# 2016–17 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team

The 2016–17 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team represented the University of California, Los Angeles during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bruins were led by fourth-year head coach Steve Alford and played their home games at Pauley Pavilion as members in the Pac-12 Conference. They rode their offense to a 28–3 regular season record, averaging 91 points per game with a 53 percent field goal percentage. The talented squad featured five future players in the National Basketball Association (NBA), including three eventual first-round draft picks.
UCLA entered the season ranked No. 16 in the preseason. After starting 13–0, the first time they were undefeated in non-conference play since they won a national championship in 1994–95, they moved up to No. 2 in the country. However, the Bruins suffered their first defeat in an 89–87 loss to No. 21 Oregon in the conference opener. UCLA won their next six games before losing at home to No. 14 Arizona for their first loss of the season at Pauley Pavilion. The Wildcats exposed the Bruins weaknesses on defense, which had to that point been obscured by their potent offense. They suffered their second consecutive defeat after falling to USC, who won for the fourth straight time in their crosstown rivalry. They won their last nine games of the regular season to tie the school record for most regular season wins.
The Bruins struggled uncharacteristically with their offense during the Pac-12 tournament. They beat USC 76–74 while shooting just 41.2 percent before shooting a season-low 40.7 percent in an 86–75 loss to Arizona in the semifinals. UCLA entered the NCAA tournament as a third seed in the South region. They advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the third time in four years, where they lost 86–75 to Kentucky.

## Previous season

The Bruins finished the season 15–17 overall; and 6–12 in the conference. During the season, the Bruins were invited and participated in the Maui Invitational in Maui, Hawaii. UCLA defeated Cal Poly and UNLV but lost against Kansas and Wake Forest to earn 4th place. UCLA also lost to North Carolina in the CBS Sports Classic in Brooklyn, New York. In the postseason, the Bruins lost to USC in the first round of the 2016 Pac-12 Conference men's basketball tournament in Paradise, Nevada.

## Off-season
### Departures

| Name | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Tony Parker | F/C | 6'9" | 260 | Senior | Atlanta, GA | Graduated |
| Noah Allen | G/F | 6'7" | 215 | Junior | Pacific Grove, CA | Graduated; Transferred to Hawaii. |
| Jonah Bolden | G/F | 6'10" | 220 | Sophomore | Sydney, AU | Elected to play professionally in Serbia. |

### 2016 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Lonzo Ball PG | Chino Hills, CA | Chino Hills High School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Jan 8, 2014 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 96 ||||||
| Ike Anigbogu C | Corona, CA | Centennial High School | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | Apr 30, 2015 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 84 ||||||
| T. J. Leaf PF | El Cajon, CA | Foothills Christian High School | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Nov 12, 2015 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 94 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 11 Rivals: 5 ESPN: 5 ||||||
| 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: "2016 UCLA Basketball Commitment List". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 8, 2015. "2016 UCLA Player Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 8, 2015. "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 8, 2015. ||||||

## Roster

* Guard Prince Ali out since July with a torn meniscus. In early January, Ali decided to redshirt for the 2016–17 season.
* Forward Alex Olesinski out since early November with left foot injury. In early January, Olesinski decided to redshirt for the 2016–17 season.
* Oct 25, 2016 – Forward/Center Ike Anigbogu out 4–6 weeks with torn meniscus in right knee. Made return at Nov. 25 game against Nebraska.

