Great write up. Got to watch the full highlights. Another game for me to eat some crow. I bash on tyger a lot, but he was the only one making shots for a few stretches. I still think that Andrews is better for the offense and needs to see more play time, but understandable that it’s a risk agains Kentucky.
Jaquez seemed to own the paint and is looking so much better than he did to end the season last year. Just a joy to watch.
The refs looked to let them play it out on the boards. In the first half ucla didn’t look so good, but they definitely adjusted in the second half and you could tell that the refs were letting them play so they were pushing based on what was being allowed. Some great adjustment.
Offense struggled at times, but Kentucky is the 6th most efficient defense according to kenpom, so this offensive showing was not surprising. What was surprising is ucla defense… as you stated, 8 pts in 10 minutes to end the game is an amazing feet against a high caliber team. Pretty amazing defense as they were not giving any open looks.
Ucla defensive efficiency has jumped from the mid 20’s to 12 on kenpom. They should be in the top 10 after two very convincing wins thousands of miles from home. Some great wins after the lull in vegas
I can say this with utmost confidence. This year, our UCLA basketball team will go a long way , if not all the way, to the Final Four.
Etienne gave us some scare at the closing minutes when he kept missing free throws. But ultimately, we beat a talented Kentucky team at either ends of the court. Coming into the game, Calipari may have his fame, the heralded recruits and the entire state of Kentucky behind him. But this afternoon, Mick Cronin made Calipari say uncle because Cronin showed a packed Madison Square Garden that he is the better coach in this game. A statement has indeed been made.
Ironically, if my memory holds true about what I heard during the coaching search after Steve Alford was dismissed, Calipari also wanted the UCLA job then although it turned out merely to be a ploy, as I was told, to get Kentucky to redo his contract for another hefty raise. I remembered they did.
Nevertheless, we got the right guy and the right coach. Look at the hard nosed, diligent defense, outstanding offensive plays and the on court leadership of Jaquez and Campbell. Etienne is raw. He will improve as the season progresses. So do other players. This is why I am bullish on this team.
What happened early on in Vegas stays in Vegas. The Bruins have gained more experience and are learning how to play stingy defense, which is what enabled them to control this game and beat Kentucky. Being a NY native, I'm sure Etienne had a lot of incentive to play well in front of his family and friends, so no surprise that he had a positive impact. Also nice to have 3 bigs to call upon in case of foul troubles. Cronin can always rely on his veterans (Jaquez, Tyger, Clark, and Singleton), but hope we'll see more action from the talented freshmen (and Stong!) against UC Davis. Go Bruins!
That shutdown of KY's scoring in the last minutes was awesome! When we first saw Jaime I called him our Energizer Bunny. Then came the year of the twisted ankles. Now it looks like Mr Energizer is back. Watching Jaylen's long arms snatch rebounds was cool, too! Go Bruins!
Mac as a freshman literally was playing for Brewster Academy one week, and on the court against #3 to-be pick Mobley the next week. Thus no fear of Big Oscar.
Does Mac lead the team in rebounds per minute?
Great game management by Mick. His team mirrored his focus.
Out of all my favorite teams, only the Bruins are bringing me joy (and entertainment) this holiday season. The Dodgers, Lakers, and Rams are simply not very much fun. Go Bruins. Be great.
Collin gets into a pretty deep discussion about his sports and academic career at Kent State. He redshirted 1 season and played 3 seasons at Kent State and as everyone knows, he's classified as a junior with 2 seasons left. However, this was his 4th year on campus; academically he was a senior and in his interview, he essentially said he was finished with his degree requirements. He said that after this school year, he would have to either do internships or enter graduate school to work on his Masters.
IMO, that's why he's coming to UCLA. Academically, he was done at Kent State and had to enter the transfer portal unless he wanted to do his graduate work at Kent State again. Coming to UCLA gains his experience in Chip's pro-style offense at the nation's best university. His major is sports administration. An MBA from the Anderson School of Business will go a long ways towards helping him reach his life goals beyond football.
It's totally obvious that Dante Moore will be first in line for the QB job, being that he's the #3 player and #3 QB in the country per 247 Sports. Collin was the #81 QB when he came out of high school, but he developed over his 3 active seasons and he's a capable starter, but on the videos I watched, Dante looks like he's ready to go now. But if he's not ready, Schlee could jump right in and produce at a high level.
While he might have NFL aspirations, I got the impression that he's a bit more grounded in his expectations. Guys who don't start until their 4th year of college usually don't make it to the big show. But he played well in his one year as a starter at Kent State and he seems to be a really intelligent kid. I don't think not starting is going to kill him.
Side bar: Dante Moore is listed at 6'3". He looks taller than that. I could be wrong. Maybe his high school lineman are short or the camera angles were bad.
I should note that this post is already out of date.
Because UCLA moved up to #3 in KenPom after Tennessee lost to Arizona, with the offense now up to #3.
What's the rationale for a 2PM start?
Great write up. Got to watch the full highlights. Another game for me to eat some crow. I bash on tyger a lot, but he was the only one making shots for a few stretches. I still think that Andrews is better for the offense and needs to see more play time, but understandable that it’s a risk agains Kentucky.
