The one thing I like about this UCLA basketball season is that, for the most part, these are really easy games to analyze. Case in point, the easy explanation for UCLA’s loss to Oregon by the final score of 64-59 is that they could not hit an outside shot to save their lives.
The Bruins ended up shooting 43% in the game, better than the 41% shot by Oregon, but they were sunk by a 3-19 night from three-point range. It’s not as though these were forced or rushed shots - in fact, the UCLA offense did an amazing job of generating open looks, perhaps the best they’ve looked all season in this regard - but the Bruins simply could not hit these shots. Dylan Andrews went 1-7 from deep (2-12 in the entire game, an abysmal shooting performance that blemished an otherwise solid outing from him in running the offense) while Lazar Stefanovic went 0-6 from deep (4-14 overall, his best performance in a month though that feels damning with faint praise).
Where the Bruins excelled, surprisingly, was in the paint, and it was keyed by Adem Bona, who continues to look reinvigorated now that he’s back in Pac-12 play. Bona finished with a double-double, scoring 15 points on 6-7 shooting while also grabbing 11 rebounds and, again crucially, staying out of foul trouble, allowing him to play 35 minutes and impact things repeatedly on the defensive end. Berke Buyuktuncel scored a career-high 12 points on 5-7 shooting in 21 minutes, showing that he may be adjusting quickly to the college game. The Bruins outrebounded the Ducks 34-30 and were able to generate 11 second-chance baskets compared to only six for Oregon, which feels a bit out of the ordinary for the squad to this point.
Brandon Williams had a quieter game with only six points, but he had some real freshmen mistakes leading to a team-high five turnovers. Sebastian Mack was not much better, having a more routine freshman outing with six points on 3-8 shooting with four turnovers himself. Turnovers in particular did not help the Bruins, because while the turnover differential was not major (16 for the Bruins compared to only 11 for Oregon) the manner of the turnovers was huge, as many of the UCLA turnovers were of the live-ball variety and led to 17 fast-break points for Oregon.
That many turnovers on the road should not be surprising for a young team in a hostile environment, but I still feel as though this was a successful outing for the Bruins, as the defense did play exceedingly well. Again, it helps to keep Bona out of foul trouble, as he again was UCLA’s most disruptive defender and anchored a solid UCLA defense, but the other Bruins stepped up throughout the game. And I think we saw enough from the team on this first conference road trip to see clear growth, especially on the defensive end. The question now is whether that growth continues going forward.
Go Bruins.
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At this point it’s hard to feel happy for moral victories. But the team that showed up today was better than the team that played against Villanova and CSUN and Maryland.
I love how Berke is slowly being reintegrated into the lineup. I still think if we had Berke to start the season, and didn’t lose him for 3 weeks to an ankle injury, our record would look very different now. Brandon Williams has been a revelation. He’s playing at a much higher level than Dylan Andrews was last year and he looks like he can be a star by next year. Mack seems to be one of those players Cronin talked about after the Maryland game, that loses a bit of confidence when things don’t go their way. A few TOs and missed shots and all of a sudden he stops attacking and begins passing up open shots/lanez and forcing his passes, which leads to more TOs. McClendon and Lazar should switch spots in the starting lineup. Or have Berke play as a big 3 alongside BWill and Bona
It’s going to be a work in progress. Until they can consistently hit outside shots, we are doomed in the paint. Please, would a freshman or someone else please step enough to bench Stank-o-Vich. They guy is a liability. The fact that will - 41% shooter (out beat 3-point shooter) passed an open look to an open Stank was a horrible decision. Of course bricked it. Still love my Bruins but looking more and more like a non invite year.
