Cal (7-13, 1-6 Pac-12) at UCLA (13-7, 4-4 Pac-12)

Thursday, Jan. 23 | 7:30 PM PT | Pauley Pavilion | Los Angeles, Calif.
FS1 | LIVE STATS | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER

California men's basketball starts off its Southern California swing in Westwood, where the Bears meet the Bruins for the second time this month when they face off Thursday at 7:30 p.m. The action airs live from Pauley Pavilion on FS1 and KGO 810 AM.

The Bears and Bruins each enter Thursday's contest on losing skids, as the Bruins have dropped three straight and the Bears have lost six games after opening Pac-12 play with a win at Stanford. Still, the Bears have continued to see dominance from their emerging freshmen, led by Justice Sueing's 18.1 points in league action. Darius McNeill has a team-high 16 three-poiunters in Pac-12 play, including a three in every  conference game. Juhwan Harris-Dyson, who played a limited number of minutes in the non-conference season after suffering an illness, is averaging 7.3 points with five starts and leading the conference's freshmen in steals.

Cal is coming off an 81-73 loss to then-No. 16 Arizona State on Saturday in which the Bears brought the game within four points with seven minutes to go in the second half. Marcus Lee matched his career-high 23 points in the loss, and four other Bears scored in double figures -- McNeill (16 points), Sueing (12), Harris-Dyson (10) and Don Coleman (10).

HOW TO FOLLOW THE ACTION: 
Thursday's came will be carried live on FS1, with Gus Johnson and Bill Raftery providing commentary and play-by-play. Jen Taft will be live with the sideline report. Fans can also follow the action via the Fox Sports app or by streaming on FoxSportsGo.com. The California Golden Bears Sports Network will offer play-by-play and analysis, as well as post-game interviews, from Todd McKim and Jay John live on KGO 810 AM. Live stats, full broadcast details and more can be accessed via the Cal men's basketball schedule page on CalBears.com, and fans can follow the Bears on social media via @CalMBball on Twitter and Instagram, and at Facebook.com/CalMBball.
 

---

SCOUTING THE BRUINS

Last Meeting: The Bears dropped a 107-84 loss to UCLA in Haas Pavilion earlier this month on Jan. 6
• Five Golden Bears scored in double figures, led by Justice Sueing's 22 points.
• Marcus Lee posted a double-double with 19 points and a career-high 15 boards.
• Cal shot 63.3 percent in the second half.
• The Bears outrebounded the Bruins 40-35.
Series Record: UCLA leads the series, 138-103
UCLA's 2017-18 Record: 13-7, 4-4
UCLA's Last Game: Suffered their third-straight loss, 94-91, at Oregon
• Aaron Holiday leads the Bruins in league play with 20.6 points, followed by Kris Wilkes (16.0) and Thomas Welsh (12.5).
• Jaylen Hands in averaging 9.9 ppg, and Prince Ali has 9.3 ppg.
• Wilkes is coming off his fourth 20-point game this season with a 21-point outing in UCLA's loss at Oregon on Saturday.
• Welsh is ninth in the country with 12 double-doubles, and 12th for rebounds (215).
• UCLA leads the league in rebounds with 789, as well as defensive rebounds per game (28.70)

CAL RECORDS AGAINST UCLA
Points: 36, Bob McKeen, Feb. 19, 1955
36, Mark McNamara, Feb. 19, 1982
36, Lamond Murray, Feb. 24, 1994
Rebounds: 21, Darrall Imhoff, Feb. 13, 1960
21, Camden Wall, March 2, 1964
FG: 15, Bob McKeen, Feb. 19, 1955
3P: 6, Ryan Forehan-Kelly, March 7, 2002
FT: 15, Lamond Murray, Feb. 24, 1994

Series Notes
Record at UCLA: 48-72
Last 10 meetings: 4-6
Most points, Cal: 104, 1992-93
Most points, UCLA: 115, 1967-68
Largest margin, Cal: 33, 1922-23
Largest margin, UCLA: 44, 1967-68
Longest Cal win streak: 16, 1929-30 to 1933-34
Longest UCLA win streak: 52, 1960-61 to 1985-86
Current Streak: 2, UCLA 

LAST TIME OUT

Cal's comeback attempt against No. 16 Arizona State fell short, 81-73
• The Bears trailed by as much as 16 in the second half, but pulled the game within four points at 7:28 before the Sun Devils escaped with timely three-point shooting.
• Cal used a new starting lineup with Darius McNeill, Juhwan Harris-Dyson, Justice Sueing, Marcus Lee and Kingsley Okoroh.
• Lee tied his career-high 23-point total, turning in his third 20-point game of the season.
• Sueing reached double figures for the seventh consecutive game with 12 points.
• Harris-Dyson matched a career-high five points.
• Cal tallied seven blocks.
• The Bears committed just nine turnovers, their lowest total through all Pac-12 games.

IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS

As a team, Cal ranks in the nation's top 25 for:
• Blocked Shots per Game -- 25th, 5.3
• Free Throw Attempts -- 12th, 489
• Free Throws Made -- 40th, 334
• Offensive Rebounds per Game --33rd, 12.70
• Total Blocks -- 21st, 106

Individually, Cal student-athletes rank in the Top 50 for:
• Blocked Shots Per Game -- Kingsley Okoroh (40th, 2.15) and Marcus Lee (47th, 2.00)
• Field Goal Percentage -- Marcus Lee (37th, 58.0)
• Free Throw Attempts -- Don Coleman (13th, 152)
• Free Throws Made -- Don Coleman (15th, 116)
• Offensive Rebounds Per Game -- Marcus Lee (30th, 3.20)
• Total Blocks -- Kingsley Okoroh (33rd, 43), Marcus Lee (41st, 40)

MADE OF STEAL

California men's basketball is on pace to finish with its best steals per game mark in more than a decade, with the Bears currently 99th in the country with 7.1 spg. The Bears are also 95th in the country in total steals (141), while Justice Sueing is 95th in spg (1.75) and 80th in total steals (35).

Cal last finished a season averaging 6.0 or more steals per game in 2003-04 (6.2), capping off the year with 173 steals.

ROOKIES IN THE RECORD BOOK

California's rookies are fast approaching some of the program's freshman-record totals. Among them:

THREE-POINT FG MADE
1.     Allen Crabbe (2011)    62
2.     Ryan Drew (1968)    60
3.     Ryan Anderson (2007)    58
4.     Shantay Legans (2000)    47
5.     Charlie Moore (2017)    45
...
    Darius McNeill (2018)    44

THREE-POINT FG PERCENTAGE
1.    Richard Midgley (2003)    .449
2.    Shantay Legans (2000)    .427
    Darius McNeill (2018)    .415
3.    Theo Robertson (2006)    .407
4.    Bryant Walton (1987)    .404
5.    Allen Crabbe (2011)    .400

STEALS
1.     Jason Kidd (1993)    110
2.     Shareef Abdur-Rahim (1996)    52
3.     Shantay Legans (2000)    51
T4.    Butch Hays (1981)    41
    Michael Chavez (1980)    42
..
    Justice Sueing (2018)    35

HARRIS-DYSON HEATING UP

After losing 20 pounds early in the season due to illness, freshman Juhwan Harris-Dyson is returning to full strength and the Bears are seeing the benefits. In league play, Harris-Dyson is averaging 7.3 points with five starts and leads the Bears in steals. His 13 steals through seven games are the most among the conference's freshmen, and the fourth-highest total overall. He tallied a career-best five steals at Washington and has matched his career-high 10 points four times in league action. Harris-Dyson became the first Golden Bear freshman to notch a double-double this season with career-best point (10) and rebound (11) totals against Washington State. He is the only Bear besides Marcus Lee to record a double-double this season.

SUEING HITTING HIS STRIDE IN PAC-12 PLAY

Justice Sueing has hit his stride Pac-12 play as one of the conference's leading producers. Along with leading the Bears in scoring and rebounding, he ranks second among all freshmen and fourth overall for scoring average in conference play, averaging 18.1 points through seven games. Among Pac-12 freshmen, he ranks second in rebounding (7.4 rpg) and steals (1.7 spg).

Sueing has been especially superior down the stretch for Cal. In back-to-back games against Stanford and USC, Sueing tallied a combined 13 points in the final minutes. Against the Trojans, he scored five points in the final minute, plus 13 of 15 in the second half. Previously, he turned in eight points in the final three minutes at Stanford, and 14 of his 18 in the game in the second half. In Cal's outing against UCLA, he scored 15 of 22 in the second half. He added 13 second-half points in his career-high 27-point outing at Washington.

BIG KIDS ON THE BLOCK

California's senior big men are among the country's best players on the block, with Kingsley Okoroh and Marcus Lee combining for 83 blocks so far this season. The Bears rank 21st in the nation in total blocks with 106, and 25th in blocked shots per game with a 5.3 average.

Individually, Okoroh is 33rd in the nation with 43 total blocks, and 40th with 2.15 blocked shots per game. Lee is 41st for his 40 total blocks a,d 47th with 2.00 blocks per game.

The 7-1 Okoroh has tied the Cal single-game record for blocked shots twice this season, recording 7 blocks against UC Riverside and against Portland State. He tied the number set by Michael Stewart (1994-97), which Stewart recorded thrice in his Golden Bear career. Okoroh has 178 career blocks, currently ranked third among Cal's career leaders. Stewart ranks second with 207 blocks, and David Kravish (2012-15) leads with 226 career blocked shots.

The Cal team record for blocked shots in a season is 161 blocks through 33 games in 2013, an average of 4.9 per game. The Bears are currently swatting shots at a pace of 5.3 blocks per game, with 106 total blocks.

NEXT UP

Cal wraps up the weekend at USC, where the Bears take on the Trojans at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Galen Center. Catch the broadcast on Pac-12