Jaquez seemed to own the paint and is looking so much better than he did to end the season last year. Just a joy to watch.
The refs looked to let them play it out on the boards. In the first half ucla didn’t look so good, but they definitely adjusted in the second half and you could tell that the refs were letting them play so they were pushing based on what was being allowed. Some great adjustment.
Offense struggled at times, but Kentucky is the 6th most efficient defense according to kenpom, so this offensive showing was not surprising. What was surprising is ucla defense… as you stated, 8 pts in 10 minutes to end the game is an amazing feet against a high caliber team. Pretty amazing defense as they were not giving any open looks.
Ucla defensive efficiency has jumped from the mid 20’s to 12 on kenpom. They should be in the top 10 after two very convincing wins thousands of miles from home. Some great wins after the lull in vegas
I can say this with utmost confidence. This year, our UCLA basketball team will go a long way , if not all the way, to the Final Four.
Etienne gave us some scare at the closing minutes when he kept missing free throws. But ultimately, we beat a talented Kentucky team at either ends of the court. Coming into the game, Calipari may have his fame, the heralded recruits and the entire state of Kentucky behind him. But this afternoon, Mick Cronin made Calipari say uncle because Cronin showed a packed Madison Square Garden that he is the better coach in this game. A statement has indeed been made.
Ironically, if my memory holds true about what I heard during the coaching search after Steve Alford was dismissed, Calipari also wanted the UCLA job then although it turned out merely to be a ploy, as I was told, to get Kentucky to redo his contract for another hefty raise. I remembered they did.
Nevertheless, we got the right guy and the right coach. Look at the hard nosed, diligent defense, outstanding offensive plays and the on court leadership of Jaquez and Campbell. Etienne is raw. He will improve as the season progresses. So do other players. This is why I am bullish on this team.
What happened early on in Vegas stays in Vegas. The Bruins have gained more experience and are learning how to play stingy defense, which is what enabled them to control this game and beat Kentucky. Being a NY native, I'm sure Etienne had a lot of incentive to play well in front of his family and friends, so no surprise that he had a positive impact. Also nice to have 3 bigs to call upon in case of foul troubles. Cronin can always rely on his veterans (Jaquez, Tyger, Clark, and Singleton), but hope we'll see more action from the talented freshmen (and Stong!) against UC Davis. Go Bruins!
Reminded me of Howland’s final 4 teams
That shutdown of KY's scoring in the last minutes was awesome! When we first saw Jaime I called him our Energizer Bunny. Then came the year of the twisted ankles. Now it looks like Mr Energizer is back. Watching Jaylen's long arms snatch rebounds was cool, too! Go Bruins!
Mac as a freshman literally was playing for Brewster Academy one week, and on the court against #3 to-be pick Mobley the next week. Thus no fear of Big Oscar.
Does Mac lead the team in rebounds per minute?
Great game management by Mick. His team mirrored his focus.
Strange football news today
We are ranked 13 now. And amazing football recruiting news from over the weekend. Will this increase our recruiting ranking to top 20?
https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/35286366/touted-qb-prospect-dante-moore-flips-oregon-ucla
Interesting, is football recruiting turning around? #3 prospect
Out of all my favorite teams, only the Bruins are bringing me joy (and entertainment) this holiday season. The Dodgers, Lakers, and Rams are simply not very much fun. Go Bruins. Be great.
Here's an interesting podcast with Collin Schlee as a featured guest. He comes on around the 22:00 minute mark.
https://www.fnppodcasts.com/finalscore/2022/9/21/collin-schlee-kent-state-quarterback-oakdale-graduate
Collin gets into a pretty deep discussion about his sports and academic career at Kent State. He redshirted 1 season and played 3 seasons at Kent State and as everyone knows, he's classified as a junior with 2 seasons left. However, this was his 4th year on campus; academically he was a senior and in his interview, he essentially said he was finished with his degree requirements. He said that after this school year, he would have to either do internships or enter graduate school to work on his Masters.
IMO, that's why he's coming to UCLA. Academically, he was done at Kent State and had to enter the transfer portal unless he wanted to do his graduate work at Kent State again. Coming to UCLA gains his experience in Chip's pro-style offense at the nation's best university. His major is sports administration. An MBA from the Anderson School of Business will go a long ways towards helping him reach his life goals beyond football.
It's totally obvious that Dante Moore will be first in line for the QB job, being that he's the #3 player and #3 QB in the country per 247 Sports. Collin was the #81 QB when he came out of high school, but he developed over his 3 active seasons and he's a capable starter, but on the videos I watched, Dante looks like he's ready to go now. But if he's not ready, Schlee could jump right in and produce at a high level.
While he might have NFL aspirations, I got the impression that he's a bit more grounded in his expectations. Guys who don't start until their 4th year of college usually don't make it to the big show. But he played well in his one year as a starter at Kent State and he seems to be a really intelligent kid. I don't think not starting is going to kill him.
Side bar: Dante Moore is listed at 6'3". He looks taller than that. I could be wrong. Maybe his high school lineman are short or the camera angles were bad.