# 2023–24 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team

The 2023–24 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team represented the University of California, Los Angeles during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bruins were led by fifth-year head coach Mick Cronin, and they played their home games at Pauley Pavilion as a member of the Pac-12 Conference. It was the Bruins' final season as a member of the Pac-12 before joining the Big Ten Conference on July 1, 2024.
UCLA had seven freshmen on their roster, and eight newcomers overall, along with three sophomores. The Bruins won their first three games and started the season 5–2. The team was limited offensively. On January 11, 2024, they lost 90–44 to Utah for their eighth loss in nine games. The 46-point defeat was the second-worst in the program's history, behind a 48-point loss (109–61) to Stanford in 1997. On January 27, UCLA defeated USC 65–50 at the Galen Center. It was the Bruins' first win in their crosstown rivalry under Cronin on the Trojans' home court, ending a five-game losing streak at the site. For the first time since 2004, the teams faced each other both with losing records. UCLA beat Oregon 71–63, dropping the Ducks to second place, for their third straight win and fifth in their last six games. They extended their winning streak to six games, and had won eight of their last nine, leading up to their rematch against Utah. However, the Bruins lost 70–69 to the Utes on a last-second basket. They also lost their following game to USC to fall to 14–13 overall and 9–7 in the conference, needing to win the Pac-12 tournament to advance to the NCAA tournament. UCLA lost their third game in a row, dropping back to .500 after allowing a season high in points in a 94–77 defeat to Washington. The Bruins won their regular-season finale 59–47 at home against Arizona State to end a five-game losing streak, including three at Pauley Pavilion.
In their Pac-12 tournament opener, Dylan Andrews scored a career-high 31 points to lead No. 5-seed UCLA to a 67–57 win over 12th-seeded Oregon State. The Bruins were eliminated in the following game in the quarterfinals, losing 68–66 to No. 4-seed Oregon. With 4.4 seconds remaining, Andrews took the inbounds pass, drove downcourt, and shot a floater inside the free throw line over N'Faly Dante as the buzzer sounded, but the ball bounced off the back of the rim. He ended the game with 24 points, and averaged 21.2 points over the final six games. Cronin's personal streak of 12 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances ended.

## Offseason

UCLA Departures :
| Name | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for Departure |
| Tyger Campbell | G | 5'11" | 180 | RS Senior | Cedar Rapids, IA | Graduated; Declared for the 2023 NBA Draft |
| Jaime Jaquez Jr. | G/F | 6'7" | 225 | Senior | Camarillo, CA | Graduated; Declared for the 2023 NBA Draft |
| David Singleton | G | 6'4" | 205 | Senior | Los Angeles, CA | Graduated |
| Russell Stong | G | 6'3" | 190 | Senior | Northridge, CA | Walk-on; Graduated |
| Jaylen Clark | G | 6'5" | 210 | Junior | Riverside, CA | Declared for the 2023 NBA Draft |
| Mac Etienne | F | 6'10" | 230 | RS Freshman | New York, NY | Transferred to DePaul |
| Abramo Canka | G/F | 6'6" | 200 | Freshman | Genoa, Italy | Transferred to Wake Forest |
| Amari Bailey | G | 6'5" | 185 | Freshman | Chicago, IL | Declared for the 2023 NBA Draft |
Incoming Transfers :
| Name | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Lazar Stefanovic | G | 6'7" | 190 | Sophomore | Belgrade, Serbia | Transfer from Utah. Will have two years of eligibility remaining. |

