UCLA Shoots Its Way Past Utah, 78-71
The effort from the Bruins was notably lackluster for most of the game.
Every year I have to make the statement that the Rocky Mountain Road Trip is the hardest road set in the conference. The games are at altitude, the opponents are always fairly good and scrappy, and no one has a good time. This year, not a single team has managed to get a road sweep on the RMRT, and that doesn’t even include Arizona coming to Utah and losing in the very building UCLA was playing in tonight. So when I start this article by stating that picking up a victory in the first leg of the RMRT is a good sign despite how poorly the Bruins played for large stretches of the game, I mean it as a compliment.
But also, this is The Mighty Bruin, and we try not to accept things in a victory that we would not in a defeat.
So let’s talk a bit about what was a generally weak showing from UCLA, starting on the defensive end. From a raw numbers perspective, the UCLA defense was fine, holding Utah to 43.3% from the field in the game, but that number hides an interesting first half where the Utes shot only 33.3% but managed to grab an offensive rebound on 40.9% of their misses. The Bruins just showed poor effort on the defensive glass all half, with multiple players failing to box out with any sort of conviction. The Bruins did a better job of grabbing rebounds in the second half, but it feels like you could explain that in part by recognizing that Utah finally started hitting their shots, shooting 55.6% from the field in the second half, including 6-11 from three-point range after missing all 10 of their attempts in the first half. Maybe nothing illustrates the poor play of the UCLA defense more than Mike Saunders Jr., who entered this game averaging 2.7 points a game but went off for 25 points as Tyger Campbell routinely failed to contain him.
(For the record, Saunders is the exact kind of quick guard who routinely gives Campbell fits but is typically contained by Dylan Andrews, and I don’t think its a coincidence that some of UCLA’s best defensive efforts in this game came with Andrews in the game and Campbell on the bench, but I digress.)
This is the first game in a while where the UCLA defense looked out of sorts, and I’m not exactly sure why that is the case. Certainly, Adem Bona getting in foul trouble in the second half was a factor, as he played 12 minutes in the first half but only five in the second, which meant more minutes from Kenneth Nwuba, fresh off of an injury. Nwuba really did not look playable in this game against Utah’s interior play, specifically Branden Carlson, who is a long, tall athlete who can shoot from the outside. Mac Etienne faired a bit better defensively but did not see much action in the second half.
But in general, I think you could put a lot of the blame for UCLA’s defensive issues on a lack of effort. The Bruins, especially the veterans in Tyger Campbell and (to a lesser extent) David Singleton were too lackadaisical in their defending, consistently losing their man and giving up open looks that the Utes were good enough to convert. It’s not surprising given what the offense was doing, but not the best look in the world.
Ok, maybe I should mention that offense now, because it was really damn good in this game. The Bruins shot 50.8% from the field in this game, with the offense generating open look after open look against what has been a solid Utah defense. Coach Cronin and his staff seemingly recognized that Utah had a soft spot defensively in the midrange as the Bruins attacked it relentlessly. Jaime Jaquez, Amari Bailey, and Dylan Andrews all repeatedly found themselves with open looks at the elbow and from 10 feet out, and while not every shot went down, you have to like the number of open looks they got. You also have to like how Tyger Campbell looked offensively in this game, as he finally got back on the right track offensively, snapping a streak of five games in single-digit points by scoring 18 on 6-12 shooting including hitting three of his four three-point attempts. Dylan Andrews similarly had a great game off the bench, scoring 10 points on an efficient 4-7 shooting night.
But the night belonged to Jaime Jaquez, who continues to make the case for being the conference player of the year with a 23-point, eight-rebound performance. When the Bruins started getting bogged down late, they turned to their star, and he delivered, scoring seven points in the final four minutes to help UCLA pull away late. Every team hoping to compete in April needs someone who is unequivocally The Guy, and Jaquez is showing that he can be The Guy for UCLA.
With the win, the Bruins are one step closer to a Pac-12 regular season title. If they can win on Sunday against Colorado, they will clinch at least a share of the title. The time to close things out is upon us.
Jaime Jaquez led the Bruins with 23 points and eight rebounds. Jaylen Clark and Tyger Campbell tied for the team lead with five assists. Mike Saunders Jr. led the Utes with 25 points.
Three Takeaways
Player of the Game: Jaime Jaquez - When the team needed a spark late, Jaquez was there to deliver. Jaime scored seven of his 23 points in the final four minutes to help the Bruins put this game out of reach, and he continues to make a late push in the Pac-12 Player of the Year race.
Area to Improve: Effort on Defense - There’s no other way to put it: the Bruins lacked effort on the defensive end for large portions of this game. In the first half, the Bruins could not be bothered to box out, allowing Utah to grab nine offensive rebounds and keep themselves in the game despite a poor shooting half. In the second half, the Bruins were lackadaisical in staying with their man, allowing Utah to have a bevy of open looks. UCLA was able to win thanks to a talent advantage, but they’re not going to be able ot get away with that kind of performance against better opponents.
I Am So Tired of the Refs in this Stupid Conference - Fast forward to 2024. I just don’t care anymore. This conference is clown shoes in all the worst ways. And this isn’t me complaining that the refs were anti-UCLA; they were just awful both ways, making things up as they go along. I hate it here.
The Bruins actually get an extra rest day on the Rocky Mountain Road Trip before taking on Colorado on Sunday. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 PM PT.
Go Bruins!
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Watching the game, I got a deja vu with previous games--particularly the last USC game. UCLA gets a respectable lead in the first half, plays lackadaisical defense in the second half while the offense struggles, a player on the opposing team gets hot and can not be guarded (B Ellis or last night, Saunders) and suddenly the lead and momentum is gone. Can pull it out against a short handed Utah team but not against second week NCAA tournament teams. Tyger is needed for bringing up the ball, assists, and on an off offense but he is vulnerable to fast guards on defense. Do not know if there is a cure for that other than Tyger sits on the bench when he is being torched and put Andrews on defense. Taking the foot off the peddle, particularly on defense, is something Cronin needs to address.
Wow, Mildcats just lost to ASU at home! That really opens up the path for us in our tourney. We just have to handle our business and play our game. Absolutely no excuses now! Let's go, Bruins!!