UCLA Rolls Over Norfolk State, 86-56
The Bruins turned up the defensive intensity in the second half.
I can sum up this game in one sentence: Russell Stong came into the game with 6:09 left in the second half.
This was the game where the UCLA offense finally came alive, as the Bruins shot 57.1% from the field, including a scorching 11-25 from distance. Against those types of numbers, Norfolk State had no chance, as the Bruins very quickly ran away with this game by the final score of 86-56.
This game was really not close. Unlike the first few games, the Bruins were able to open up an early lead on the Spartans and never relinquished it; UCLA never trailed in this game and the closest Norfolk State got was six points at the 8:32 mark of the first half. The game was “close” at the half, with UCLA only up by 13, but there was a sense that UCLA was simply biding its time before it went on a major run. That’s where the second half came in, as the Bruins scored the first seven points of the half to push the lead out to 20, then followed that with a 14-0 run that made it a 32-point lead and essentially ended the game.
Jaylen Clark is making a case for being UCLA’s best player so far. Yes, this is against inferior competition, and we don’t know how hard Jaime Jaquez and Tyger Campbell are currently playing, but I’m simply unsure if Clark has an off switch. He led the team with 19 points and nine rebounds, and “only” had two steals and a block. Forget All Pac-12 Defensive honors; Clark is aiming straight for National Defensive Player of the Year with these performances.
We should also note before we get out of here, that the freshmen continue to look more comfortable with more game time. Amari Bailey looked much more in control on offense, and he was much smarter about picking his spots, putting in 11 points on 5-6 shooting, including his first made three-pointer in college. Adem Bona also looked more settled, likely a result of avoiding foul trouble; Bona finished with 10 points and five rebounds in a much-better 22 minutes of action. Dylan Andrews and Abramo Canka were able to get a more extended run in garbage time, and Andrews definitely looks the part of someone who can provide some spot minutes here and there while he gets more comfortable in the system.
If you want to nitpick anything, UCLA’s defense wasn’t nearly as good as it was in the first few games. Credit to Norfolk State for hitting some tough shots, but UCLA was generally in the right spot more often than not. But I also feel like this was a result of UCLA’s offensive excellence. When you’re hitting every shot, it becomes harder to focus on the defensive end. This is not to say UCLA did not figure some things out as the game progressed - after giving up 53.6% shooting in the first half, the Bruins held the Spartans to 40.7% in the second - but UCLA definitely slipped a bit defensively.
Anyway, this was another ho-hum blowout of an inferior team by a UCLA squad that seems very locked in to start the year. That said, the difficulty is about to ramp up considerably on Friday.
Jaylen Clark led the Bruins with 19 points and nine rebounds. Tyger Campbell led the team with seven assists. Kris Bankston led Norfolk State with 17 points.
Three Takeaways
Player of the Game: Jaylen Clark - I mean, come on. Clark put up insane numbers (19 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals, and a block) but more than that, it’s his energy that seems to get the rest of the team going. I am not joking when I say Clark is making the kind of noise that would get him PotY consideration on any team that didn’t already have two other candidates.
Interior Check - This might become a reoccurring segment early in the season, but I’m keeping track of the minutes allocation for UCLA in the interior. Adem Bona was able to stay out of foul trouble, so he ended up with the lion’s share of minutes with 22. More interestingly, Kenneth Nwuba was able to get 14 minutes despite getting into early foul trouble, while Mac Etienne only saw four minutes. I’m going to guess that Etienne isn’t actually as fully-ready as he appeared he might be in the first game and that they’re going to bring him along slowly. Either way, the minute breakdown against Illinois will prove fascinating.
The Offense Looks Much Better - I had a friend message me during the game to say that UCLA losing Johnny Juzang might have been a good thing. I understood what he meant by that because the Bruins had some impressive ball movement in this game. UCLA’s offense for the first three years under Mick Cronin featured some ruthless targeting of opposing defenses, hunting for mismatches, and then having UCLA’s talented wings attack in one-on-one situations. As I said, ruthless in its efficiency, but not exactly the prettiest offense. By contrast, UCLA looks much more balanced this year, with shooters complemented by excellent cutters and drivers, and finished by an interior game that can clean things up when needed. The ball movement was beautiful for long stretches of this game, and if UCLA can supplement it with the hunting offense of years past, we might end up with the best offense of the Mick Cronin era.
The Bruins now head on the road for the first time this year, heading to Las Vegas for the first round of the Continental Tires Invitational, where they will play Illinois on Friday. Tip-off is set for 6:30 PM PT.
Go Bruins!
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JC Superstar!
Ucla just signed their SG to replace Amari tonight. Don’t think he was on anyone’s radar? 4-star Sebastian Mack!