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Australia Tour |||||||||
| Aug. 23, 2016* 2:30 a.m. | | Sydney | W 123–76 | | 21 – Leaf | 10 – Holiday | 9 – Tied | Brydens Stadium Sydney, NSW |
| Aug. 27, 2016* 2:00 a.m. | | Melbourne United | L 84–89 | | 18 – Tied | 13 – Ball | 5 – Hamilton | State Basketball Centre Melbourne, VIC |
| Aug. 29, 2016* 2:00 a.m. | | Brisbane Bullets | W 94–91 | | 17 – Holiday | 11 – Welsh | 7 – Ball | Logan Metro Indoor Sports Centre Brisbane, QLD |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| Nov. 1, 2016* 7:30 p.m., P12N | No. 16 | Master's | W 100–58 | – | 22 – Alford | 12 – Leaf | 6 – Ball | Pauley Pavilion (5,339) Los Angeles, CA |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| Nov. 11, 2016* 6:00 p.m., P12N | No. 16 | Pacific | W 119–80 | 1–0 | 30 – Alford | 15 – Leaf | 11 – Ball | Pauley Pavilion (8,743) Los Angeles, CA |
| Nov. 13, 2016* 6:00 p.m., P12N | No. 16 | Cal State Northridge | W 102–87 | 2–0 | 22 – Hamilton | 13 – Welsh | 6 – Ball | Pauley Pavilion (7,149) Los Angeles, CA |
| Nov. 17, 2016* 8:00 p.m., P12N | No. 16 | San Diego | W 88–68 | 3–0 | 26 – Leaf | 11 – Welsh | 8 – Ball | Pauley Pavilion (6,893) Los Angeles, CA |
| Nov. 20, 2016* 7:00 p.m., P12N | No. 16 | Long Beach State | W 114–77 | 4–0 | 21 – Leaf | 10 – Leaf | 11 – Ball | Pauley Pavilion (8,294) Los Angeles, CA |
| Nov. 24, 2016* 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 14 | vs. Portland Wooden Legacy quarterfinal | W 99–77 | 5–0 | 18 – Ball | 10 – Welsh | 11 – Ball | Titan Gym (3,816) Fullerton, CA |
| Nov. 25, 2016* 9:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 14 | vs. Nebraska Wooden Legacy semifinal | W 82–71 | 6–0 | 18 – Alford | 11 – Welsh | 6 – Ball | Titan Gym (5,153) Fullerton, CA |
| Nov. 27, 2016* 5:30 p.m., ESPN | No. 14 | vs. Texas A&M Wooden Legacy championship | W 74–67 | 7–0 | 17 – Hamilton | 9 – Leaf | 10 – Ball | Honda Center (4,221) Anaheim, CA |
| Nov. 30, 2016* 8:00 p.m., P12N | No. 11 | UC Riverside | W 97–57 | 8–0 | 27 – Hamilton | 12 – Welsh | 13 – Ball | Pauley Pavilion (6,328) Los Angeles, CA |
| Dec. 3, 2016* 10:30 a.m., CBS | No. 11 | at No. 1 Kentucky | W 97–92 | 9–0 | 19 – Hamilton | 13 – Leaf | 7 – Ball | Rupp Arena (23,976) Lexington, KY |
| Dec. 10, 2016* 5:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 2 | Michigan | W 102–84 | 10–0 | 21 – Leaf | 8 – Leaf | 7 – Hamilton | Pauley Pavilion (13,571) Los Angeles, CA |
| Dec. 14, 2016* 7:30 p.m., P12N | No. 2 | UC Santa Barbara | W 102–62 | 11–0 | 25 – Leaf | 10 – Tied | 9 – Leaf | Pauley Pavilion (7,484) Los Angeles, CA |
| Dec. 17, 2016* 12:00 p.m., CBS | No. 2 | vs. Ohio State CBS Sports Classic | W 86–73 | 12–0 | 20 – Tied | 9 – Ball | 9 – Ball | T-Mobile Arena (19,298) Paradise, NV |
| Dec. 21, 2016* 8:00 p.m., P12N | No. 2 | Western Michigan | W 82–68 | 13–0 | 22 – Alford | 8 – Tied | 7 – Holiday | Pauley Pavilion (10,695) Los Angeles, CA |
| Pac-12 regular season |||||||||
| Dec. 28, 2016 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 2 | at No. 21 Oregon | L 87–89 | 13–1 (0–1) | 20 – Tied | 10 – Welsh | 7 – Holiday | Matthew Knight Arena (12,364) Eugene, OR |
| Dec. 30, 2016 8:00 p.m., P12N | No. 2 | at Oregon State | W 76–63 | 14–1 (1–1) | 23 – Ball | 10 – Leaf | 7 – Ball | Gill Coliseum (5,596) Corvallis, OR |
| Jan. 5, 2017 6:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 4 | California | W 81–71 | 15–1 (2–1) | 24 – Alford | 11 – Leaf | 7 – Ball | Pauley Pavilion (13,659) Los Angeles, CA |
| Jan. 8, 2017 5:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 4 | Stanford | W 89–75 | 16–1 (3–1) | 21 – Ball | 10 – Leaf | 8 – Ball | Pauley Pavilion (13,659) Los Angeles, CA |
| Jan. 12, 2017 8:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 4 | at Colorado | W 104–89 | 17–1 (4–1) | 37 – Alford | 6 – Welsh | 8 – Ball | Coors Events Center (8,755) Boulder, CO |