Definitely an ongoing, developmental/work-in-progress effort. The dropoff in talent and experience from last season's team is steep, but at least they're showing some improvement even though they aren't winning most of their games. Currently, their defense prevents them from suffering blowout losses, but they really need a TON of practice on shooting and taking care of the ball. Participation in March Madness seems unlikely because they have zero wins against any Quad-1 or 2 opponents so far, and the Pac-12 conference itself is relatively weak. The Bruins were 8-9 (1-3 in Pac-12) in early-January during Coach Cronin's first year at UCLA, so the best outcome for this year's team is to replicate a similar turnaround and end this season on a hopeful note. Anyway, Go Bruins! (And congrats to the Lady Bruins for beating U$C!)
OK - for the good news first: Our undefeated #2 Bruins beat $outhern cal at Pauley 71-64! JuJu Watkins might have had 27 & 11 but it took her 24 shots and 11 free throws to get there and she was outplayed by Londynn Jones who had 21 & 7 on 8-12 shooting all from the field - 5 of 8 from 3 (if only the men's team had someone who could shoot that well from beyond the arc!)
I think today showed a path forward - more Berke and BWill (and Fibleuil darn it!) and concerted effort to get the ball in to the post especially on nights when Mack is struggling to either get to the line or the rim but we've got to defend the arc better - if we're going to get/keep games in the high-50s/low 60s, you can't let teams make a run of 3s - we just don't shoot well enough to withstand those spurts... On that note, I get that "shooters gotta shoot" but someone has to tell Lazar he's not actually a "shooter"!
All these close losses to good teams mean the rest of the Pac12 season is kinda preseason for the conference tournament anyway (except for the zona and Colorado games which are Tier 1) so hopefully we can work on stuff to come together in late Feb/March
It's just going to be a down year. Hopefully guys like Andrews and Mack develop so they can be great contributors to next year's team. And maybe one of the Euros if we are lucky.
While there is slow improvement overall, we do not have any reliable 3 point shooters--315th in the nation. Last night proved that it is almost impossible to beat the better teams shooting 15% from the three. It was excruciating to see our players scratch and claw to a seven point lead in the second half only to have Shelstad & Co. hit quick, consecutive threes to wipe out the lead. This team will be the one to break Cronin's streak of making the NCAA tournament. Can not make a silk purse from a sow's ear and can not teach players currently throwing up brick threes to correct their mechanics to make those shots during a season..
On another subject, why is it that "The Mighty Bruin" does not see fit to even make a mention--no less an article--about our women's basketball team? Undefeated, ranked number two and just beat a top ten, previously undefeated U$C?
You don't know yet ? Village People's iconic 70's hit " Macho Man " is the adopted theme song for The Mighty Bruin. Go it ?????????? Nah, my dear friend I am kiddin' you. We should.
not a lot of womens sports fans. just look at the ratings. no offense to them, and i'm glad they rep the university well, but i'd rather watch high school basketball.
Maybe that ("not a lot of womens sports fan") is partly due to the fact that they are not given the media coverage (particularly The Mighty Bruin) that they deserve. The LA Times had at least three articles on the game last night but their take is not the same as a blog for Bruin fans. I started watching women's basketball during the NCAAW tournament last year and found it exciting. Certainly, the beat down of U$C last night was exciting. And our men could take a lesson or two from the ladies on hitting the three--especially the wide open ones!
it was a nationally broadcast game and people still did not watch. when womens basketball is on tv, people don't really watch and the games are not well attended. This is not The Mighty Bruin's fault. People just do not want to watch womens basketball just like they do not want to watch men's lacrosse. Sports fans like certain sports and not others. And this has nothing to do with gender. Some womens sports are very entertaining to watch -- i.e. womens tennis, beach vball, olympics gymnastics/figure skating, womens soccer to an extent.
But please stop gas lighting and blaming poor ratings on no media coverage. The no media coverage is because of the poor ratings. The media shows what people want to see. The media's job is not to decide what people should see or try to influence what they want to see.
You have missed my point. This is a blog for UCLA sports. UCLA women's basketball is very special now and my opinion was that it deserved a mention.
