# 2021–22 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team

The 2021–22 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team represented the University of California, Los Angeles during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I season. The Bruins were led by third-year head coach Mick Cronin and they played their home games at Pauley Pavilion as members of the Pac-12 Conference. All ten players from the previous year's Final Four team returned. Johnny Juzang earned third-team All-American honors, and he was named first-team all-conference along with Tyger Campbell and Jaime Jaquez Jr. Jaquez, Jaylen Clark and Myles Johnson were also voted to the Pac-12 All-Defensive team. New this season is that the team's footwear, apparel, and equipment are provided by Jordan Brand and Nike.
UCLA was ranked nationally in the top 10 for most of the season. They began the season 5–0 before facing Gonzaga in a rematch of the Final Four from the 2021 NCAA tournament. However, the No. 2 Bruins suffered their first defeat in an 83–63 blowout to the No. 1 Bulldogs. The UCLA team experienced a COVID-19 outbreak starting on December 15, 2021, causing them to cancel three nonconference games and postpone two Pac-12 games. The Bruins resumed play on January 6, 2022, against Long Beach State. At this time, the team began to play behind closed doors due to COVID-19 restrictions on indoor events implemented by the campus. The rematch against the Beach, who UCLA defeated earlier in November, was scheduled after the Bruins' original opponents that week, Arizona State and Stanford, needed to postpone due to coronavirus issues in their programs. It was the first time UCLA faced a nonconference opponent twice in the same regular season since 1982–83, when they faced Notre Dame in a home and away series.
The Bruins lost in overtime to Oregon on January 13, their first defeat since late November. UCLA then won six straight conference games, including their sixth consecutive over rival Arizona, to gain sole possession of first place in the Pac-12. However, the Bruins lost their third game in four contests after falling to their crosstown rivals, USC. It was their fifth straight loss to the Trojans, their longest drought in the series since the 1940s. UCLA ended the regular season winning six of their last seven games. They won their regular-season finale against USC to claim the No. 2 seed in the Pac-12 tournament, breaking their tie with the Trojans for second place in the conference. It was the Bruins' first win in the series since February 2019, and their first under Cronin. UCLA advanced to the Pac-12 Tournament championship game, where they lost to Arizona. It was the Bruins' first appearance in the title game since their win in 2014 over the Wildcats.
Seeded No. 4 in the East Regional of the NCAA tournament, UCLA rallied in the opener for a 57–53 comeback win over 13th-seeded Akron. Campbell scored eight of the Bruins' final 10 points, and he finished with a team-high 16. The Bruins defeated fifth-seeded Saint Mary's 72–56 to advance to the Sweet 16 in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2015. UCLA was eliminated in the semifinals in a 73–66 loss to eighth-seeded North Carolina. The Bruins led by three points with two minutes remaining in a game that featured 14 lead changes and eight ties.
On March 25, assistant coach Michael Lewis was named as head coach of Ball State basketball team.

## Previous season

The Bruins are coming off of a season in which they made an improbable run in the NCAA tournament to the Final Four, where their upset bid against top-ranked Gonzaga in the National Semifinal fell just short in overtime, 93–90. UCLA, which had begun the tournament in the First Four, became just the fifth 11-seed to ever advance to the Final Four. They finished the season with a 22–10 overall record.

## Offseason
### Departures

UCLA Departures :
| Name | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for Departure |
| Jalen Hill | F | 6'10" | 245 | Junior | Corona, CA | Retired |
| Chris Smith | G | 6'9" | 215 | Senior | Chicago, IL | Graduated; Declared for the 2021 NBA draft |

### Incoming transfers

UCLA Incoming Transfers :
| Name | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Myles Johnson | C | 6'10" | 255 | Junior | Long Beach, CA | Transfer from Rutgers. Will have two years of eligibility remaining. |

### 2021 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Peyton Watson SF | Long Beach, CA | Long Beach Poly (CA) | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Jul 27, 2020 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 94 ||||||
| Will McClendon SG | Las Vegas, NV | Bishop Gorman (NV) | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Jan 21, 2020 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 84 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 10 247Sports: 33 ESPN: — ||||||
| 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 2021 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 30, 2021. "2021 UCLA Bruins Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 30, 2021. "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 30, 2021. ||||||

## Preseason

* September 14, 2021 – Nan Wooden, daughter of former UCLA men's basketball Coach John Wooden and long time supporter of the basketball team, died.

### Preseason rankings

* October 13, 2021 – The Bruins are picked as the No. 1 team in the Pac-12 media poll.

### Preseason All-Americans

* Johnny Juzang and Jaime Jaquez Jr. are named to the Athlon Sports' pre-season All-America list, first and third team respectively.

