Postgame Talk: UCLA Lets One Slip Away Against North Carolina 76-74
The Bruins could not sustain things late against a desperate Tar Heels squad.
In some ways, UCLA was due for some level of regression after playing some high-level games close. But I think the manner of this game is going to leave a bad taste in everyone’s mouth, because the Bruins choked away a 16-point lead in the second half to lose to North Carolina 76-74.
There are a few things to look at here, but before I get into everything UCLA did bad down the stretch, I do want to note that North Carolina played like the more desperate team down the stretch. It’s unsurprising, at least; the CBS broadcast took a lot of time to point out how North Carolina was missing on quality wins, and this team has had trouble starting games, leaving their furious rallies late in games falling short. It should not have been a shock to UCLA fans to see North Carolina stage the comeback, because it’s what they’ve done all season.
That said, this was also a chance to see UCLA’s progress towards learning how to win games late against quality opponents, and on that front UCLA failed in a variety of ways. To start, only two of the Bruins looked ready to play in this game. Tyler Bilodeau has seemed completely unlocked since the Arizona comeback, and he went off in this one to the tune of 26 points on 9-14 shooting and 5-6 from deep. Bilodeau was a constant problem for the Tar Heels, but a fourth foul with 11:45 left in the game took him off the floor for much of the North Carolina comeback, and when he came back into the game he missed a few crucial free throws down the stretch.
Sebastian Mack was the other Bruin who seemingly showed up for this game. Mack finished with 22 points on 6-11 shooting, hitting three of his four three-point attempts and seven of his eight free throws. When Bilodeau left with foul trouble, it fell to Mack to take over the offensive load, and for the most part, he was able to keep the Bruin offense rolling single-handedly. He had an amazing stretch in the first half where he was not only scoring at will but also getting off some great passes, giving William Kyle III some easy dunks in the lane.
The rest of the Bruins were not nearly as good, starting with Dylan Andrews. Andrews was miserable in this one, with only two points on 1-6 shooting, and more turnovers (three) than assists (two). Whatever confidence he gained on Tuesday against Prairie View A&M seemingly vanished as soon as he walked into Madison Square Garden, and the lasting image from this game may be Andrews turning the ball over immediately when he got the ball with 22 seconds left in the game and the Bruins up one. There was a lack of focus in that moment that should haunt him for weeks. Kobe Johnson was similarly poor; he got pulled within the first minute for a turnover on a hilariously lackadaisical pass, and the effort did not get much better as the game progressed. If Johnson isn’t scoring (and that is the case more often than not) then he needs to have a major impact in all other facets of the game, and while he tied for the team lead in rebounds with six, too often he was late on his rotations defensively and gambled way too much for the situation.
Skyy Clark was one of the better players for UCLA offensively, but he ended up being a neutral for the Bruins on the defensive end. This was the biggest worry about Clark going into the season, as he’s undersized and not that quick, and too often North Carolina took advantage of him and his gambling defense to generate baskets. Clark ultimately fouled out on a silly foul given the situation, and that denied UCLA a safe ball handler at the end of the game. Not great.
Let’s quickly talk about the refs in this game before getting to a few more things. Simply put: they sucked! They were too much of a presence in this game, with every little thing getting a whistle on both sides. It created a game with little flow, and given UCLA’s weird struggles at the free throw line (which, it should be noted, are mostly focused on Bilodeau and Clark going 3-7 and 0-2 respectively), it made things difficult. UCLA players continually put themselves in bad positions to get a foul call, such as Bilodeau sliding in late to try and draw a charge and instead picking up a fourth foul, and it was not great to watch.
Now we focus on the curious case of Eric Dailey Jr. Dailey has been UCLA’s best player on the season, but he’s starting to have some foul trouble in recent games, and this one was no exception. Dailey picked up a third foul in the first 12 seconds of the second half, for which he was promptly subbed out. And then he never came back into the game, sitting the entire second half. It was extremely odd, especially given what he brings to the team on both ends. Cronin’s inability to get him into the game or let him play with fouls is becoming a problem, and UCLA could have used a player of Dailey’s composure down the stretch (as we noted, his reinsertion into the lineup with four fouls turned the game against Arizona just last week). I don’t think Dailey was playing particularly well in the first half, especially on defense, but the fact that he wasn’t put back in to at least try and cover for Bilodeau.