### 2023 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Sebastian Mack SG | Henderson, NV | Coronado HS (NV) | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Nov 16, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Brandon Williams PF | Middle Village, NY | Christ The King HS (NY) | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | Sep 20, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Devin Williams PF | Corona, CA | Centennial HS (CA) | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Aug 28, 2022 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| 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: "UCLA 2023 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 31, 2023* 6:00 p.m. | | Cal State Dominguez Hills | W 97–56 | 0–0 | 23 – Mack | 10 – Fibleuil | 7 – Mack | Pauley Pavilion (2,968) Los Angeles, CA |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 6, 2023* 8:30 p.m., P12N | | Saint Francis (PA) | W 75–44 | 1–0 | 28 – Bona | 9 – Bona | 4 – Stefanovic | Pauley Pavilion (6,783) Los Angeles, CA |
| November 10, 2023* 8:00 p.m., P12N | | Lafayette | W 68–50 | 2–0 | 18 – Tied | 6 – Bona | 4 – Andrews | Pauley Pavilion (6,259) Los Angeles, CA |
| November 15, 2023* 7:00 p.m., P12N | | LIU | W 78–58 | 3–0 | 20 – Bona | 11 – Bona | 7 – Vide | Pauley Pavilion (4,751) Los Angeles, CA |
| November 20, 2023* 8:30 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. No. 4 Marquette Maui Invitational quarterfinals | L 69–71 | 3–1 | 25 – Mack | 8 – Stefanovic | 4 – Andrews | Stan Sheriff Center (4,936) Honolulu, HI |
| November 21, 2023* 2:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. Chaminade Maui Invitational Consolation 2nd round | W 76–48 | 4–1 | 16 – Mack | 10 – Mara | 6 – Andrews | Stan Sheriff Center (3,602) Honolulu, HI |
| November 22, 2023* 9:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | vs. No. 11 Gonzaga Maui Invitational 5th Place Game | L 65–69 | 4–2 | 16 – Tied | 8 – Tied | 4 – Andrews | Stan Sheriff Center (3,757) Honolulu, HI |
| November 30, 2023* 8:00 p.m., P12N | | UC Riverside | W 66–65 | 5–2 | 17 – Andrews | 5 – Mack | 5 – Tied | Pauley Pavilion (6,609) Los Angeles, CA |
| December 9, 2023* 4:00 p.m., FOX | | at Villanova | L 56–65 | 5–3 | 14 – Stefanovic | 8 – Bona | 4 – Andrews | Wells Fargo Center (16,823) Philadelphia, PA |
| December 16, 2023* 12:00 p.m., CBS | | vs. Ohio State CBS Sports Classic | L 60–67 | 5–4 | 14 – Mack | 6 – Tied | 3 – Andrews | State Farm Arena (17,058) Atlanta, GA |
| December 19, 2023* 7:00 p.m., P12N | | Cal State Northridge | L 72–76 | 5–5 | 27 – Mack | 10 – Bona | 3 – Mara | Pauley Pavilion (7,274) Los Angeles, CA |
| December 22, 2023* 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Maryland | L 60–69 | 5–6 | 17 – Mack | 6 – Stefanovic | 3 – Tied | Pauley Pavilion (7,056) Los Angeles, CA |
| Pac-12 regular season |||||||||
| December 28, 2023 7:00 p.m., P12N | | at Oregon State | W 69–62 | 6–6 (1–0) | 13 – Tied | 8 – Bona | 4 – Andrews | Gill Coliseum (3,087) Corvallis, OR |
| December 30, 2023 1:00 p.m., CBS | | at Oregon | L 59–64 | 6–7 (1–1) | 15 – Bona | 11 – Bona | 6 – Andrews | Matthew Knight Arena (7,268) Eugene, OR |
| January 3, 2024 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Stanford | L 53–59 | 6–8 (1–2) | 14 – Mack | 9 – Bona | 2 – Tied | Pauley Pavilion (6,224) Los Angeles, CA |
| January 6, 2024 7:00 p.m., P12N | | California | L 57–66 | 6–9 (1–3) | 20 – Mack | 6 – Tied | 2 – Tied | Pauley Pavilion (7,342) Los Angeles, CA |
| January 11, 2024 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at Utah | L 44–90 | 6–10 (1–4) | 9 – Andrews | 5 – Mack | 2 – Andrews | Jon M. Huntsman Center (8,934) Salt Lake City, UT |
| January 14, 2024 4:00 p.m., P12N | | Washington | W 73–61 | 7–10 (2–4) | 22 – Bona | 7 – Stefanovic | 8 – Andrews | Pauley Pavilion (6,532) Los Angeles, CA |
