2023–24 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team explained

Year:2023-24
Team:UCLA Bruins
Sport:basketball
Conference:Pac-12 Conference
Short Conf:Pac-12
Record:16–17
Conf Record:10–10
Head Coach:Mick Cronin
Hc Year:5th
Assoc Coach:Darren Savino
Ahc Year:5th
Asst Coach1:Rod Palmer
Ac1 Year:5th
Asst Coach2:Nate Georgeton
Ac2 Year:1st
Asst Coach3:Nemanja Jovanovic
Ac3 Year:1st
Asst Coach4:Brendyn Taylor
Ac4 Year:1st
Arena:Pauley Pavilion
(Capacity: 13,819)

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,[1] along with three sophomores.[2] The Bruins won their first three games and started the season 5–2.[3] [4] The team was limited offensively.[5] 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.[6] 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.[7] UCLA beat Oregon 71–63, dropping the Ducks to second place, for their third straight win and fifth in their last six games.[2] 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.[8] 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.[9] 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.[10] 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.[11]

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.[12] 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.[13] [14] He ended the game with 24 points,[13] and averaged 21.2 points over the final six games.[15] Cronin's personal streak of 12 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances ended.[15]

Offseason

UCLA Departures
NamePos.HeightWeightYearHometownReason for Departure
G 5'11" 180 RS Senior Graduated; Declared for the 2023 NBA Draft
G/F 6'7" 225 Senior Graduated; Declared for the 2023 NBA Draft
David Singleton G 6'4" 205 Senior Graduated
Russell Stong G 6'3" 190 Senior Walk-on; Graduated
G 6'5" 210 Junior Declared for the 2023 NBA Draft
Mac Etienne F 6'10" 230 RS Freshman Transferred to DePaul
G/F 6'6" 200 Freshman Transferred to Wake Forest
G 6'5" 185 Freshman Declared for the 2023 NBA Draft

2023 recruiting class

Schedule and results

|-!colspan=12 style=| Exhibition|-!colspan=12 style=| Non-conference regular season|-!colspan=12 style=| Pac-12 regular season|-!colspan=12 style=|

Rankings

See also: 2023-24 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings. *AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings

Awards and honors

RecipientAward (Pac-12 Conference)Stats (PPG/RPG/APG)WeekDate awardedRef.
Freshman of the Week19.0 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 2.3 APG3November 27[16]
Sebastian MackFreshman of the Week7December 26
Dylan AndrewsPlayer of the WeekAveraged 19.5 points, 5.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals13February 5, 2024[17]

Notes and References

  1. News: John. Davis. UCLA men’s basketball vs. Lafayette: What you need to know. November 9, 2023. Los Angeles Daily News. November 11, 2023.
  2. News: Ben. Bolch. Young players fueling UCLA’s resurgence as Bruins beat Oregon in a wild one. February 3, 2024. Los Angeles Times. February 5, 2024.
  3. News: John W.. Davis. Berke Buyuktuncel cleared ahead of UCLA men’s basketball vs. No. 4 Marquette: What you need to know. November 19, 2023. The Orange County Register. January 4, 2023.
  4. News: John. Davis. UCLA men’s basketball at Villanova: What you need to know. December 8, 2023. Los Angeles Daily News. January 4, 2024.
  5. News: Ben. Bolch. Mick Cronin questions players’ aptitude after UCLA struggles during loss to Stanford. January 3, 2024. Los Angeles Times. January 4, 2024.
  6. News: Ben. Bolch. UCLA’s dismal season hits a new low in a 46-point loss to Utah. January 11, 2024. Los Angeles Times. January 12, 2024.
  7. News: Ben. Bolch. Dylan Andrews and Adem Bona deliver UCLA to victory over rival USC. January 27, 2024. Los Angeles Times. January 28, 2024.
  8. News: Ben. Bolch. Utah shocks UCLA on last-second basket, ending Bruins’ six-game winning streak. February 18, 2024. Los Angeles Times. February 25, 2024.
  9. News: Ben. Bolch. Sloppy defense and poor shooting plague UCLA’s starting guards in loss to rival USC. February 24, 2024. Los Angeles Times. February 25, 2024.
  10. News: Ben. Bolch. Fed up after another UCLA loss, Mick Cronin delivers stern warning to his players. February 29, 2024. Los Angeles Times. March 1, 2024.
  11. News: Ben. Bolch. UCLA overcomes sluggish start with a huge scoring run in win over Arizona State. March 9, 2024. Los Angeles Times. March 10, 2024.
  12. News: Ben. Bolch. Dylan Andrews’ hot shooting lifts UCLA to a Pac-12 tournament win over Oregon State. March 13, 2024. Los Angeles Times. March 14, 2024.
  13. News: Luca. Evans. UCLA comes up short versus Oregon in Pac-12 Tournament. March 16, 2024. Los Angeles Daily News. March 16, 2024.
  14. News: Ben. Bolch. Dylan Andrews and UCLA can’t conjure any last-second magic in season-ending loss. March 14, 2024. Los Angeles Times. March 16, 2024.
  15. News: Ben. Bolch. 'Everybody’s a free agent': UCLA is headed for what might be its wildest offseason. March 15, 2024. Los Angeles Times. March 16, 2024.
  16. Web site: Pac-12 Men's Basketball Performance Awards, presented by Nextiva - November 27, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231129114835/https://pac-12.com/article/2023/11/27/pac-12-mens-basketball-performance-awards-presented-nextiva-november-27-2023. dead. November 29, 2023.
  17. Web site: Pac-12 Men's Basketball Performance Awards, presented by Nextiva - February 5, 2024 .