LOS ANGELES — The UCLA men’s basketball team might be one of those squads that plays to the level of its opponent. There’s a significant enough sample size to suggest so. The Bruins have hung with two top-10 teams, while playing multiple mid-majors frighteningly close.
On opening night, UCLA edged Eastern Washington. Two games later, the Bruins allowed West Georgia to make a baker’s dozen of 3-point shots. On Friday night, they essentially slept through the first 20 minutes, trailing Cal Poly at halftime.
Yes, you read that right.
“These teams are coming to play,” senior guard Skyy Clark said. “All credit to them. We just got to come out from the jump.”
UCLA (10-3) faced a two-point deficit at the break before riding 65 second-half points to a 108-87 victory over the Mustangs (5-8). Two days after their strongest showing of the season – a 13-point win against Arizona State – the Bruins regressed. They returned to their ways of underestimating an opponent because of the name on their chest.
Clark continued his leveling-up as a scorer, leading the way with a season-high 30 points. His performance was suppressed by UCLA’s flat start.
Cal Poly came out scorching as Peter Bandelj and Victor Guzman dribbled into 3-point shots. UCLA was late to adjust, repeatedly giving the Mustangs space. It was as if the Bruins didn’t respect the Mustangs’ ability despite them justifying it time and again. Bandelj knocked down two more 3-pointers. Hamad Mousa and Kieran Elliott took advantage of lazy close outs to put the Mustangs ahead.
Cal Poly made nine 3-point shots in the first half, finishing with 14 total. No matter the productivity, the Bruins wouldn’t dare respect the visitors’ shots. They lazily trailed shooters as Trent Perry unnecessarily fouled Mousa twice on 3-point attempts.
After the first, UCLA coach Mick Cronin audibly bellowed: “Get over here!”
The message didn’t convey to Perry’s teammates as Jamar Brown fouled Mousa on a late-shot clock 3-point attempt for a four-point play.
“It’s the worst play in basketball,” Cronin said of fouling jump-shooters. “I’ve gone, literally, years with that happening zero times. Nobody coaches that more than me. … You are not allowed to foul a jump-shooter if you play for me. Never.”
That’s not the case with this year’s Bruins. Their undisciplined contests exemplified their overall lack of scouting report adherence. Cal Poly’s approach, Cronin explained, is to play five-out, drive-and-kick. The Bruins empowered it.
“Our guys weren’t ready for it,” Cronin said. “I don’t think they understood, to the extent, Cal Poly’s commitment to that style. Obviously we have a scouting report, we watch film, we talk about it. I told them, ‘They’re going to shoot more 3s tonight than they usually shoot because they know that’s their chance to win.’”
Cronin countered by playing without a center for the final 30 minutes. His first small-ball experimentation came with Perry, Brown, Donovan Dent, Eric Dailey Jr. and Tyler Bilodeau sharing the court. Immediately, the Mustangs constructed a 9-0 run to take a six-point advantage, ultimately leading 45-43 at the break.
While the Bruins’ small-ball lineup lost the lead in the first half, it was effective in the second half. Brown joined the starting group after the break, replacing Xavier Booker, moving Bilodeau to center.
The Bruins forced turnovers with peskiness and gang-rebounded to cover for the lack of size. It led to transition opportunities as Clark’s steal sparked a fast-break dunk for Dailey and Brown turned an outlet pass into a layup to give UCLA a 13-point lead.
Playing without a traditional center improved the spacing and allowed the Bruins to create shots from the perimeter. Bilodeau beat mismatches with his speed to draw fouls. Dent drove the lane and kicked to Brown in the corner for his fifth 3-pointer in the last two games.
Clark erupted from all three levels. He drove and hung in the air for a double-clutch layup. He hit a 3-pointer off a dish from Dent and pulled-up for another from the left wing.
“He’s a great player,” Cronin said of Clark. “I just want him to shoot the ball and stay aggressive.”
Cronin can be content for now – Clark has attempted 22 3-point shots over the last two games. He connected on six for the third time this season and for the second straight game.
Moreso, UCLA’s offensive headliners combined for 70 points. Tyler Bilodeau scored 24, finishing 8 for 8 from the free-throw line and improving his season total to 46 for 50 (92%). Dent contributed a double-double (16 points, 11 assists with zero turnovers) for the second time in the last three games.
In UCLA’s victories over Washington, Arizona State and Cal Poly, those three seniors have been simultaneously special on offense. It’s promising, but meaningless if the Bruins’ defense remains this listless.
On Friday, Booker and Steven Jamerson II played five combined minutes as Cronin didn’t trust either transfer portal acquisition. The Bruins couldn’t protect the rim or glass, and allowed straight-line drives like pizza pies.
“We were soft on the ball and in the gaps in the first half,” Cronin said. “My biggest challenge with this team is finding a guy – or two, or three – whose mind is on defense.”
That will be Cronin’s New Year resolution. Big Ten play resumes on Jan. 3, so Cronin has two weeks to discover the salves for UCLA’s glaring woes. A defensive-minded coach, he’s figured it out across his career, but it’s a scary sight that he needed a gimmicky lineup to silence a much lesser opponent 12 games into the season.