You may find women's basketball not entertaining, but that is your opinion. I may find some of the other women's sports you listed not entertaining. Everybody has their preferences and that is fine. The fans at Paulley last night obviously found women's basketball highly entertaining as did I. Hardly "gas lighting (sic).
I do not know what the TV ratings were for last night's game but what is your source for proclaiming that "people did not watch"? Were ratings published? According to the TV sports announcers, Paulley was full and there was a line two hours prior to the doors opening. The LA Times and other news carried several articles yesterday and today about the game which I read on Yahoo's news page so somebody must be interested and as Dimitri mentioned in his reply, he and Joe have been really busy so things get "left behind" and it "isn't a lack of care". And BTW, Pac12 Network and other sports TV stations have been carrying women's basketball, contrary to what you posted--I guess they are showing things that people do not want to see according to your analysis.
You missed my point. The point is demand. The Might Bruin, with its limited time and resources, posts about topics the most people want to read about. I don't see any stories about men's tennis, baseball, or golf. You may find women's basketball entertaining, but that is your opinion and not popular opinion. So, yeah. Let's stop the gas lighting please.
I did not miss your point--"not popular" The fans setting a record attendance at Pauley and all those watching on Pac 12 network disagree with you, as does the people posting here. And Dimitri has posted about The Mighty Bruin and I take his post as official and yours not responsive.
Boy on boy, talking about you gas lighting. LOL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Tell them you have a state of the art stove without having to use gas !!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm kiddin' you my friend. Your comments are always spot on, dating back to the BruinNation days.
It was actually only on Pac12 network so not in any way "nationally broadcast" - or even accessible to the majority of fans of either school - thanks again Larry Scott!
While it wouldn't have gotten ratings scheduled against the Lions-Cowboys game, saying it was "nationally broadcast" or "not well attended" when its likely the only basketball game that will sell out Pauley this season is not accurate either.
For that matter, to be fair, exposure sometimes does influence changing tastes... In the past everyone knew who the world heavyweight champion was now, after relentless exposure, a sport that started as Bum Fights on YouTube has superceded boxing in popularity... It might be chicken and egg but to pretend that interest doesn't at times come after exposure is naive at best
really REALLY bad take to compare womens basketball to UFC. UFC's explosion was driven by pay per view buys. Relentless exposure...lol. Millions of people were watching UFC on pay per view even in the face of legislation trying to ban the sport. If you want to talk about relentless exposure, pull up ESPN.com or put on Sportscenter and tell me they are not trying to equalize men's and women's basketball.
The issue isn’t a lack of care, but more that this isn’t my or Joe’s main job, so when we get really busy things get left behind. These last two postgames, for example, I wrote from the mountains while on a mini-vacation between Christmas and New Years with my GF.
That said, I finally have a week off coming up (though not before going to the Rose Bowl tomorrow) so I’m going to try and write something because I’ve been watching the games but haven’t had time to write about them.
Look forward to seeing the Lady Bruins on TV (not that damn Pac-12 Network) during their NCAA tournament run. And if the womens team is able to win a national championship before the mens team does, I will still retire my user account and no longer be "Waiting4ever". Go Bruins!
All of your comments pinpointed well the team's woes. They are insightful, worth discussing. I hope Cronin pays heed. Other than that, what's the point of saying yeah, this is for sure a down year and blah, blah, blah ... Who doesn't know ?!?
there's not a lot he can do about it though. It is not a talented roster. We have a bunch of guys that could be nice rotation pieces on a good team, but almost none of them would have played significant rolls on any of Cronin's other UCLA teams. With zero injuries and getting the absolute max out of every single guy, we are probably the 4th or 5th best team in the conference and getting bounced first weekend in March.
Look at it this way. Bona is our #2 offensive weapon. He's really 1a after Mack. Last year, despite being a starter, he was 6th in scoring (this is no knock on Bona. he really should not be the scorer).