| Jan. 14, 2017 3:00 p.m., P12N | No. 4 | at Utah | W 83–82 | 18–1 (5–1) | 17 – Ball | 10 – Leaf | 8 – Ball | Jon M. Huntsman Center (15,027) Salt Lake City, UT |
| Jan. 19, 2017 8:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 3 | Arizona State | W 102–80 | 19–1 (6–1) | 33 – Hamilton | 9 – Tied | 12 – Ball | Pauley Pavilion (12,689) Los Angeles, CA |
| Jan. 21, 2017 1:00 p.m., CBS | No. 3 | No. 14 Arizona Rivalry | L 85–96 | 19–2 (6–2) | 24 – Ball | 9 – Welsh | 8 – Ball | Pauley Pavilion (13,659) Los Angeles, CA |
| Jan. 25, 2017 8:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 8 | at USC Rivalry | L 76–84 | 19–3 (6–3) | 20 – Hamilton | 10 – Ball | 4 – Tied | Galen Center (10,258) Los Angeles, CA |
| Feb. 1, 2017 6:00 p.m., P12N | No. 11 | at Washington State | W 95–79 | 20–3 (7–3) | 32 – Leaf | 14 – Leaf | 7 – Ball | Beasley Coliseum (4,109) Pullman, WA |
| Feb. 4, 2017 7:30 p.m., P12N | No. 11 | at Washington | W 107–66 | 21–3 (8–3) | 22 – Ball | 10 – Leaf | 5 – Tied | Alaska Airlines Arena (10,000) Seattle, WA |
| Feb. 9, 2017 7:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 10 | No. 5 Oregon Dick Enberg Day | W 82–79 | 22–3 (9–3) | 15 – Tied | 11 – Ball | 4 – Alford | Pauley Pavilion (13,659) Los Angeles, CA |
| Feb. 12, 2017 2:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 10 | Oregon State | W 78–60 | 23–3 (10–3) | 22 – Ball | 9 – Tied | 9 – Ball | Pauley Pavilion (12,649) Los Angeles, CA |
| Feb. 18, 2017 7:00 p.m., P12N | No. 6 | USC Rivalry | W 102–70 | 24–3 (11–3) | 26 – Alford | 16 – Welsh | 8 – Ball | Pauley Pavilion (13,659) Los Angeles, CA |
| Feb. 23, 2017 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 5 | at Arizona State | W 87–75 | 25–3 (12–3) | 25 – Leaf | 11 – Tied | 6 – Tied | Wells Fargo Arena (10,176) Tempe, AZ |
| Feb. 25, 2017 5:15 p.m., ESPN | No. 5 | at No. 4 Arizona Rivalry/ESPN College GameDay | W 77–72 | 26–3 (13–3) | 15 – Alford | 8 – Welsh | 8 – Ball | McKale Center (14,644) Tucson, AZ |
| Mar. 1, 2017 8:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 3 | Washington | W 98–66 | 27–3 (14–3) | 29 – Alford | 7 – Tied | 8 – Ball | Pauley Pavilion (13,659) Los Angeles, CA |
| Mar. 4, 2017 7:15 p.m., ESPN | No. 3 | Washington State | W 77–68 | 28–3 (15–3) | 16 – Holiday | 11 – Welsh | 14 – Ball | Pauley Pavilion (13,659) Los Angeles, CA |
| Pac-12 Tournament |||||||||
| Mar. 9, 2017 8:30 p.m., ESPN | (3) No. 3 | vs. (6) USC Quarterfinals | W 76–74 | 29–3 | 22 – Hamilton | 11 – Welsh | 7 – Ball | T-Mobile Arena (18,153) Paradise, NV |
| Mar. 10, 2017 8:30 p.m., ESPN | (3) No. 3 | vs. (2) No. 7 Arizona Semifinals | L 75–86 | 29–4 | 20 – Hamilton | 8 – Tied | 6 – Ball | T-Mobile Arena (19,224) Paradise, NV |
| NCAA Tournament |||||||||
| Mar. 17, 2017* 6:57 pm, truTV | (3 S) No. 8 | vs. (14 S) Kent State First Round | W 97–80 | 30–4 | 23 – Leaf | 8 – Welsh | 11 – Holiday | Golden 1 Center (16,514) Sacramento, CA |
| Mar. 19, 2017* 6:40 pm, TBS | (3 S) No. 8 | vs. (6 S) No. 18 Cincinnati Second Round | W 79–67 | 31–4 | 18 – Ball | 7 – Tied | 9 – Ball | Golden 1 Center (16,774) Sacramento, CA |
| Mar. 24, 2017* 6:40 pm, CBS | (3 S) No. 8 | vs. (2 S) No. 5 Kentucky Sweet Sixteen | L 75–86 | 31–5 | 17 – Leaf | 7 – Leaf | 8 – Ball | FedExForum (17,532) Memphis, TN |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. S=South Region. All times are in Pacific Time. |||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking ( ) = First-place votes :
| | 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 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 11 | 2 (2) | 2 (3) | 2 (3) | 2 (3) | 4 | 4 (1) | 3 (3) | 8 | 11 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 3 (3) | 3 (3) | 8 | Not released |
| Coaches | 20 | 16 | 13 | 9 | 2 (1) | 2 (2) | 2 (2) | 2 (2) | 5 | 4 | 3 (2) | 7 | 8 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 2 (3) | 3 (2) | 6 | 9 |
*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings

