No. 15 UCLA men’s basketball’s depth will be tested
LOS ANGELES — Before the UCLA men’s basketball season started, the common storyline to latch onto was the Bruins’ depth. After all, they had added six notable transfers and two highly touted recruits. The players and coaching staff, seemingly, were prepared for that topic to be broached and each offered a different reason as to why it would be a strength.
“With how deep we are, we can just tire out teams,” forward William Kyle III said Oct. 15.
“I think we can be elite in causing havoc because of our depth,” head coach Mick Cronin said Oct. 29.
“Everybody on this team is a potential scorer,” point guard Dylan Andrews added. “Any night could be anybody’s night.”
Through 13 games, it has come to fruition as the Bruins are first in the nation in forcing turnovers (18.2 per game) and have had six players lead or been tied for the lead as the highest scorer in a given game.
Tyler Bilodeau, the team’s leading scorer (14.5 points per game) has been the top scorer a team-high five times, but the Bruins have won two games against ranked opponents in which he’s scored just seven points.
As the No. 15 Bruins (11-2) continue their Big Ten schedule, having various sources of offense will be an advantage. It’ll be especially crucial in their upcoming games at Nebraska (10-2) at 11 a.m. Saturday and against Michigan (10-3) at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Pauley Pavilion. Both opponents have top-15 defensive ratings, per Ken Pom’s rankings.
The Cornhuskers, Cronin says, excel at team defense because they tend to employ a shell, a man-to-man coverage that emphasizes attention to the ball at all times with the objective of limiting paint touches.
This could, for example, hinder Sebastian Mack’s effectiveness in penetrating the lane, so the Bruins who excel in catch-and-shoot situations, such as Andrews and Kobe Johnson, may have the opportunity to step up.
The Wolverines, on the other hand, start 7-footers Danny Wolf and Vladislav Goldin, which could make it difficult for Bilodeau to operate inside. They tend to play drop coverage because both big men lack agility, which should allow Skyy Clark to find open mid-range jump shots out of the pick-and-roll game.
There’s two parts to successfully exploiting an opponent’s weakness. The Bruins have to identify what their opponent is taking away and how to counter that. Then, once they find a counter or someone gets hot, their teammates have to be selfless and keep feeding that option.
Another aspect to this is the Bruins’ collective buy into ball movement, which Cronin predicted would be a strength because of their depth on the perimeter. Through 13 games, the Bruins are averaging 16.6 assists, their highest mark under Cronin.
“Keep the music going,” Andrews said about the Bruins’ mindset when it comes to passing.
Pass up a good shot for a great shot, and your teammate will do the same.
It’s increasingly important that synergy continues as the Bruins’ Big Ten schedule ramps up and they travel to raucous arenas. Players will react differently with each trip, so having a plethora of options ready to step up will be an advantage.
“It’s fool’s gold,” Cronin said, “to think you’re going to go into those places and score 80 points.”
That’s especially true with how this Bruins defense is playing. There’s no question they’re in for a handful of slugfests in their first season in the Big Ten, but they’ll navigate those just fine if they continue to identify the hot hand and fuel it.
UCLA at Nebraska
When: 11 a.m. Saturday
Where: Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln, Neb.
TV/radio: FOX (Ch. 11)/AM 570
Michigan at UCLA
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Pauley Pavilion
TV/radio: Peacock/AM 570