# 2017–18 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team

The 2017–18 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team represented the University of California, Los Angeles during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bruins were led by fifth-year head coach Steve Alford and played their home games at Pauley Pavilion as members in the Pac-12 Conference. They finished the season 21–12, 11–7 in Pac-12 play to finish in a three-way tie for third place.
The Bruins opened their new practice facility, the Mo Ostin Basketball Center. They defeated Stanford in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 tournament to advance to the semifinals where they lost to Arizona. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, where they lost 65–58 in the First Four to St. Bonaventure for the Bonnies' first tournament win in 48 years. It was the first time in UCLA's history that they had been relegated to a First Four play-in game. It was the first time in the school's four tournament appearances under Alford that they did not advance to the Sweet 16.

## Previous season

The Bruins finished the 2016–17 season 31–5 overall; and 15–3 in the conference. During the season, UCLA was invited and participated in the Wooden Legacy in Anaheim, California. UCLA defeated Portland, Nebraska, and Texas A&M to earn 1st place. UCLA also defeated Ohio State in the CBS Sports Classic in Paradise, Nevada. In the postseason, UCLA defeated USC but lost to Arizona in the semifinals of the 2017 Pac-12 Conference men's basketball tournament in Paradise, Nevada. The Bruins were invited and participated in the 2017 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, where they defeated Kent State and Cincinnati in Sacramento, California but lost to Kentucky in Memphis, Tennessee in the Sweet Sixteen.

## Off-season
### Departures

| Name | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for Departure |
| Bryce Alford | G | 6'3" | 185 | Senior | Albuquerque, NM | Graduated |
| Isaac Hamilton | G | 6'5" | 195 | Senior | Los Angeles, CA | Graduated |
| Jerrold Smith | G | 6'0" | 165 | Senior | Los Angeles, CA | Walk-on; Graduated |
| Ike Anigbogu | F/C | 6'10" | 250 | Freshman | Corona, CA | Declared for 2017 NBA draft; drafted 47th overall to the Indiana Pacers. |
| Lonzo Ball | G | 6'6" | 190 | Freshman | Chino Hills, CA | Declared for 2017 NBA draft; drafted 2nd overall to the Los Angeles Lakers. |
| T. J. Leaf | F | 6'10" | 225 | Freshman | El Cajon, CA | Declared for 2017 NBA draft; drafted 18th overall to the Indiana Pacers. |

### 2017 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| LiAngelo Ball F/G | Chino Hills, CA | Chino Hills HS | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Apr 21, 2015 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 79 ||||||
| Jalen Hill PF | Corona, CA | Centennial HS | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Jun 28, 2015 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 86 ||||||
| Jaylen Hands PG | San Diego, CA | Foothills Christian HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 168 lb (76 kg) | Sep 16, 2015 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 93 ||||||
| Cody Riley PF | Chatsworth, CA | Sierra Canyon School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 234 lb (106 kg) | Oct 14, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 88 ||||||
| Chris Smith SF | Fort Worth, TX | Huntington Prep School | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 192 lb (87 kg) | Feb 11, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82 ||||||
| Kris Wilkes SF | Indianapolis, IN | North Central HS | 6 ft 7.5 in (2.02 m) | 191 lb (87 kg) | Nov 13, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 95 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: #2 Rivals: #2 247Sports: #4 ESPN: #4 ||||||
| 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: "2017 UCLA Basketball Commitment List". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 28, 2017. "2017 UCLA Player Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 28, 2017. "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 28, 2017. ||||||

