bruins during a late timeout and his guidance helped propel them to victory. Wilkes needs to hit at a higher clip than 3 of 14 if UCLA is to beat ASU. Jaylen Hands: A- A double-double was nice but seven turnovers was not. However, the growth of Hands was observed late in the game when he could have attacked the rim on a fastbreak, but, instead, he smartly pulled it back out and ran clock at a time of the game when clock needed to be ran. Overall, a pretty solid game by Hands. David Singleton: B- He’s a glue guy. His defense and knowledge of the game makes him a guy that just needs to be in the game as much as possible. UCLA was a +14 with him in the game. Chris Smith: A Smith has turned into one of the barometers of the team. When he plays well, it seems the Bruins win. Jalen Hill : A Hill played a pretty solid game, especially in the second half. He was a difference maker in tonight’s game. Alex Olesinski: C- Olesinski was an active body out there tonight, but he didn’t do much else. Jules Bernard: C- Bernard was his usual aggressive self tonight, but he didn’t quite pick the right spots to be aggressive.<doc-sep>UCLA, led by freshman forward Moses Brown, takes on Stanford, led by forward Oscar Da Silva, in the opening round of the Pac-12 Tournament in T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Wednesday, March 13, 2019 (3/13/2019) at 9 p.m. eastern. Here’s what you need to know: What: PAC-12 Basketball Tournament When: Wednesday, March 13, 2019 to Saturday, March 16, 2019 Where: T-Mobile Arena TV: PAC-12 Network, ESPN (semifinals/final only) Channel finder: Verizon Fios, AT&T U-verse, Comcast Xfinity, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, DIRECTV, Dish, Hulu, fuboTV, Sling Live stream: fuboTV (free trial) Tickets: PrimeSport, StubHub, SeatGeek Line: Stanford -1.5 (via FanDuel) Over/Under: 152 (via FanDuel) Moneyline: Stanford -125, UCLA +105 (via FanDuel) *** BOTTOM LINE: Stanford is set to match up against UCLA in the first round of the Pac-12 tourney. The teams split the regular season series at one win apiece. The teams last played on Feb. 16, when the Cardinal shot 52.9 percent from the field while limiting UCLA’s shooters to just 36.9 percent en route to a 104-80 victory. EARLY RISERS: Neither team has been afraid to put the ball in the hands of their freshmen. Kris Wilkes, Jaylen Hands, Moses Brown and Jules Bernard have combined to account for 62 percent of UCLA’s scoring this season. For Stanford, KZ Okpala, Cormac Ryan and Bryce Wills have combined to score 39 percent of the team’s points this season. CREATING OFFENSE: Hands has either made or assisted on 43 percent of all UCLA field goals over the last five games. The sophomore guard has accounted for 26 field goals and 32 assists in those games. SCORING THRESHOLDS: Stanford is 0-11 when its offense scores 66 points or fewer. UCLA is a perfect 8-0 when it holds opponents to 67 or fewer points. UNBEATEN WHEN: The Bruins are 8-0 when they hold opposing teams to 67 points or fewer and 8-15 when opponents exceed 67 points. The Cardinal are 5-0 when the team records at least nine steals and 10-15 when falling short of that total. DID YOU KNOW: UCLA is ranked first among Pac-12 teams with an average of 78.4 points per game. (The AP contributed to this report.)<doc-sep>Despite a flurry of Perfect 10s, the UCLA gymnastics team fell short last weekend against the Oklahoma Sooners, 197.775-197.575 in Norman, Oklahoma. The meet featured the top two teams in women’s collegiate gymnastics, and according to announcer Bart Conners, “if you can only watch one meet this year, watch this one!”. Every competitor was at the top of their game and deserves recognition for their part in this hard fought battle. #2 UCLA Gymnastics (10-1) Opponent: #23 Stanford Cardinal (3-6) When: 1:00 pm PT, Sunday, March 10, 2019 Where: Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, CA TV: Pac-12 Networks National, Los Angeles, and Bay Area with Jim Watson and Amanda Borden Live Stream: Pac-12.com and Pac-12 Now app Live Stats: UCLA StatBroadcast Meet Notes: UCLA Official Preview Last Time Out In the opening rotation, UCLA began on bars as the visiting team. The first three competitors, Margzetta Frazier, Felicia Hano, and Macy Toronjo, all received a score of 9.800. Norah Flatley was in the fourth spot and earned a 9.875 while Madison Kocian notched a 9.825. Rounding out the rotation was Kyla Ross, who earned yet another perfect 10 in this event, making it her fourth of the season. That gave the Bruins a 49.300 for the rotation. Meanwhile, Oklahoma was on the vault where the Sooners earned a 49.425. The Bruins moved to the vault for the second rotation. This event that has been the weakest for UCLA for most of the season. Gracie Kramer led off with a 9.750 and Hano came next with a 9.825. Sekai Wright made another appearance in the third spot with a 9.725 while Nia Dennis would push the Bruins in the right direction with a 9.875. Ross hit yet another perfect vault, earning a 10 for the third time this season. Pauline Tratz was in the anchor spot and finished the rotation off with a 9.775. The result was a 49.225 score on the vault for UCLA while the Sooners scored 49.575 on the bars. After two rotations, UCLA trailed 99.000-98.525. The Bruins were up on the floor for the third rotation, beginning with Frazier’s drag show routine including her “death drop” final pose, earning a 9.825. Kramer’s ever-popular Twilight Zone routine came next and earned a solid 9.925. Tratz