And none of this is a knock no Cronin by the way. He just did not bring in any of the one and done guys this year who would be taking over and winning games like yesterday. His good UCLA teams so far have not been built that way.
This roster needs time to develop the skills to play well both offensively and defensively, not that they have "no weapons ". Cronin is a good material coach. He will mold them together in due time.
Go UW! Much as I hate Bama, I have too many annoying Michigan fans at work for me to root for them.... Not so invested in Rose bowl this year. Totally rooting on the huskies, tho!
When I watch the Bruins, my concern are the returning players who are starting, who seem to be more concerned about their points than the distribution of the ball and trying to set up other teammates for a shot. The immaturity of those returning players are hurting this team. Not sure why Bona isn’t being used as the focal point of the offense to either take his shot or setup other players. Often, Bona becomes to emotional losing focus, making mistakes.
At this point it’s hard to feel happy for moral victories. But the team that showed up today was better than the team that played against Villanova and CSUN and Maryland.
I love how Berke is slowly being reintegrated into the lineup. I still think if we had Berke to start the season, and didn’t lose him for 3 weeks to an ankle injury, our record would look very different now. Brandon Williams has been a revelation. He’s playing at a much higher level than Dylan Andrews was last year and he looks like he can be a star by next year. Mack seems to be one of those players Cronin talked about after the Maryland game, that loses a bit of confidence when things don’t go their way. A few TOs and missed shots and all of a sudden he stops attacking and begins passing up open shots/lanez and forcing his passes, which leads to more TOs. McClendon and Lazar should switch spots in the starting lineup. Or have Berke play as a big 3 alongside BWill and Bona
It’s going to be a work in progress. Until they can consistently hit outside shots, we are doomed in the paint. Please, would a freshman or someone else please step enough to bench Stank-o-Vich. They guy is a liability. The fact that will - 41% shooter (out beat 3-point shooter) passed an open look to an open Stank was a horrible decision. Of course bricked it. Still love my Bruins but looking more and more like a non invite year.
Definitely an ongoing, developmental/work-in-progress effort. The dropoff in talent and experience from last season's team is steep, but at least they're showing some improvement even though they aren't winning most of their games. Currently, their defense prevents them from suffering blowout losses, but they really need a TON of practice on shooting and taking care of the ball. Participation in March Madness seems unlikely because they have zero wins against any Quad-1 or 2 opponents so far, and the Pac-12 conference itself is relatively weak. The Bruins were 8-9 (1-3 in Pac-12) in early-January during Coach Cronin's first year at UCLA, so the best outcome for this year's team is to replicate a similar turnaround and end this season on a hopeful note. Anyway, Go Bruins! (And congrats to the Lady Bruins for beating U$C!)
OK - for the good news first: Our undefeated #2 Bruins beat $outhern cal at Pauley 71-64! JuJu Watkins might have had 27 & 11 but it took her 24 shots and 11 free throws to get there and she was outplayed by Londynn Jones who had 21 & 7 on 8-12 shooting all from the field - 5 of 8 from 3 (if only the men's team had someone who could shoot that well from beyond the arc!)
I think today showed a path forward - more Berke and BWill (and Fibleuil darn it!) and concerted effort to get the ball in to the post especially on nights when Mack is struggling to either get to the line or the rim but we've got to defend the arc better - if we're going to get/keep games in the high-50s/low 60s, you can't let teams make a run of 3s - we just don't shoot well enough to withstand those spurts... On that note, I get that "shooters gotta shoot" but someone has to tell Lazar he's not actually a "shooter"!
All these close losses to good teams mean the rest of the Pac12 season is kinda preseason for the conference tournament anyway (except for the zona and Colorado games which are Tier 1) so hopefully we can work on stuff to come together in late Feb/March
Happy New Year Bruins!
Happy New Year Clio! 💙💛
It's just going to be a down year. Hopefully guys like Andrews and Mack develop so they can be great contributors to next year's team. And maybe one of the Euros if we are lucky.