### Preseason award watchlists

* Tyger Campbell named to the Bob Cousy Award's watch list (Top point guard)
* Johnny Juzang named to the Jerry West Award's watch list (Top shooting guard)
* Jaime Jaquez Jr. named to the Julius Erving Award's watch list (Top small forward)
* Myles Johnson named to the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award's watch list (Top center)
* Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Johnny Juzang are named to the NABC Player of the Year watch list
* Tyger Campbell, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Johnny Juzang: John R. Wooden Award watch list

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| November 4, 2021* 7:00 pm, P12N | No. 2 | Chico State | W 100–61 | – | 23 – Jaquez | 9 – Johnson | 5 – Jaquez | Pauley Pavilion (5,871) Los Angeles, CA |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 9, 2021* 8:00 pm, P12N | No. 2 | Cal State Bakersfield | W 95–58 | 1–0 | 19 – Tied | 7 – Clark | 4 – Campbell | Pauley Pavilion (5,618) Los Angeles, CA |
| November 12, 2021* 8:30 pm, ESPN2 | No. 2 | No. 4 Villanova | W 86–77 $^{OT}$ | 2–0 | 25 – Juzang | 13 – Jaquez | 4 – Campbell | Pauley Pavilion (13,659) Los Angeles, CA |
| November 15, 2021* 8:00 pm, P12N | No. 2 | Long Beach State | W 100–79 | 3–0 | 25 – Juzang | 6 – Clark | 7 – Bernard | Pauley Pavilion (7,129) Los Angeles, CA |
| November 17, 2021* 7:30 pm, P12N | No. 2 | North Florida | W 98–63 | 4–0 | 20 – Jaquez | 13 – Johnson | 5 – Campbell | Pauley Pavilion (7,103) Los Angeles, CA |
| November 22, 2021* 5:00 pm, ESPN+ | No. 2 | vs. Bellarmine Empire Classic | W 75–62 | 5–0 | 19 – Watson | 11 – Johnson | 5 – Tied | T-Mobile Arena (7,001) Paradise, NV |
| November 23, 2021* 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 2 | vs. No. 1 Gonzaga Empire Classic | L 63–83 | 5–1 | 19 – Jaquez | 6 – Jaquez | 2 – Tied | T-Mobile Arena (12,795) Paradise, NV |
| November 27, 2021* 2:00 pm, Stadium | No. 2 | at UNLV | W 73–51 | 6–1 | 18 – Bernard | 9 – Tied | 5 – Jaquez | Thomas & Mack Center (6,392) Las Vegas, NV |
| December 1, 2021 6:30 pm, P12N | No. 5 | Colorado | W 73–61 | 7–1 (1–0) | 21 – Campbell | 10 – Johnson | 6 – Juzang | Pauley Pavilion (7,941) Los Angeles, CA |
| December 11, 2021* 6:30 pm, FS2/FS1 | No. 4 | at Marquette | W 67–56 | 8–1 | 24 – Jaquez | 11 – Jaquez | 8 – Campbell | Fiserv Forum (15,028) Milwaukee, WI |
| December 15, 2021* 8:00 pm, P12N | No. 4 | Alabama State | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the UCLA program. | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the UCLA program. | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the UCLA program. | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the UCLA program. | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the UCLA program. | Pauley Pavilion Los Angeles, CA |
| December 18, 2021* 12:00 pm, CBS | No. 4 | vs. North Carolina CBS Sports Classic | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the UCLA program. | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the UCLA program. | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the UCLA program. | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the UCLA program. | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the UCLA program. | T-Mobile Arena Paradise, NV |
| December 22, 2021* 7:00 pm, P12N | No. 5 | Cal Poly | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the UCLA program. | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the UCLA program. | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the UCLA program. | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the UCLA program. | Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within the UCLA program. | Pauley Pavilion Los Angeles, CA |
| January 6, 2022* 4:30 pm, P12N | No. 5 | Long Beach State | W 96–78 | 9–1 | 22 – Bernard | 9 – Johnson | 10 – Campbell | Pauley Pavilion (236) Los Angeles, CA |
| January 8, 2022 5:00 pm, P12N | No. 5 | at California | W 60–52 | 10–1 (2–0) | 17 – Campbell | 7 – Bernard | 4 – Campbell | Haas Pavilion (8,325) Berkeley, CA |
| January 13, 2022 6:30 pm, ESPN | No. 3 | Oregon | L 81–84 $^{OT}$ | 10–2 (2–1) | 23 – Juzang | 9 – Juzang | 4 – Campbell | Pauley Pavilion (119) Los Angeles, CA |
| January 15, 2022 7:30 pm, P12N | No. 3 | Oregon State | W 81–65 | 11–2 (3–1) | 24 – Juzang | 6 – Juzang | 3 – Tied | Pauley Pavilion (141) Los Angeles, CA |
