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UCLA Basketball: Bruins Need To DEFEND Pauley Pavilion

By Mike Regalado

December 10, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; General view of playing court before the UCLA Bruins play against the Michigan Wolverines at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
December 10, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; General view of playing court before the UCLA Bruins play against the Michigan Wolverines at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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The UCLA Basketball team has a test at home this weekend as they will try to slow down the USC Trojans who beat the Bruins five games ago.

After the Arizona game, UCLA Basketball Head Coach Steve Alford took a different approach to his defense. The Bruins were embarrassed at home against a very good defensive team as the Wildcats won 96-85.

In that game, the Bruins were struggling to find offense and had no defense as back up. That was the last time a team came into Pauley Pavilion and had their way with the Bruins.

On Saturday, UCLA’s next big test at home will come from the USC Trojans. Back on January 25, just one game after the Arizona debacle, UCLA sauntered into the Galen Center and took an early lead. Not surprising to anyone.

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The Bruins were slicing through the Trojan defense and doing anything they wanted… until USC changed things up and used their suffocating zone to limit the Bruins. It didn’t get any better in the second half as USC dominated UCLA the entire game in a 84-76 victory.

Once again, when the shots were not falling and UCLA has no defense, they were susceptible to the kind a tragedy they incurred across town that night.

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Things have been different in the last four games. The Bruins are currently on a win streak that had them get their second road sweep of the season against the Washington schools and a supercharged, come-from-behind victory against the former #5 Oregon Ducks.

In each of those contests, we have seen marked improvement on the defensive end. The Bruins may take some time to get their offense clicking, but when they do, added with their new focus on defense, they have been very deadly.

The Bruins need to keep that going this weekend when USC invades Pauley Pavilion.  If the Bruins produce the type of defense they have had in the last four games, they should get should be able to limit USC’s chances.

Another thing they need to do is slow down USC’s big man Chimezie Metu in the paint. Personally, I would stick Ike Anigbogu on him as often as possible and get a few double-teams in there. As a whole, the Bruins need to continue their in-the-face pressure, get in passing lanes and box out, box out, box out, box out!

UCLA should be ready for this one. It will be a fantastic home atmosphere, they want to keep their winning streak going and there’s no way Lonzo Ball and Company are going to allow USC to beat them five times in a row.

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If UCLA wins, you can bet that defense had something to do with it. Go Bruins!