The 2021–22 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team represented the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I season. The

Bruins Bruin, (from Dutch for "brown"), is an English folk term for brown bear. Bruin, Bruins or BRUIN may also refer to: Places * Lake Bruin, ox-bow lake of the Mississippi River located in northeastern Louisiana ** Lake Bruin State Park * Bruin, K ...

were led by third-year head coach Mick Cronin and they played their home games at

Pauley Pavilion Edwin W. Pauley Pavilion, commonly known as Pauley Pavilion, is an indoor arena located in the Westwood Village district of Los Angeles, California, on the campus of UCLA. It is home to the UCLA Bruins men's and women's basketball teams. Th ...

as members of the

Pac-12 Conference The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the Western United States. It participates at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I level for all sports, and its Co ...

. All ten players from the previous year's

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team returned. Johnny Juzang earned third-team

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

honors, and he was named first-team all-conference along with

Tyger Campbell Tyger Campbell (born January 9, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for SC Rasta Vechta, Rasta Vechta of the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL). He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins men's basketball, UCLA Bruins of the Pac-12 ...

and Jaime Jaquez Jr. Jaquez,

Jaylen Clark Jaylen Bryce Clark (born October 13, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins of the Pac-12 Conference, earn ...

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 Nike often refers to: * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine giv ...

. 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 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

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 California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), also known in athletics as Long Beach State University (LBSU), is a public teaching-focused institution in Long Beach, California, United States. The 322-acre campus is the second largest in the ...

. At this time, the team began to play

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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 Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is one of the largest ...

and

Stanford Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth governor of and th ...

, 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 Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

on January 13, their first defeat since late November. UCLA then won six straight conference games, including their sixth consecutive over

rival A rivalry is the state of two people or Social group, groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each ...

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

, 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 USC may refer to: Education United States * Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, Santurce, Puerto Rico * University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina ** University of South Carolina System, a state university system of South Carolina * ...

. 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 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

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 Akron () is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the fifth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 190,469 at the 2020 census. The Akron metropolitan area, covering Summit and Portage counties, had ...

. 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 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

. UCLA was eliminated in the semifinals in a 73–66 loss to eighth-seeded

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

. 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 Michael Monroe Lewis (born October 15, 1960) Gale Biography In Context. is an American author and financial journalist. He has also been a contributing editor to '' Vanity Fair'' since 2009, writing mostly on business, finance, and economics. ...

was named as head coach of

Ball State Ball State University (Ball State or BSU) is a public university, public research university in Muncie, Indiana, United States. The university has three off-campus centers in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Indiana, Fort Wayne, and Fishers, Indiana. T ...

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

, 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 The First Four is a play-in round of the NCAA Division I men's and women's basketball tournaments. It consists of two games contested between the four lowest-ranked teams in the field (usually the four lowest-ranked conference champions), an ...

, 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

Incoming transfers

2021 recruiting class

Preseason

* September 14, 2021 – Nan Wooden, daughter of former UCLA men's basketball Coach

John Wooden John Robert Wooden (October 14, 1910 – June 4, 2010) was an American basketball coach and player. Nicknamed "the Wizard of Westwood", he won ten National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, nati ...

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 The Bob Cousy Award, sponsored by the College of the Holy Cross, is an annual basketball award given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the top men's collegiate point guard. It is named after six-time National Basketball Assoc ...

'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 The Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award is an annual basketball award given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the top men's collegiate center. Following the success of the Bob Cousy Award which had been awarded sinc ...

's watch list (Top center) * Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Johnny Juzang are named to the

NABC Player of the Year The NABC Player of the Year is an award given annually by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) to recognize the top player in men's college basketball across the three largest college athletic associations in the United States. Th ...

watch list * Tyger Campbell, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Johnny Juzang: John R. Wooden Award watch list

Roster

Schedule and results

, - !colspan=12 style=, Exhibition , - !colspan=12 style=, Regular season , - !colspan=12 style=, Pac-12 Tournament , - !colspan=12 style=, NCAA Tournament

Rankings

''*The preseason and week 1 polls were the same.''
^''Coaches poll was not released for Week 2.''

Statistics

Awards and honors

* December 7, 2021 – Jules Bernard and Myles Johnson were named as candidates for the men's basketball

Senior CLASS Award The Senior CLASS Award is awarded to the most outstanding senior student-athlete in 10 NCAA Division I sports. An acronym for "Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School," the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete ...

* 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

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

by the

National Association of Basketball Coaches The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, is an American organization of men's college basketball coaches. It was founded in 1927 by Phog Allen, the men's basketball head coach for the Univ ...

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2021-22 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team UCLA Bruins men's basketball seasons

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

UCLA Bruins basketball, men UCLA Bruins basketball, men