UCLA Basketball: Slow starts and second half surges
The UCLA basketball team has had some slow starts this season, but they have become resilient in second halves as they not only kick things up a notch, but are able to put games away.
It has been a slow process, but the UCLA basketball team is finding their identity. The Bruins are a shell of what they were last season. Heck, they are a shell of what they were from their exhibition game this season.
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UCLA lost five players from last year and indefinitely lost three players from the start of this season. Considering Aaron Holiday, Thomas Welsh and Gyorgy Goloman are the only three returning Bruins that played major minutes in 2016-17, it is a concern that they only contributed 28.3% of UCLA’s total points last year.
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Finding offense was going to take some time which is evident by how they have started games slow this season. The good news is that they are pulling things together after halftime and getting wins.
Though the Bruins lost a lot of young talent, we are seeing what upperclassman experience can do for a team, specifically with Holiday and Welsh.
Both have been instrumental in leading the Bruins. For example, against Wisconsin, Holiday made the game-winning layup with 0.8 seconds left. Welsh has logged double-doubles in five of UCLA’s seven games. Where would the Bruins be wothout them leading the way?
Their leadership has been the spark which is laying the path for other Bruins to chip in points as the team is collectively shooting better and making more shots in the second half of games (the first two games excluded).
UCLA Basketball Field Goal Percentage by Half (first 7 games)
| Opponent | First Half | Second Half |
|---|---|---|
| Georgia Tech | (13/29) 44.8% | (9/25) 36.0% |
| Cen. Arkansas | (20/41) 48.8% | (13/32) 40.6% |
| South Carolina St. | (16/37) 43.2% | (21/30) 70.0% |
| Creighton | (13/32) 40.6% | (17/36) 47.2% |
| Wisconsin | (12/24) 50.0% | (15/26) 57.7% |
| UC Irvine | (13/33) 39.4% | (15/32) 46.9% |
| CS Bakersfield | (10/29) 34.5% | (17/30) 56.7% |
| TOTAL | (97/225) 43.1% | (107/211) 50.7% |
*Note – stats represent (made shots/attempted shots) Field Goal %
In the last two games against UC Irvine and Cal State Bakersfield, UCLA was struggling mightily in the first half. Arguably, they should have dominated both teams from the start, but instead the Bruins had two of their worst shooting halves of the season in those games.
In the first half against Cal State Bakersfield, the Bruins went over seven minutes without scoring a basket. Eight minutes into the game, they only put up seven points.
Fortunately, the Bruins once again synced up after halftime, just like they did in the previous four games. Though they are starting slow, it is more important at this point of the season to finish strong, especially for a team that is incomplete and still trying to find their indentity.
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It’s not pretty, but UCLA is getting wins, primarily because of their leadership and determination. This is an important trait to have, especially when they take on tougher opponents like Michigan, Cincinnati and Kentucky, all of which do battle with the Bruins in the next few weeks.