UCLA Basketball May Be Back on Track With Wins at Arizona and Arizona State
By Matt Miller
If the UCLA men’s basketball team clinches the Pac 12 title like the conference media members have picked them to, this weekend’s games will be circled on the calendar as the ones to set them on the right track.
This weekend’s two games home away from home at the Honda center, the Bruins finally executed a winning formula. Obviously they couldn’t afford to open conference play at 0-3, so starting Thursday they resorted to playing defense. Forcing contested jumpers and not allowing layups in transition, the Wildcats shot 36% from the field. Keeping in mind they are a streaky team, Arizona made the Bruins’ commitment to defense look especially good. They can put the ball up a lot and miss almost as much of the time.
The 65-58 victory was more impressive though considering it was without center Josh Smith. Despite fighting foul trouble the whole game, David and Travis Wear had signature games in Smith’s absence scoring 14 and 20 points respectively. They only missed a combined 3 of their 16 field goal attempts, while Lazeric Jones only made 5 of his 16 attempts. The Bruins are lucky to play Arizona early in the schedule, since the young Wildcats team will improve dramatically by seasons end.
A much weaker Arizona St. team visited the Honda center on Saturday, but Howland’s team did not play down to the competition. UCLA, as if suddenly made aware of his presence on the team, took advantage of Smith’s return. They pounded the ball inside featuring his 18 points on 12 shots. His fellow 6’10” twin teammates added 24 points and 16 rebounds. The combined 25 field goal attempts are what is required of the dominating front line. UCLA had no sympathy for the Sun Devils without starters Keala King and Kyle Cain who were out with team issued suspensions (the names Reeves Nelson doesn’t even come to mind).
UCLA brought the defense too. ASU turned the ball over 15 times which the Bruins turned converted into points. The Sun Devils only managed 6 points off the bench in their 75-58 defeat. Their former bench acting as ASU basketball’s Replacements for those suspended (the name Keanu Reeves doesn’t even come to mind).
In the previous weekend’s games, the Bruins gave up baskets far too easily. Coach Howland’s signature stingy defense allowed a generous 65% shooting from the field to California on Saturday. Cal had 28 assists on 34 baskets, with most of the team notching career highs in assists. UCLA did not allow Stanford to shoot a high percentage, but unlike the Bruins in their tough one point defeat,they converted their free throw attempts.
Lazeric Jones notched career best games scoring 26 points in each contest. To his credit he did so with an impressive efficiency. His possible game winner was blocked with under 3 seconds left against Stanford. But despite his efforts UCLA lost both games. Even when he is on, when Jones is the primary scorer he takes the Bruins out of the flow of what they need to do on offense–put in the post. The Wears’ emergence this weekend bodes well for the rest of the schedule.
The Bruins started to look like they figured it out, and have a formula they can repeat for success–defense and points in the paint. Up next is rival USC at the Galen Center on Sunday, who did not experience such an encouraging weekend.
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