While there is slow improvement overall, we do not have any reliable 3 point shooters--315th in the nation. Last night proved that it is almost impossible to beat the better teams shooting 15% from the three. It was excruciating to see our players scratch and claw to a seven point lead in the second half only to have Shelstad & Co. hit quick, consecutive threes to wipe out the lead. This team will be the one to break Cronin's streak of making the NCAA tournament. Can not make a silk purse from a sow's ear and can not teach players currently throwing up brick threes to correct their mechanics to make those shots during a season..
On another subject, why is it that "The Mighty Bruin" does not see fit to even make a mention--no less an article--about our women's basketball team? Undefeated, ranked number two and just beat a top ten, previously undefeated U$C?
You don't know yet ? Village People's iconic 70's hit " Macho Man " is the adopted theme song for The Mighty Bruin. Go it ?????????? Nah, my dear friend I am kiddin' you. We should.
not a lot of womens sports fans. just look at the ratings. no offense to them, and i'm glad they rep the university well, but i'd rather watch high school basketball.
Maybe that ("not a lot of womens sports fan") is partly due to the fact that they are not given the media coverage (particularly The Mighty Bruin) that they deserve. The LA Times had at least three articles on the game last night but their take is not the same as a blog for Bruin fans. I started watching women's basketball during the NCAAW tournament last year and found it exciting. Certainly, the beat down of U$C last night was exciting. And our men could take a lesson or two from the ladies on hitting the three--especially the wide open ones!
it was a nationally broadcast game and people still did not watch. when womens basketball is on tv, people don't really watch and the games are not well attended. This is not The Mighty Bruin's fault. People just do not want to watch womens basketball just like they do not want to watch men's lacrosse. Sports fans like certain sports and not others. And this has nothing to do with gender. Some womens sports are very entertaining to watch -- i.e. womens tennis, beach vball, olympics gymnastics/figure skating, womens soccer to an extent.
But please stop gas lighting and blaming poor ratings on no media coverage. The no media coverage is because of the poor ratings. The media shows what people want to see. The media's job is not to decide what people should see or try to influence what they want to see.
You have missed my point. This is a blog for UCLA sports. UCLA women's basketball is very special now and my opinion was that it deserved a mention.
You may find women's basketball not entertaining, but that is your opinion. I may find some of the other women's sports you listed not entertaining. Everybody has their preferences and that is fine. The fans at Paulley last night obviously found women's basketball highly entertaining as did I. Hardly "gas lighting (sic).
I do not know what the TV ratings were for last night's game but what is your source for proclaiming that "people did not watch"? Were ratings published? According to the TV sports announcers, Paulley was full and there was a line two hours prior to the doors opening. The LA Times and other news carried several articles yesterday and today about the game which I read on Yahoo's news page so somebody must be interested and as Dimitri mentioned in his reply, he and Joe have been really busy so things get "left behind" and it "isn't a lack of care". And BTW, Pac12 Network and other sports TV stations have been carrying women's basketball, contrary to what you posted--I guess they are showing things that people do not want to see according to your analysis.
Have a nice day.
You hit a home run on that one, my friend.
You missed my point. The point is demand. The Might Bruin, with its limited time and resources, posts about topics the most people want to read about. I don't see any stories about men's tennis, baseball, or golf. You may find women's basketball entertaining, but that is your opinion and not popular opinion. So, yeah. Let's stop the gas lighting please.
I did not miss your point--"not popular" The fans setting a record attendance at Pauley and all those watching on Pac 12 network disagree with you, as does the people posting here. And Dimitri has posted about The Mighty Bruin and I take his post as official and yours not responsive.
Boy on boy, talking about you gas lighting. LOL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Tell them you have a state of the art stove without having to use gas !!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm kiddin' you my friend. Your comments are always spot on, dating back to the BruinNation days.
The SC/ucla game last night wasn’t nationally televised, it was only on the Pac12 network.
