UCLA Bruins

NCAAB – PAC-12

Arena: Pauley Pavilion
Coach: Mick Cronin

NCAAB – UCLA Bruins

Team Leaders

UCLA Bruins Summary

You can not tell the story of college basketball without the UCLA Bruins having a large section. The Bruins have been one of the most dominant programs in history with a winning percentage of .688 and winning 31 conference titles, four conference tournaments,  50 NCAA Tournament appearances, 19 Final Fours, and 11 National Championships. 

UCLA has had legendary coaches and players throughout its existence so it will be an incredible time going down memory lane to look at their history. 

UCLA Bruins Standings

UCLA Bruins Betting Trends

UCLA Bruins History

The UCLA Bruins began their men’s basketball program prior to the 1919 regular season as an independent program and remained that way until the 1927 season when they joined the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) and has been through multiple changes from the Athletic Association of Western Universities (AAWU), the Pac-8, Pac-10, and the now-Pac-12 Conference. 

They managed to win 31 regular-season conference championships throughout the run and made 50 NCAA Tournament appearances during their history. They have a career record of 1942-880 as a program and should continue to dominate for years to come. 

Key Stats

The UCLA Bruins have been one of the best programs in the entire country as they are 11-2 (3-1) as of this writing and the ninth-ranked program in the nation. A huge reason is a fact they have scored 80.6 points per game, which is 21st in the sport, and rebounding incredibly well with 39.3 rebounds, good for 58th in the nation. 

Junior guard Tyger Campbell has been leading the charge for the Bruins this season as he is playing 31.3 minutes and is averaging 12.6 points, 2.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. He has been shooting incredibly well to lead the way as he shot 46.7 percent from the floor, 47.3 percent from the three-point line, and 83.9 percent from the free-throw line. UCLA has been playing incredibly as a team on both sides of the floor so it will be a great sign of things to come. 

Championships Won by the Team

There are not many teams that can do this but instead of talking about the conference championships or Final Four appearances, we are going to discuss the 11 National Championship victories for the program. The first National Championship was in the 1964 NCAA Tournament as the Bruins defeated the Duke Blue Devils 98-83 and they went back and won it the next year against the Michigan Wolverines 91-80. 

Then we have something that may never be duplicated again as the UCLA Bruins were able to win seven consecutive National Championships from 1967-1973 with an average margin of victory of 14.4 points. They were the greatest dynasty in collegiate basketball and arguably of any sports team in history. They managed to miss a year before winning their eighth National Title in nine seasons in 1975 to officially end the dynasty of the program. 20 years later in 1995, UCLA won their 11th National Championship with an 89-78 win over the Arkansas Razorbacks in the 1995 NCAA Tournament so they have been one of the greatest programs in collegiate sports history. 

Important Team Events

It’s difficult to pinpoint the UCLA Bruins’s greatest game but one of them would arguably be from March 25, 1972, as the UCLA Bruins squared off against the Florida State Seminoles in the L.A. Sports Arena in Los Angeles, California for the National Championship. The Bruins were attempting to have the perfect season as they were undefeated heading into this game and came out with a force as they were up 50-39 heading into the halftime break. 

Coach Wooden kept the foot on the pedal as the Bruins kept the lead and completed the undefeated season with an 81-76 victory. The team was led by Bill Walton, who dominated with 24 points and 20 rebounds while Jamaal Wilkes also had 23 points and 10 rebounds as well to lead to their first of back-to-back undefeated seasons. This year they will be fighting in order to get the win in March Madness.

Top Players

Forward Don MacLean has been one of the greatest players in the UCLA Bruins history as he appeared in 127 games (all starts) and finished averaging 20.5 points, 7. Rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 32.7 minutes per game. He leads all players in career points (2,608) and no other player has scored more than 2,325 points in their UCLA career. 

Another key player in the program’s history was center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as he was a two-time AP Player of the Year, won the Naismith Award, and won three National Championships while with the Bruins from 1966-1968. He played in 88 games and finished with 26.4 points and 15.5 rebounds. He had one of the best offensive seasons in the 1966-67 year as he scored the most points in a season in UCLA history (870) and the highest field goal percentage in a season (.667) Yet none of these players have yet gotten into the NBA. 

Top Coaches

There have been 15 coaches in the history of the UCLA Bruins but there is one that is head and shoulders above the rest as John Wooden coached the team from 1949-1975 and went an incredible 620-147 (.808 winning percentage). He finished with 16 conference championships during his tenure and 16 trips to the NCAA Tournament. In 12 of those seasons, he brought the Bruins into the Final Four and won 10 of the 11 National Championships in the University of California Los Angeles’ history. 

In four seasons (1963, 1966,1971, 1972) the Bruins were able to go a perfect 30-0 and won the National Championship without losing a single game throughout the entire year. He was the greatest coach to ever be on the sidelines for UCLA and arguably the best coach in NCAA history for how successful he was throughout his run.

Follow us on our Twitter @InsidersBetDig to know more about sports betting.

UCLA Recent Trend

Next Game

Injuries

Team Stats

UCLA Bruins FAQs

What team have the UCLA Bruins defeated the most in their history?

There is actually a tie as the Bruins have defeated the USC Trojans and the California Golden Bears 121 times each.

How many All-Americans have the UCLA Bruins had?

They have had 20 different players be named All-American players as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (three), Bill Walton (three), David Greenwood (two), Sidney Wicks (two), and Jamaal Wilkes (two) have all won multiple times. Aaron Afflalo, Lucius Allen, Lonzo Ball, Don Barksdale, Henry Bibby, Gail Goodrich, Walt Hazzard, Marques Johnson, Kevin Love, Don MacLean, Dave Meyers, Willie Naulls, Ed O’Bannon, Curtis Rowe, and Richard Washington all were All-Americans for the Bruins once in their career as well.

What is the Bruins record in the NCAA Tournament?

The UCLA Bruins have an incredible 111-43 record during the NCAA Tournament all-time.

Which player has scored the most points in a game for the UCLA Bruins?

Bill Walton has scored the most points in a game for the Bruins as he finished going 21-of-22 for 44 points in the National Championship Game against the Memphis Tigers on March 26, 1973.

How many times have the UCLA Bruins been ranked in the AP Poll?

The Bruins were ranked for 709 total weeks, including 46 times in the preseason and 41 times to conclude a season.