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March Madness 2017: Three things to watch for in UCLA vs Cincinnati

By Keith Rivas

Mar 17, 2017; Sacramento, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Lonzo Ball (2) reacts on the court against the Kent State Golden Flashes in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 17, 2017; Sacramento, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Lonzo Ball (2) reacts on the court against the Kent State Golden Flashes in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 17, 2017; Sacramento, CA, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats forward Kyle Washington (24) reacts from the court in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament against the Kansas State Wildcats at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 17, 2017; Sacramento, CA, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats forward Kyle Washington (24) reacts from the court in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament against the Kansas State Wildcats at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

Will defense help Cincy move on?

Questions always come up during any type of post-season about the importance of defense. Some go as far as to give the cliche that defense wins championships — which is true, most of the time at least.

In this case, the Bruins have a chance to upset that.

According to statistics provided by oddsshark.com, the Bearcats have the fourth best defensive rating in college basketball. USC finished their first round game against SMU in upset fashion, which sent the third best defense packing.

Now it’s time for the Bruins to do their part of the dirty work.

Playing hard isn’t bad, it’s just different than how some programs play the game. There’s a lot to like in the way Cincinnati guards, as it can lead to close, back and forth games.

UCLA doesn’t want it too close for comfort, obviously, but there’s not much else they’re going to be able to do about that.

If the Bruins are upset at this point in the tournament, give Cincinnati’s defense all the credit.

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