| January 20, 2022 8:00 pm, FS1 | No. 9 | at Utah | W 63–58 | 12–2 (4–1) | 28 – Juzang | 7 – Bernard | 3 – Jaquez | Jon M. Huntsman Center (7,785) Salt Lake City, UT |
| January 22, 2022 6:00 pm, P12N | No. 9 | at Colorado | W 71–65 | 13–2 (5–1) | 23 – Juzang | 6 – Juzang | 4 – Jaquez | CU Events Center (8,774) Boulder, CO |
| January 25, 2022 8:00 pm, ESPN | No. 7 | No. 3 Arizona Rivalry | W 75–59 | 14–2 (6–1) | 15 – Tied | 7 – Bernard | 3 – Tied | Pauley Pavilion (11,268) Los Angeles, CA |
| January 27, 2022 6:00 pm, P12N | No. 7 | California | W 81–57 | 15–2 (7–1) | 15 – Jaquez | 6 – Watson | 5 – Campbell | Pauley Pavilion (7,457) Los Angeles, CA |
| January 29, 2022 6:30 pm, P12N | No. 7 | Stanford | W 66–43 | 16–2 (8–1) | 16 – Bernard | 9 – Bernard | 9 – Campbell | Pauley Pavilion (10,283) Los Angeles, CA |
| February 3, 2022 5:00 pm, ESPN | No. 3 | at No. 7 Arizona Rivalry | L 66–76 | 16–3 (8–2) | 15 – Bernard | 8 – Riley | 5 – Tied | McKale Center (14,644) Tucson, AZ |
| February 5, 2022 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 3 | at Arizona State | L 84–87 $^{3OT}$ | 16–4 (8–3) | 27 – Jaquez | 11 – Jaquez | 5 – Campbell | Desert Financial Arena (9,135) Tempe, AZ |
| February 8, 2022 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 12 | at Stanford | W 79–70 | 17–4 (9–3) | 23 – Juzang | 8 – Johnson | 7 – Campbell | Maples Pavilion (4,288) Stanford, CA |
| February 12, 2022 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 12 | at No. 21 USC Rivalry | L 64–67 | 17–5 (9–4) | 27 – Campbell | 11 – Johnson | 3 – Campbell | Galen Center (10,258) Los Angeles, CA |
| February 17, 2022 8:00 pm, FS1 | No. 13 | Washington State | W 76–56 | 18–5 (10–4) | 19 – Juzang | 11 – Clark | 5 – Clark | Pauley Pavilion (7,916) Los Angeles, CA |
| February 19, 2022 7:00 pm, FS1 | No. 13 | Washington | W 76–50 | 19–5 (11–4) | 25 – Clark | 13 – Johnson | 5 – Watson | Pauley Pavilion (10,586) Los Angeles, CA |
| February 21, 2022 6:00 pm, FS1 | No. 12 | Arizona State | W 66–52 | 20–5 (12–4) | 16 – Tied | 10 – Jaquez | 3 – Tied | Pauley Pavilion (8,037) Los Angeles, CA |
| February 24, 2022 6:30 pm, ESPN | No. 12 | at Oregon | L 63–68 | 20–6 (12–5) | 12 – Tied | 5 – Tied | 2 – Tied | Matthew Knight Arena (8,950) Eugene, OR |
| February 26, 2022 1:00 pm, CBS | No. 12 | at Oregon State | W 94–55 | 21–6 (13–5) | 20 – Campbell | 6 – Singleton | 5 – Campbell | Gill Coliseum (4,584) Corvallis, OR |
| February 28, 2022 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 17 | at Washington | W 77–66 | 22–6 (14–5) | 30 – Jaquez | 11 – Riley | 4 – Campbell | Alaska Airlines Arena (6,248) Seattle, WA |
| March 5, 2022 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 17 | No. 16 USC Rivalry | W 75–68 | 23–6 (15–5) | 27 – Jaquez | 6 – Tied | 4 – Tied | Pauley Pavilion (13,659) Los Angeles, CA |
| Pac-12 Tournament |||||||||
| March 10, 2022 6:00 pm, P12N | (2) No. 13 | vs. (7) Washington State Quarterfinals | W 75–65 | 24–6 | 23 – Jaquez | 11 – Jaquez | 4 – Tied | T-Mobile Arena (10,417) Paradise, NV |
| March 11, 2022 8:30 pm, FS1 | (2) No. 13 | vs. (3) No. 21 USC Semifinals/Rivalry | W 69–59 | 25–6 | 19 – Jaquez | 8 – Bernard | 2 – Tied | T-Mobile Arena (14,158) Paradise, NV |
| March 12, 2022 6:00 pm, FOX | (2) No. 13 | vs. (1) No. 2 Arizona Championship/Rivalry | L 76–84 | 25–7 | 19 – Bernard | 10 – Jaquez | 4 – Campbell | T-Mobile Arena (14,401) Paradise, NV |
| NCAA Tournament |||||||||
| March 17, 2022* 6:50 pm, TBS | (4 E) No. 11 | vs. (13 E) Akron First Round | W 57–53 | 26–7 | 16 – Campbell | 9 – Jaquez | 6 – Jaquez | Moda Center (14,217) Portland, OR |
| March 19, 2022* 4:10 pm, TBS | (4 E) No. 11 | vs. (5 E) No. 18 Saint Mary's Second Round | W 72–56 | 27–7 | 16 – Campbell | 8 – Juzang | 4 – Tied | Moda Center (17,907) Portland, OR |
| March 25, 2022* 6:40 pm, CBS | (4 E) No. 11 | vs. (8 E) North Carolina Sweet Sixteen | L 66–73 | 27–8 | 16 – Bernard | 5 – Tied | 6 – Campbell | Wells Fargo Center (20,136) Philadelphia, PA |
| *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 т = Tied with team above or below ( ) = First-place votes :
| | 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 | 2 (8) | 2 (8)* | 2 (6) | 2 (5) | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 7т | 3 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 17 | 13 | 11 | Not released |
| Coaches | 2 (2) | 2 (2)* | 2 (2)^ | 2 (2) | 5 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 18 | 13 | 12 | 11 |
*The preseason and week 1 polls were the same. ^Coaches poll was not released for Week 2.