The game last night set a Pauley attendance record of 13,000.
thank god for that
It was actually only on Pac12 network so not in any way "nationally broadcast" - or even accessible to the majority of fans of either school - thanks again Larry Scott!
While it wouldn't have gotten ratings scheduled against the Lions-Cowboys game, saying it was "nationally broadcast" or "not well attended" when its likely the only basketball game that will sell out Pauley this season is not accurate either.
For that matter, to be fair, exposure sometimes does influence changing tastes... In the past everyone knew who the world heavyweight champion was now, after relentless exposure, a sport that started as Bum Fights on YouTube has superceded boxing in popularity... It might be chicken and egg but to pretend that interest doesn't at times come after exposure is naive at best
really REALLY bad take to compare womens basketball to UFC. UFC's explosion was driven by pay per view buys. Relentless exposure...lol. Millions of people were watching UFC on pay per view even in the face of legislation trying to ban the sport. If you want to talk about relentless exposure, pull up ESPN.com or put on Sportscenter and tell me they are not trying to equalize men's and women's basketball.
The issue isn’t a lack of care, but more that this isn’t my or Joe’s main job, so when we get really busy things get left behind. These last two postgames, for example, I wrote from the mountains while on a mini-vacation between Christmas and New Years with my GF.
That said, I finally have a week off coming up (though not before going to the Rose Bowl tomorrow) so I’m going to try and write something because I’ve been watching the games but haven’t had time to write about them.
Look forward to seeing the Lady Bruins on TV (not that damn Pac-12 Network) during their NCAA tournament run. And if the womens team is able to win a national championship before the mens team does, I will still retire my user account and no longer be "Waiting4ever". Go Bruins!
All of your comments pinpointed well the team's woes. They are insightful, worth discussing. I hope Cronin pays heed. Other than that, what's the point of saying yeah, this is for sure a down year and blah, blah, blah ... Who doesn't know ?!?
there's not a lot he can do about it though. It is not a talented roster. We have a bunch of guys that could be nice rotation pieces on a good team, but almost none of them would have played significant rolls on any of Cronin's other UCLA teams. With zero injuries and getting the absolute max out of every single guy, we are probably the 4th or 5th best team in the conference and getting bounced first weekend in March.
Look at it this way. Bona is our #2 offensive weapon. He's really 1a after Mack. Last year, despite being a starter, he was 6th in scoring (this is no knock on Bona. he really should not be the scorer).
And none of this is a knock no Cronin by the way. He just did not bring in any of the one and done guys this year who would be taking over and winning games like yesterday. His good UCLA teams so far have not been built that way.
Just cut to the chase. It takes time to build a team. This is all you needed to say.
that is not the point of my comment. It would be correct, but that was not the point of my comment.
We’re tied with Arizona in the conference standings!
Let’s make some t-shirts!!!
...and the Bruins are ahead of U$C. LoL!
The offense is junk.
Bona is our #1 weapon. 6th in scoring last year and that was as a starter. This roster just does not have the weapons.
This roster needs time to develop the skills to play well both offensively and defensively, not that they have "no weapons ". Cronin is a good material coach. He will mold them together in due time.
who is a weapon on this roster?
Go Michigan and UW today, btw
Go UW! Much as I hate Bama, I have too many annoying Michigan fans at work for me to root for them.... Not so invested in Rose bowl this year. Totally rooting on the huskies, tho!
It's the holidays and the site is run by a small team. When you have limited resources you have to choose. Happy holidays and happy new year! :)
When I watch the Bruins, my concern are the returning players who are starting, who seem to be more concerned about their points than the distribution of the ball and trying to set up other teammates for a shot. The immaturity of those returning players are hurting this team. Not sure why Bona isn’t being used as the focal point of the offense to either take his shot or setup other players. Often, Bona becomes to emotional losing focus, making mistakes.
Let’s hope it improves. Happy new year Bruins.