Postgame Talk: UCLA Wins Glorified Exhibition Over Prairie View A&M 111-75
One last cupcake for the Bruins.
I have to say, there is a benefit of getting an easy game during this stretch of high-level games for the Bruins. The Oregon and Arizona games were emotional affairs, and UCLA almost needed an emotional reset game before heading off to play two more marquee opponents in North Carolina and Gonzaga.
Enter Prairie View A&M.
The Bruins were never in danger of losing to the Panthers, jumping out to an early lead that they would never relinquish for the entirety of the game, ultimately winning by a final score of 111-75. The effort level of UCLA was questionable for parts of the game, but given the opponent and what UCLA just did in the past week, I think it was completely understandable. In fact, I would even go so far as to say focusing on UCLA’s defensive effort in this game is a fool’s errand, especially when a guy who was shooting 20% from deep on the season goes 6-7 in a single game. Stuff happens.
There are a few things I think you can take away from this game, starting with the play of Dylan Andrews. It was almost as if Mick Cronin's focus for this game was to get Andrews back on track after two poor outings against Oregon and especially against Arizona. Andrews looked closer to the player who finished out last season, scoring a team-high 21 points on 8-12 shooting, but more important was the manner of his shooting, as Andrews was not just an outside shooter but looked to drive and finish at the rim on more than a few occasions. If Dylan Andrews can do that on a more consistent basis, it opens up the rest of his offense, especially the midrange pull-up that he loves so much. Also important here: Andrews had six assists and only one turnover. Getting Andrews to play closer to the All-Conference player he was in the second half of last year is crucial for raising the ceiling of this team, so hopefully this is a chance for him to get going.
Tyler Bilodeau was his usual walking bucket, but he seemed to tweak an ankle early in the second half. That may have been for the best; he sat out the rest of the game and only played 20 minutes, and it allowed for extended minutes for both William Kyle III and Aday Mara. I’ll start with Kyle because I think he played generally well, with the one caveat being his abysmal free-throw shooting. That form is completely broken, and not something that can realistically be fixed during the season. Still, I thought Kyle provided solid minutes and his activity level is very high.
Aday Mara continues to shine with his improved play this season. He had 16 minutes on the game and finished one point short of a double-double, with nine points and 10 rebounds. He also had three pretty assists and would have had a fourth had Trent Perry not gotten fouled at the end of the game. Most crucially, Mara showed off a passable ability to hedge out to the perimeter and at least bother the smaller, quicker guards on Prairie View A&M. The evolution of Aday Mara into a playable big remains one of the more fascinating storylines on this Bruins squad, and the games against North Carolina and Gonzaga will offer a good test of his growth.
Beyond that, UCLA shot 59% from the field, and 47.6% from deep. They made 78.4% of their 37 free throws. They had assists on 26 of their 36 made shots. Prairie View A&M did not enter this game with much in the way of a good defense, and this was at least a good chance for the Bruins to get into a rhythm on offense, which is exactly what happened.
But, I repeat myself here: you shouldn’t be stat-scouting this game for any reason. One team had more talent than the other, and the game was not close. We’re on to North Carolina on Saturday.
Go Bruins!
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Agree, Mara is continuing to improve and learn how to use the wingspan of his, even playing with a bit of muscle.