The UCLA Basketball team returns to Pauley Pavilion for their home opener and will try to build off their win in China as they are set to face Central Arkansas.
The UCLA Basketball team has a lot going on right now. First there was that whole shoplifting thing in China. That resulted in the arrest and subsequent loss of three players for their season opener. With that, UCLA barely took out a Georgia Tech squad that was missing two starters.
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Needless to say, it has been quiet eventful for the Bruins the last week.
That all settles as the Bruins come back home to Pauley Pavilion for their home opener on Wednesday. Not only will the recent pressures be off of their shoulders, but the Bruins can practice their new style (altered due to the arrest of LiAngelo Ball, Jalen Hill and Cody Riley) against an opponent that is not a huge threat.
Though the Bruins will have to be dealing with the distraction of the morning’s press conference about the situation in China, once they get on the court they should be all business. Here is everything you need to know about UCLA Basketball vs. Central Arkansas
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UCLA Basketball vs. Central Arkansas Game Day Info
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Records: UCLA Bruins 1-0
Central Arkansas Bears 1-1
Location: Pauley Pavilion, Westwood, CA
Tipoff: 8:00 p.m. PT
TV: Pac-12 Networks
Live Stream: Pac-12 Live
Radio: AM 570 or 1150 Los Angeles
On-line Radio: Tune-In
Odds: UCLA -26.5
Last Game:
#21 UCLA d. Georgia Tech, 63-60
Central Arkansas d. University of the Ozarks, 99-51
UCLA Basketball vs. Central Arkansas Preview
Projected Starters:
UCLA – G Aaron Holiday, G Jaylen Hands, F Kris Wilkes, F Gyorgy Goloman, C Thomas Welsh
Central Arkansas – G Thatch Unruh, G Jordan Howard, F Ethan Lee, F Aaron Weidenaar, C Haden Koval
Head Coaches:
UCLA – Steve Alford | Central Arkansas – Russ Pennell
Rosters:
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UCLA offense vs. Central Arkansas defense
Against a team of lesser value, Central Arkansas showed that they can get up and down the court, which we will get into in a second. Against a team of greater value, nothing seemed to go right.
That is what happened to the Bears when they faced another Bears team, Baylor. In their season opener, Central Arkansas allowed Baylor to shoot a record-best 66.1% from the field. It gets worse. Baylor shot 70.6% from behind the line.
If the Bruins can get their shots to fall, they should easily be able to take out Central Arkansas. The Bruins will try to get up and down the court quickly, so if they have the outside shots falling, it will only help them dominate the Bears.
The thing is, UCLA also has to have their high-percentage shots falling. Against Georgia Tech, the Bruins missed an unprecedented amount of shots in the paint. From inside the arc, the Bruins shot a dreadful, .425 (compare that to the .591 they shot last season).
We can chock it up to nerves of the first game and the distraction of the scandal, but the Bruins have to make sure the short shot makes it in the bucket and set themselves up to take good outside shots. One way to do that, Welsh and Holiday need to play with some more aggression.
UCLA defense vs. Central Arkansas offense
So what can the Bears do with the ball? Well if they find a rhythm like they did against University of the Ozarks, they can shoot well over 55 percent. The strange thing is, that this could happen easier than you think against the Bruins. UCLA did not show a lot of defensive growth against GT but they had their moments.
It is unfortunate that the Bruins lost the likes of Hill and Riley, who would have made their presence in the paint known. And unfortunately for Welsh, though he had 8 rebounds and 3 blocks, we still saw a bit of the matador defense from him (and few other Bruin players) as GT was able to get past UCLA on their way to the basket.
The Bruins need to also get used to finishing games. Against Georgia Tech, UCLA went on an 11-0 run to start the second half, but tried to coast to the end. The Bruins were able to hold off the Yellow Jackets, but it still did not stop what seemed to be a bit of complacency with UCLA, something we have seen in the last few seasons with Alford.
UCLA Basketball vs. Georgia Tech: Stats, Final Word and Prediction
Key Individual Stats:
Aaron Holiday – 11.0 ppg, 7.0 asts, 3.0 rebs
Jaylen Hands – 14.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.0 stls
Kris Wilkes – 18.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, .667 3FG%
Team Stats:
| Team | Avg Pts | Opp. Pts | FG% | Rebs | Asts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UCLA | 63.0 | 60.0 | 40.7 | 36.0 | 11.0 |
| Cen. Ark | 82.5 | 79.0 | 48.1 | 32.5 | 18.0 |
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Player to Watch:
Kris Wilkes – We knew Wilkes was a baller, but going 4/6 from the arc and totaling 18 points in his college debut gave Bruin fans hope after the loss of three players.
Prince Ali – Ali is going to be an important piece off the bench. He needs to continue to bring his energy into the game, the way Aaron Holiday did last season.
Gyorgy Goloman – Goloman has made improvements, but needs to stay out of foul trouble. If he can stay clean and drop in a few buckets here and there, that would be a huge plus for UCLA.
Last Word
The Bruins had distractions surrounding them in their last game, to no fault of their own. Plus they went to battle with a tough defensive-minded Georgia Tech team. The Bruins should be able to cut their teeth on this season as they easily put away Central Arkansas. And if they cannot, then that is a huge indicator
the Bruins are in trouble.
Next: Both UCLA Basketball teams get wins in their season openers
Prediction: UCLA 97 – Central Arkansas 75