Last season, UCLA barely squeaked into the NCAA Tournament because it played a murderer’s row schedule in the non-conference realm. The selection committee did not account for the fact that the Bruins lost to nearly every quality team they played; it gave them credit merely for scheduling tough teams.
This season, UCLA’s profile is developing in much the same way. The Bruins start a stretch of more than two weeks in which they play three top-10 teams: Kentucky, Gonzaga, and North Carolina. The Wildcats are up first on Thursday. The month also includes Long Beach State, Louisiana-Lafayette, and McNeese State.
Entering play on Thursday, UCLA has a 4-3 record with losses to Kansas, an underrated Monmouth squad, and Wake Forest.
Tony Parker has not disappointed for UCLA, averaging 14.1 points and 12.1 rebounds per game through seven contests. Bryce Alford has been strong as well, collecting 15.3 points, 5.6 assists, and 4.6 rebounds per game. However, Alford is averaging 2.4 turnovers per game.
Here’s what has led to trouble for the Bruins so far. Hyped freshman guard Aaron Holiday is averaging 3.1 assists per game, but also 2.9 turnovers. However, UCLA did turn the ball over only seven times in a win over Cal State Northridge on Sunday. Prior to the game, Holiday and Alford had been sharing the point guard duties. On Sunday, it was decided that Alford would be designated as the point guard. That allows for some experience at the position and some freedom on offense for Holiday, which could eventually pay dividends.
It is also clear that the Bruins are not playing with defensive intensity, which was also pointed out by Parker. The proof is in the results: Pepperdine and Cal State Northridge are the only two teams the Bruins have held under 70 points. Additionally, the UCLA defense allowed 92 points and 80 points in Maui losses to Kansas and Wake, respectively.
Shooting percentages have also been an issue for the Bruins in the first month of the season. They have only two players shooting over 43 percent from the floor. Alford is shooting just 39 percent, with Holiday at 41. The duo is first (Alford) and third (Holiday) in shot attempts on the team.
UCLA has size inside with Parker, Thomas Welsh, and Isaac Hamilton. Parker and Welsh – both shooting over 55 percent — are interior players. Parker has shown the ability to bruise inside, while Welsh has the ability to stretch the floor as a seven-footer. Welsh has just six turnovers and Parker has 15, compared to 20 for Holiday and 17 for Alford.
The stats don’t lie — they clearly show that the Bruins need to go inside more, and that they need to get tougher on defense, both on the perimeter and in the paint.
Steve Alford is in his third season in Westwood, and so far the results have followed. He is currently 26 games over .500. However, this stretch will be telling — it will measure the toughness of this season’s squad. A .500 record this month is certainly expected, with three cupcake games. A win over one of the three quality teams on the slate will put the Bruins in good position. Either way, UCLA has shown it is not afraid to step out of its weight class. The committee appreciated that last March.