Speaking of covering for Bilodeau, I thought Aday Mara and William Kyle III played mostly well, and it was odd how little they played given the situation. Mick Cronin needs to figure out some adjustments to the defense to get them on the court more, especially Mara, who caused problems for the North Carolina offense simply with his size.
I also want to note that I don’t think this loss hurts UCLA, but it does show some flaws with the team and, in particular, Cronin’s coaching. I thought his rotations were questionable and at some point, he needs to get over his fear of playing guys with fouls (though, given what happened to Bilodeau in this one, maybe it was understandable). I feel like not playing Dailey in the second half was a major mistake, as was playing Andrews as much as he did given his play. This is also where I think getting Dominick Harris and Trent Perry as much playing time as possible against the Cupcakes would have helped in this game, especially for a player like Harris who has high-level experience and could change things from a distance. That said, with so many new parts, there is a delicate balancing act between getting the starters to gel and developing a bench. That may be more pressing next year when many of these players return.
The more pressing concern for this team is the play of one Dylan Andrews. Simply put, he has to be much better for UCLA to win games, and so far this season he has reverted to the tentative player he was early last year. I don’t know what has to happen to unlock the version of Andrews that was close to an all-conference player, but either he starts stepping up or Cronin needs to start figuring out alternatives. Sebastian Mack already looks like UCLA’s best guard, and maybe having other players pushing Andrews for playing time would get him to raise his game.
The Bruins will at least have a week off to figure out what went wrong and lick their wounds before facing Gonzaga. Maybe some things click after a week of practice and a game closer to home.
Go Bruins.
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I'm usually the last guy to blame a game on the refs, as there are a thousand moving pieces in every game and I'd normally argue that you need to be good enough to make the refs irrelevant in the first place.
But I'm gonna start by pointing out that UNC made more free throws (24) than UCLA even attempted (22) in the entire game. We all saw that game. We all saw what was going on. The officiating was utter bullshit, but it was also totally in keeping with the east coast favoritism and national narrative that UCLA has had to confront forever. It sucks. And we have to be better enough to overcome it.
So as to the part about being good enough to make that screw job irrelevant, UCLA has to control the things it can: run a consistent offense, play gritty defense, make free throws, and maintain its head when adversity hits. And that's where UCLA under Cronin consistently comes up short year after year - and there is one constant there.
Cronin pulling Johnson in the first minute is a microcosm of what's wrong with his style and why it is fatal for a team's development. Cronin is so overly concretely inflexibly regimented that any step outside his script gets the players off balance and in their heads. The players live under the fear of making mistakes instead of the playing with the opportunity and freedom to reach their ceilings. Coach Wooden famously didn't call timeouts when opponents made a run because he wanted (and trusted) his players to figure it out and respond. Cronin yanks a player after the opening possession for not obeying his design. In the absence of an unconscious shooter like Johnny Juzang or a unicorn leader like Jaime Jaquez, how can we expect our players to recognize, respond, and most importantly, breathe when things get tough and don't go according to plans, whether it's due to the vagaries of sport, the idiocy of the refs, or the fact that there are other D-1 athletes who want to win too?
Our talent and defensive scheme will win most games, despite the lack of a consistent and reliable offensive system. But when it comes down to a final handful of plays in a tight game on the road with a hostile crowd and horseshit refs, do we trust that our players have what it takes to make the plays that will make the difference?
The other thing that keeps bothering me is our inability to get defensive rebounds at the end of the game.
We are not blocking out proficiently and I don’t know if thats on the coaches or on the players.
Either way, that needs to be fixed post haste.
We cannot give teams 2nd chances late in the game. That’s unconscionable.