The UCLA men’s basketball team has won 21 straight home games, which is the longest home winning streak in the nation after Auburn’s 28-gamer was recently snapped.
Bruins coach Mick Cronin has been clear about protecting home court. He believes going unbeaten at home (or at least close to it), is a strong resumé piece for a high seed in the NCAA tournament come March. UCLA is 13-0 at Pauley Pavilion this season, a record that players, fans and the coaching staff can be proud of.
However, Cronin added an extra dash of reasoning to why he thinks it’s even more special.
“All you gotta do is turn on the TV. Most teams are constructed of multiple transfers – this team is special,” Cronin said. “We don’t have (a transfer), because we didn’t need one. Because our guys didn’t transfer. Our guys didn’t go to free agency.”
Fourth-ranked UCLA (21-4, 12-2 Pac-12) will have a chance to extend its home winning streak when it hosts Stanford (11-14, 5-9) at 8 p.m., Thursday at Pauley Pavilion. The game will be televised on ESPN2. The last time the Bruins lost on their home floor was Jan. 13, 2022, in an 84-81 loss to Oregon.
When it comes to home winning streaks, UCLA has a long way to go when it comes to all-time homestands. The most recent streak to fall was on Jan. 19 when LMU beat Gonzaga in Spokane, Wash., to end a 75-game winning streak. Cronin said he was part of a 43-game win streak at Cincinnati. UCLA holds the NCAA Division I record with 98 consecutive home wins between 1970 and 1976.
“We reap the benefits of Jaime Jaquez, Tyger Campbell, David Singleton, David Nwuba, Jaylen Clark, and even Russel Stong,” said Cronin, noting Stong, a senior walk-on. “He does a great job for us in practice. It’s continuity.”
A mind-boggling winning streak at home isn’t at the forefront of Cronin’s mind, of course. But the hunt for his first Pac-12 Conference regular season title with program-grown players is something he’s proud of.
“Our guys…
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