Get to Know: No. 16 UCLA Bringing Experience and Offense to Madison Square Garden

No. 13 Kentucky is in the Big Apple for its fourth non-conference Power Five matchup of the season, taking on the No. 16 UCLA Bruins in the CBS Sports Classic inside Madison Square Garden.

The Cats haver had six days between games, following their 69-59 win over Yale in Rupp Arena last Saturday. Momentum is with the Wildcats, but it won't be easy to carry past coach Mick Cronin's Bruins, who are entering New York City on a six-game winning streak, and are fresh off their biggest and best win of the 2022-23 season.

John Calipari noted on Thursday when speaking to reporters that UCLA provides a tough matchup, and that it will be far from an easy game for his Wildcats.

Here's what you need to know about the Bruins:

KenPom Rating: 4th (1st in Pac-12)
Picked to finish 1st in the Preseason Pac-12 Poll
Kentucky leads the all-time series 8-7, UCLA has won three of the last four
Most recent matchup saw the Bruins win 83-75 in New Orleans
UCLA is a 2.5-point favorite. It has compiled a 16-15 all-time record in games played in New York City (and a 14-12 mark at MSG).

The Record (9-2)

Notable games:

Nov. 18: 70-79 L vs. Illinois (in Las Vegas)
Nov. 20: 75-80 L vs. Baylor (in Las Vegas)
Dec. 1: 80-66 W @ Stanford
Dec. 4: 65-56 W vs. Oregon
Dec. 14: 87-60 W @ Maryland

UCLA has been battle tested early. Both losses came to quality teams in a three-day span in the second week of the season. The win over Maryland was as impressive as it gets, as the Bruins at one point led by nearly 40.
The strength of schedule is currently the 72nd best in the nation.
The Bruins are 6-5 against the spread so far this season.

Tale of the Tape

Mick Cronin

Cronin has entered his fourth season as UCLA’s head coach, having been named the 14th head coach in the history of the Bruins’ basketball program on April 9, 2019. Cronin arrived in Westwood after spending the previous 13 seasons as head coach at his alma mater, the University of Cincinnati. He served as the head coach at Murray State for three seasons, prior to taking the head coaching position at Cincinnati.
Cronin has led his teams to the NCAA Tournament 13 times (including 2022). He made his first-ever trip to the NCAA Final Four in 2021, with UCLA, as the Bruins defeated No. 1-seed Michigan, 51-49, on March 30, 2021, advancing to the NCAA Final Four in Indianapolis.
Cronin was named the 2020 Pac-12 Conference Coach of the Year, marking the third conference in which he secured “Coach of the Year” acclaim.
Cronin entered the 2022-23 season with the most head coaching victories at the NCAA Division I level (433) among active head coaches, age 51 years old or younger (Cronin turned 51 in the summer of 2022).
In 2020-21, Cronin guided the Bruins to a 22-10 overall record. UCLA won five consecutive games over a 13-day span during the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the NCAA Final Four for the first time since 2008.
UCLA had entered the NCAA Tournament in 2021 as a “First Four” team, becoming the second team ever to advance from the First Four to the Final Four. The NCAA Tournament began using a 68-team field (with the First Four) in 2011.

Jaime Jaquez Jr

Now a four-year starter, Jaquez has played in 108 career games at UCLA, having averaged 30.7 minutes per contest. He has logged career averages of 12.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
The Camarillo, California native is averaging 17.1 points-per-game to go along with 5.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.8 steals midway through December. He has scored at least 12 points in every game so far this year.
In UCLA’s last six contests (6-0 record), he has averaged 19.2 and 5.5 rebounds ... has shot 66.2 percent from the field in those six contests (51-of-77)
Was named a preseason first-team All-America selection by CBS Sports and by The Athletic ... preseason second-team All-America honoree by Sporting News.
Was named to the 50-person watch list for the John R. Wooden Award.
More on Jaquez here.

Tyger Campbell

Has averaged 12.8 points and 4.5 assists in 11 games this season ... has totaled 49 assists and 20 turnovers.
Has scored in double figures in nine of UCLA’s 11 games ... totaled 17 points and a team-leading eight assists in UCLA’s 80-66 win at Stanford (Dec. 1, 2022).
Through games played on Wednesday, Dec. 14, he ranked No. 6 in the Pac-12 in assists per game (4.45) and No. 3 in assist-turnover ratio (2.45-to-1).
Has tallied at least 10 assists in six career games ... logged a career-best 14 assists in a win over Arizona State during his freshman season (Feb. 27, 2020.)
Currently ranks No. 8 on UCLA’s career assists list (518).
Was named a preseason first-team All-Pac-12 selection (as voted by the media), prior to the 2022-23 season.
Named to the 50-person watch list for the John R. Wooden Award.
One of 20 players listed to the preseason watch list for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award.

Other Important Stats and Notes

Junior guard Jaylen Clark is second on the team in scoring, averaging 15.5 PPG while also leading the Bruins in rebounds with 6.1 per-game. Clark is also a menace on defense, racking up 25 steals so far this season.
Fifth-year guard David Singleton will be UCLA's main 3-point shooting threat. He has 26 of 52 attempts from deep, an impressive 50 percent clip. Singleton (10.6 PPG) and freshman guard Amari Bailey (10.3) round out the major scoring threats for the Bruins.
As a team, UCLA is shooting 36 percent from behind the arc.
6-foot-10 freshman forward Adem Bona will be the featured presence in the post. He's adding 7.8 PPG, 4.4 RPG and a total of 10 blocks on the year.
UCLA has turned the ball over 10 or more times in just three games so far this season.
The Bruins have allowed 70 points just twice this season, both of which were the losses to Baylor and Illinois. They've scored 80 points or more in five of their last six games.
UCLA had made 10 or more free throws in seven games this season.
The Bruins have been out-rebounded on four occasions this season, but have a 3-1 record in those games.
Per KenPom, UCLA's adjusted offensive efficiency is the third best in the nation, while its adjusted defensive efficiency is 17th.

Wildcats Today will have game coverage live from Madison Square Garden as No. 13 Kentucky looks for an important win in the CBS Sports Classic. Tip-off is set for 5:15 p.m. EST.

Want the latest on national football and basketball recruiting, including Cats targets? Head over to SI All-American for the latest news, blogs, and updates about the nation's best prospects.

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