| January 17, 2024 6:00 p.m., P12N | | at Arizona State | W 68–66 | 8–10 (3–4) | 18 – Stefanovic | 6 – Tied | 5 – Bona | Desert Financial Arena (10,096) Tempe, AZ |
| January 20, 2024 1:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at No. 12 Arizona Rivalry | L 71–77 | 8–11 (3–5) | 21 – Mack | 8 – Stefanovic | 4 – Mack | McKale Center (14,688) Tucson, AZ |
| January 27, 2024 5:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at USC Rivalry | W 65–50 | 9–11 (4–5) | 20 – Andrews | 10 – Bona | 4 – Andrews | Galen Center (10,300) Los Angeles, CA |
| February 1, 2024 7:30 p.m., P12N | | Oregon State | W 71–63 | 10–11 (5–5) | 18 – Tied | 7 – McClendon | 3 – Andrews | Pauley Pavilion (6,095) Los Angeles, CA |
| February 3, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Oregon | W 71–63 | 11–11 (6–5) | 21 – Andrews | 10 – Stefanovic | 7 – Andrews | Pauley Pavilion (8,723) Los Angeles, CA |
| February 7, 2024 6:00 p.m., P12N | | at Stanford | W 82–74 | 12–11 (7–5) | 21 – Mack | 8 – Bona | 4 – Andrews | Maples Pavilion (3,844) Stanford, CA |
| February 10, 2024 2:30 p.m., FOX | | at California | W 61–60 | 13–11 (8–5) | 13 – Bona | 13 – Stefanovic | 2 – Andrews | Haas Pavilion (9,280) Berkeley, CA |
| February 15, 2024 6:00 p.m., ESPN | | Colorado | W 64–60 | 14–11 (9–5) | 19 – Mack | 7 – Bona | 3 – McClendon | Pauley Pavilion (7,183) Los Angeles, CA |
| February 18, 2024 4:00 p.m., FS1 | | Utah | L 69–70 | 14–12 (9–6) | 19 – Stefanovic | 8 – Stefanovic | 3 – Stefanovic | Pauley Pavilion (9,537) Los Angeles, CA |
| February 24, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN | | USC Rivalry | L 56–62 | 14–13 (9–7) | 14 – Bona | 6 – Tied | 5 – Andrews | Pauley Pavilion (13,659) Los Angeles, CA |
| February 29, 2024 7:30 p.m., FS1 | | at Washington | L 77–94 | 14–14 (9–8) | 22 – Stefanovic | 11 – Bona | 11 – Andrews | Alaska Airlines Arena (7,893) Seattle, WA |
| March 2, 2024 4:00 p.m., P12N | | at No. 19 Washington State | L 65–77 | 14–15 (9–9) | 21 – Andrews | 8 – Stefanovic | 4 – Mack | Beasley Coliseum (8,096) Pullman, WA |
| March 7, 2024 6:30 p.m., ESPN | | No. 5 Arizona Rivalry | L 65–88 | 14–16 (9–10) | 20 – Stefanovic | 5 – Bona | 3 – Mack | Pauley Pavilion (8,428) Los Angeles, CA |
| March 9, 2024 8:00 p.m., FS1 | | Arizona State Senior Night | W 59–47 | 15–16 (10–10) | 20 – Bona | 12 – Bona | 6 – Tied | Pauley Pavilion (7,424) Los Angeles, CA |
| Pac-12 Tournament |||||||||
| March 13, 2024 2:30 p.m., P12N | (5) | vs. (12) Oregon State First round | W 67–57 | 16–16 | 31 – Andrews | 9 – Stefanovic | 4 – Andrews | T-Mobile Arena (10,050) Paradise, NV |
| March 14, 2024 2:30 p.m., P12N | (5) | vs. (4) Oregon Quarterfinal | L 66–68 | 16–17 | 24 – Andrews | 6 – Stefanovic | 2 – Andrews | T-Mobile Arena (14,076) Paradise, NV |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. 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 |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Final |
| AP | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | | | | | |
| Coaches | 25 | 25т | 24 | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | | | | | |
*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings

## Awards and honors

| Recipient | Award (Pac-12 Conference) | Stats (PPG/RPG/APG) | Week | Date awarded |
| Sebastian Mack | Freshman of the Week | 19.0 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 2.3 APG | 3 | November 27 |
| Sebastian Mack | Freshman of the Week | | 7 | December 26 |
| Dylan Andrews | Player of the Week | Averaged 19.5 points, 5.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals | 13 | February 5, 2024 |
* March 12, 2024 – Adem Bona was named to the All-Pac-12 first team and voted the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year.
* March 12, 2024 – Sebastian Mack was named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team.