UCLA Basketball Is Getting Big, Bruins Are Improving With Help From Their Front Court

UCLA basketball needed to make several changes after a very bad five-game losing streak. Their ‘shoot first, shoot early’ approach had done very little to help them in that time, especially when they played teams that actually played defense. Though the Bruins played four very good teams during that time, three of which are currently top ten teams, it did not make up for the fact that UCLA has several glaring deficiencies. Luckily, head coach Steve Alford finally realized that changes needed to be made, one of which was to get the front court more involved.

UCLA Bruins

In their first ten games, UCLA was scoring 81.5 points per game. During their losing streak, that number dramatically dropped to 52.6. A lot of that had to do with the fact that the Bruins had started slow in each and everyone of those games. UCLA is posting a .426 shooting percentage for the season, but in that losing streak, the Bruins dropped to .319. The reason: relying way too much on outside shooting.

Alford had lived and died by his team shooting from the outside, the majority of which came from his son, point guard Bryce Alford, who has a team-high 224 shot attempts on the season. Currently, he is 7th on the team in field goal percentage with .388. Clearly, things had to change.

The change has now been the focus of UCLA basketball, especially in their last three games as they have posted victories over Stanford, Cal and USC. In those games, the Bruins shooting percentage have spiked as they have shot .435, .446 and .565, respectively, which is above their season average of .426.. Has UCLA been shooting better? You can say that. You can also say that the Bruins plan of attack has been a more patient one that has looked down low for production.

Jan 14, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins forward Tony Parker (23) is defended by Southern California Trojans guard Julian Jacobs (12) at Galen Center. UCLA defeated USC 83-66. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Bruins seemed to have a hard time getting the ball in the low post early in the season, but in the last few games, it has been a priority to get the ball to center Tony Parker and forward Kevon Looney. Parker is getting just over 10 points a game, but in the last three, he is getting 16.3, with an astounding 22 against the Cardinal. Not only has he been able to take the ball inside more often, but he has found a way to finish consistently under the basket. Parker is leading the team in FG% with .541.

We all know that Looney can do special things whenever he has the ball in his hands. Not only can he wreck havoc down low, but he can also make shots from beyond the arc. Currently, he is the only Bruin averaging a double-double for the season with 13.0 points per game and 10.3 rebounds per game. On top of that, he is so powerful that he not only creates mismatches against defenders, but can also break baskets when he does attack the rim, as he showed in the game against USC.

The point is that the Bruins have changed their game plan for the better. Coach Alford knows this and so does Bryce Alford. Bryce, who has recently been in a shooting slump, has been the facilitator of the more patient offense. Though he still makes ill-advised shots, they are not coming as early and often. Along with the help of the other PG Isaac Hamilton,Bryce has been finding ways to make extra passes that eventually get to their big men down low in an attempt to get the high-percentage shot.

It may be a work in progress, but that work has already paid off for the resilient Bruins. If UCLA can consistently be a threat down-low, then they will have another weapon in their arsenal that can help lead the team to victory over and over.