## Player statistics

| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FGM-FGA | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| Bryce Alford | 36 | 36 | 33.0 | 173–387 | 116–270 | 96–117 | 2.5 | 2.6 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 15.5 |
| Prince Ali | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Ike Anigbogu | 29 | 0 | 13.0 | 57–101 | 0–0 | 23–43 | 4.0 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 1.2 | 4.7 |
| Lonzo Ball | 36 | 36 | 35.1 | 189–343 | 80–194 | 66–98 | 6.0 | 7.6 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 14.6 |
| György Golomán | 35 | 5 | 11.5 | 54–93 | 1–10 | 21–33 | 2.4 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 3.7 |
| Isaac Hamilton | 36 | 36 | 30.0 | 193–426 | 74–202 | 47–57 | 3.6 | 2.8 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 14.1 |
| Aaron Holiday | 36 | 0 | 26.4 | 150–309 | 53–129 | 88–111 | 2.9 | 4.4 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 12.3 |
| T. J. Leaf | 35 | 35 | 29.9 | 235–381 | 27–58 | 72–106 | 8.2 | 2.4 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 16.3 |
| Ikenna Okwarabizie | 12 | 0 | 2.6 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 2–6 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
| Alex Olesinski | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Jerrold Smith | 13 | 0 | 1.9 | 3–11 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
| Thomas Welsh | 32 | 32 | 25.1 | 151–258 | 1–1 | 42–47 | 8.7 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 1.3 | 10.8 |
| Alec Wulff | 13 | 0 | 1.8 | 2–6 | 2–6 | 0–0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
| Isaac Wulff | 5 | 0 | 2.0 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 |