followed with a 9.850 and Ross narrowly missed grabbing her third perfect 10 of the day, earning a 9.975. Hano’s routine would be rewarded with a 9.925 and the rotation concluded with Katelyn Ohashi, the top ranked floor specialist in the country who earned yet another perfect 10 on floor, making it her fourth of the season. For the rotation, UCLA scored 49.675 as a team as Oklahoma scored 49.200 on the beam to tie the meet up 148.200-148.200. It all came down to the final rotation where UCLA was on the balance beam and Oklahoma was on the floor. The Bruins had a solid rotation. Grace Glenn started off the rotation with a 9.900, but Brielle Nguyen appeared in the second spot, only earning a 9.775 which would get dropped. Kocian and Flatley each earned a 9.825 and Ross followed with a 9.875. Ohashi finished the rotation with a 9.950, which continues to tie her for the top spot in the country on beam. That gave UCLA a team score of 49.375 as the Sooners finished on the floor with a 49.575. Of course, that meant the Bruins fell .200 short. Oklahoma had pieced together a 197.775 over the four events, but UCLA only had a 197.575, giving the Sooners the win. Ross finished the day winning the all-around, tying her career and season high all-around score of 39.850, making it her eighth all-around victory of the season. She has scored at least one perfect 10 in five consecutive meets and leads the nation with seven perfect 10s this season, owning as many 10s as all other schools combined. Ross and Ohashi set Pac-12 records this week, garnering conference honors yet again. Ross received her record-breaking fifth consecutive Pac-12 Gymnast of the Week award and Ohashi tied the Pac-12 record for her Specialist of the Week award, earning it for the fifth time this season and ninth time in her career. Stanford Cardinal #2 UCLA and #24 Stanford meet for the second time this season today. Stanford won their last meet on February 24 against Arizona with a score of 196.525, which was their first win since they beat Sacramento State and Seattle Pacific on January 11, and it was their first conference win since February 18, 2017 against Arizona State. One of their top gymnasts, sophomore Taylor Lawson, was unable to perform due to illness. Nevertheless, the Cardinal prevailed. It had been their fourth meet in 14 days and was their final home meet of the season. Individually, Kyla Bryant and Morgan Hoang matched career-highs on floor. earning a 9.925 and 9.875 respectively. Wesley Stephenson had a career high on beam with a 9.875, as did Lauren Navarro, earning a 9.800. Madison Brunette hit a career-high on bars with a 9.875, and Aleeza Yu set a career-high on vault, earning a 9.850. Rachael Flam matched her career-high on vault with a 9.875, and Catherine Rogers notched a 9.800, setting a new career-high on bars. Additionally, Bryant won her sixth all-around title of the season. This is your UCLA gymnastics vs. Stanford open thread. Go Bruins!<doc-sep>
This evening, the UCLA Bruins men’s basketball team will begin play in the first round of the 2019 Pac-12 Tournament with a game against the Stanford Cardinal at 6 pm PT at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. 2019 Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament, First Round Game Teams: 10-seed Stanford Cardinal (15-15, 8-10) vs. 7-seed UCLA Bruins (16-15, 9-9) When: 6:00 pm PT, Wednesday, March 13, 2019 Where: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV TV: Pac-12 Networks National, Los Angeles, Bay Area with Ted Robinson, Bill Walton, and Lewis Johnson Live Stream: Pac-12.com and the Pac-12 Now app Radio/Audio: AM 1150 in Los Angeles with Josh Lewin and Tracy Murray Sirius Channel 137/XM Channel 197 (UCLA feed) And, of course, here in the Bruins Nation Game Thread! Live Stats: UCLA StatBroadcast Game Notes: UCLA Stanford The Bruins split the season series with the Cardinal. The teams first met in the first conference game of the season which UCLA won 92-70 at Pauley Pavilion. It was Murry Bartow’s first game after Steve Alford was fired on December 30th and Bruin fans were still elated that the basketball team was finally free from Alford. Way back then, there was actually still hope that Bartow would be able to help the team realize its potential and win the Pac-12 regular season title. That proved to be just a little bit of false hope. Of course, if thatz wasn’t yet evident, it should have been so by the time these two teams met six weeks later. Heck, it should have been evident in the first game of the Bruins’ Northern California road trip where they needed overtime to beat the lowly UC Berkeley Golden Bears. Despite having an extra day between games, by the time UCLA got to Stanford that Saturday, the Cardinal crushed the Bruins, 104-80. In that game, UCLA looked as if Steve Alford was still coaching the Bruin defense. It was non-existent. A common thread has emerged that Murry Bartow has failed to see: When the Bruins hold their opponents 70 points or less against Pac-12 opponents, they win. They only team who scored 70 or less and beat UCLA was Washington, who held them to just 55 points. But, when the Bruins allow more than 70 points, they are just 4-8. Hmmm....it sounds like the spector of Steve Alford’s defense, or lack thereof, has continued to haunt the Bruins under Murry Bartow. Can Bartow get his guys to play defense tonight? That will almost certainly determine whether the Bruins play tomorrow or if the season ends tonight. Go Bruins!