## China incident

At the start of the regular season, three of UCLA's players, Jalen Hill, Cody Riley, and LiAngelo Ball, were arrested in China for allegedly shoplifting before their game against Georgia Tech. The arrested players were confined to their hotel for several days until the charges were dropped and the players were allowed to leave the country.
The players involved were suspended indefinitely from the team after their return to campus, with LiAngelo eventually withdrawing from UCLA on December 4, 2017. He would go on to play professionally overseas in Lithuania with his younger brother LaMelo.
On December 22, 2017, UCLA announced that the other two suspended players, Riley and Hill, would remain suspended for the whole season, but would be allowed to rejoin practices and team activities on December 26.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| November 1, 2017* 7:00 pm, P12N | No. 21 | Cal State Los Angeles | W 111–80 | – | 22 – Welsh | 14 – Welsh | 11 – Hands | Pauley Pavilion (4,408) Los Angeles, CA |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 10, 2017* 8:30 pm, ESPN | No. 21 | vs. Georgia Tech Pac-12 China Game | W 63–60 | 1–0 | 18 – Wilkes | 8 – Welsh | 7 – Holiday | Baoshan Sports Centre (4,011) Shanghai, China |
| November 15, 2017* 8:00 pm, P12N | No. 23 | Central Arkansas Hall of Fame Classic campus-site game | W 106–101 $^{OT}$ | 2–0 | 24 – Holiday | 12 – Wilkes | 6 – Hands | Pauley Pavilion (6,782) Los Angeles, CA |
| November 17, 2017* 6:00 pm, P12N | No. 23 | South Carolina State Hall of Fame Classic campus-site game | W 96–68 | 3–0 | 22 – Hands | 15 – Welsh | 4 – Tied | Pauley Pavilion (7,035) Los Angeles, CA |
| November 20, 2017* 4:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 23-t | vs. Creighton Hall of Fame Classic semifinals | L 89–100 | 3–1 | 25 – Holiday | 13 – Welsh | 7 – Holiday | Sprint Center (10,234) Kansas City, MO |
| November 21, 2017* 4:30 pm, ESPN3 | No. 23-t | vs. Wisconsin Hall of Fame Classic consolation | W 72–70 | 4–1 | 18 – Holiday | 8 – Welsh | 5 – Holiday | Sprint Center (10,160) Kansas City, MO |
| November 26, 2017* 3:00 pm, P12N | No. 23-t | UC Irvine | W 87–63 | 5–1 | 21 – Ali | 13 – Welsh | 7 – Holiday | Pauley Pavilion (8,329) Los Angeles, CA |
| November 29, 2017* 7:00 pm, P12N | | Cal State Bakersfield | W 75–66 | 6–1 | 16 – Holiday | 10 – Welsh | 6 – Holiday | Pauley Pavilion (5,973) Los Angeles, CA |
| December 3, 2017* 6:00 pm, P12N | | Detroit | W 106–73 | 7–1 | 23 – Hands | 9 – Tied | 5 – Golomán | Pauley Pavilion (6,109) Los Angeles, CA |
| December 6, 2017* 8:00 pm, P12N | | Montana Canceled due to Skirball Fire | | | | | | Pauley Pavilion Los Angeles, CA |
| December 9, 2017* 9:00 am, CBS | | at Michigan | L 69–78 $^{OT}$ | 7–2 | 27 – Holiday | 10 – Welsh | 7 – Holiday | Crisler Center (12,137) Ann Arbor, MI |
| December 16, 2017* 12:30 pm, CBS | | No. 25 Cincinnati | L 63–77 | 7–3 | 17 – Holiday | 9 – Welsh | 4 – Welsh | Pauley Pavilion (10,018) Los Angeles, CA |
| December 19, 2017* 6:00 pm, P12N | | South Dakota | W 85–82 | 8–3 | 19 – Welsh | 11 – Welsh | 5 – Holiday | Pauley Pavilion (5,767) Los Angeles, CA |
| December 23, 2017* 1:00 pm, CBS | | vs. No. 7 Kentucky CBS Sports Classic | W 83–75 | 9–3 | 20 – Tied | 11 – Welsh | 8 – Holiday | Smoothie King Center (8,119) New Orleans, LA |
| Pac-12 regular season |||||||||
| December 29, 2017 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | | Washington State | W 96–82 | 10–3 (1–0) | 33 – Holiday | 14 – Welsh | 4 – Tied | Pauley Pavilion (8,089) Los Angeles, CA |
| December 31, 2017 5:00 pm, P12N | | Washington | W 74–53 | 11–3 (2–0) | 21 – Wilkes | 12 – Welsh | 5 – Holiday | Pauley Pavilion (7,639) Los Angeles, CA |
| January 4, 2018 7:00 pm, FS1 | | at Stanford | L 99–107 $^{2OT}$ | 11–4 (2–1) | 31 – Holiday | 10 – Welsh | 3 – Tied | Maples Pavilion (4,497) Stanford, CA |