## Statistics

| Record | UCLA | OPP |
| Scoring | 2639 | 2256 |
| Scoring Average | 75.4 | 64.5 |
| Field Goals - Att | 967–2148 | 809–1948 |
| 3-pt. Field Goals - Att | 237–671 | 238–742 |
| Free Throws - Att | 468–632 | 400–551 |
| Rebounds | 1281 | 1161 |
| Assists | 486 | 406 |
| Turnovers | 313 | 460 |
| Steals | 244 | 156 |
| Blocked Shots | 116 | 111 |

## Awards and honors

| Recipient | Award (Pac-12 Conference) | Stats (PPG/RPG/APG) | Week | Date awarded |
| Johnny Juzang | Player of the Week | 22.0/6.0/0.5 | November 9–14 | November 15, 2021 |
| Tyger Campbell | Player of the Week | 14.0/2.0/7.0 | January 4–9 | January 10, 2022 |
| Johnny Juzang | Player of the Week | | January 17–23 | January 24, 2022 |
| Jaime Jaquez Jr. | Player of the Week | 28.5/7.5/2.5 | February 28–March 6 | March 7, 2022 |
| Tyger Campbell | All-Pac-12 first-team | | – | March 8, 2022 |
| Jaime Jaquez Jr. | All-Pac-12 first-team | | – | March 8, 2022 |
| Johnny Juzang | All-Pac-12 first-team | | – | March 8, 2022 |
| Jaylen Clark | Pac-12 All-defensive team | | – | March 8, 2022 |
| Jaime Jaquez Jr. | Pac-12 All-defensive team | | – | March 8, 2022 |
| Myles Johnson | Pac-12 All-defensive team | | – | March 8, 2022 |
| Peyton Watson | Pac-12 All-freshman team (Honorable mention) | | – | March 8, 2022 |
* December 7, 2021 – Jules Bernard and Myles Johnson were named as candidates for the men's basketball Senior CLASS Award
* January 5, 2022 – Jaime Jaquez and Johnny Juzang were named to the Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 watchlist.
* January 31, 2022 – Tyger Campbell selected to the Bob Cousy Award 10-person watch list
* January 31, 2022 – Johnny Juzang named to the John R. Wooden Award 20-person late season watch list
* February 1, 2022 – Johnny Juzang is named to the Jerry West Award 10-person watch list, honoring the nation's top shooting guard
* February 2, 2022 – Jaime Jaquez Jr. is listed on the Julius Erving Award 10-person watch list, presented to the nation's top small forward.
* March 15, 2022 – Johnny Juzang, Tyger Campbell, and Jaime Jaquez Jr. are named to the NABC All-District 19 teams
* Juzang was named a third-team All-American by the National Association of Basketball Coaches.