| January 6, 2018 3:30 pm, P12N | | at California | W 107–84 | 12–4 (3–1) | 21 – Holiday | 14 – Welsh | 5 – Holiday | Haas Pavilion (8,888) Berkeley, CA |
| January 11, 2018 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | | Utah | W 83–64 | 13–4 (4–1) | 20 – Holiday | 9 – Ali | 6 – Holiday | Pauley Pavilion (8,739) Los Angeles, CA |
| January 13, 2018 7:30 pm, P12N | | Colorado | L 59–68 | 13–5 (4–2) | 20 – Welsh | 9 – Wilkes | 4 – Holiday | Pauley Pavilion (10,164) Los Angeles, CA |
| January 18, 2018 8:00 pm, FS1 | | at Oregon State | L 63–69 | 13–6 (4–3) | 22 – Holiday | 13 – Welsh | 5 – Wilkes | Gill Coliseum (5,330) Corvallis, OR |
| January 20, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN | | at Oregon | L 91–94 | 13–7 (4–4) | 21 – Wilkes | 10 – Welsh | 5 – Holiday | Matthew Knight Arena (12,364) Eugene, OR |
| January 25, 2018 7:30 pm, FS1 | | California | W 70–57 | 14–7 (5–4) | 21 – Holiday | 7 – Wilkes | 6 – Holiday | Pauley Pavilion (8,028) Los Angeles, CA |
| January 27, 2018 7:30 pm, P12N | | Stanford | W 89–73 | 15–7 (6–4) | 21 – Holiday | 10 – Welsh | 10 – Hands | Pauley Pavilion (10,519) Los Angeles, CA |
| February 3, 2018 3:00 pm, ESPN2 | | USC Rivalry | W 82–79 | 16–7 (7–4) | 23 – Holiday | 8 – Welsh | 9 – Holiday | Pauley Pavilion (12,837) Los Angeles, CA |
| February 8, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN | | at No. 13 Arizona Rivalry | W 82–74 | 17–7 (8–4) | 17 – Holiday | 12 – Welsh | 8 – Holiday | McKale Center (14,644) Tucson, AZ |
| February 10, 2018 4:00 pm, P12N | | at Arizona State | L 79–88 | 17–8 (8–5) | 20 – Holiday | 8 – Welsh | 5 – Holiday | Wells Fargo Arena (14,025) Tempe, AZ |
| February 15, 2018 8:00 pm, FS1 | | Oregon State | W 75–68 | 18–8 (9–5) | 17 – Holiday | 17 – Welsh | 10 – Holiday | Pauley Pavilion (8,890) Los Angeles, CA |
| February 17, 2018 7:15 pm, ESPN | | Oregon | W 86–78 $^{OT}$ | 19–8 (10–5) | 29 – Holiday | 14 – Welsh | 6 – Holiday | Pauley Pavilion (13,001) Los Angeles, CA |
| February 22, 2018 6:00 pm, ESPN | | at Utah | L 78–84 | 19–9 (10–6) | 23 – Holiday | 7 – Tied | 7 – Holiday | Jon M. Huntsman Center (13,141) Salt Lake City, UT |
| February 25, 2018 1:00 pm, ESPNU | | at Colorado | L 76–80 | 19–10 (10–7) | 21 – Holiday | 10 – Welsh | 6 – Holiday | Coors Events Center (8,176) Boulder, CO |
| March 3, 2018 7:15 pm, ESPN | | at USC Rivalry | W 83–72 | 20–10 (11–7) | 34 – Holiday | 9 – Tied | 7 – Holiday | Galen Center (10,258) Los Angeles, CA |
| Pac-12 Tournament |||||||||
| March 8, 2018 2:30 pm, P12N | (4) | vs. (5) Stanford Quarterfinals | W 88–77 | 21–10 | 34 – Holiday | 11 – Welsh | 8 – Holiday | T-Mobile Arena (15,182) Paradise, NV |
| March 9, 2018 6:00 pm, P12N | (4) | vs. (1) No. 15 Arizona Semifinals | L 67–78 $^{OT}$ | 21–11 | 17 – Welsh | 17 – Welsh | 3 – 3 tied | T-Mobile Arena (16,596) Paradise, NV |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 13, 2018* 6:10 pm, truTV | (11 E) | vs. (11 E) St. Bonaventure First Four | L 58–65 | 21–12 | 20 – Holiday | 15 – Welsh | 7 – Holiday | UD Arena (12,336) Dayton, OH |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. E=East. All times are in Pacific Time. |||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes т = Tied with team above or below :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | 21 | 23 | 23-T | RV | RV | RV | RV | — | RV | RV | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Coaches | 18 | 18 | 23 | 25 | 23 | RV | RV | — | RV | RV | | | | | | | | | | | |
*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings

## Honors
### Pac-12 Player of the Week

* Aaron Holiday (December 26)
* Aaron Holiday (February 19)
* Aaron Holiday (March 5)

### Postseason awards

* Aaron Holiday, Third-team All-American - Sporting News
* Aaron Holiday, First-team All-Pac-12
* Aaron Holiday, Pac-12 All-Defensive Team
* Thomas Welsh, Second-team All-Pac-12