With the UCLA basketball team back at Pauley Pavilion, Go Joe Bruin looks at a few stats between the Bruins and the Utah Utes.
On Thursday night, the UCLA basketball team (12-4, 3-1) welcome the Utes from Utah (10-5, 2-2) to Pauley Pavilion. After an up and down non-conference performance, the Bruins currently find themselves atop the PAC-12.
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Utah is riding a two game losing streak after opening conference play 2-0. But before tip-off, let’s take a look at a couple numbers and stats that could have an effect on the game.
Utah is shooting 78.5% (8th in the nation) from the free throw line
UCLA is shooting 69.8% (214th in the nation) from the free throw line
The Bruins’ inefficiency from the line is the worst kept secret in the PAC-12. Their inability to hit free throws late in the Stanford game cost them a win and a perfect 4-0 start to conference play. The frustrating part is if UCLA was able to shoot a better percentage from the line, they could have at least two more victories.
I know that’s an obvious statement but the Bruins are averaging just under 26 free throws a game (6th in the nation). If their FT% were closer to 75%, they would have beat Stanford and could have held on against Michigan.
If Thursday’s game against Utah is close and comes down to free throw shooting, the Bruins could find themselves in trouble.
The Bruins rank second in the PAC-12 in offensive rebounding
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UCLA is a good rebounding team, grabbing over 40 rebounds a game. Much of this is thanks to the 11.1 boards a game pulled down by Thomas Welsh. But Kris Wilkes (5.4), Gyorgy Goloman (4.7), and even Alex Olesinski (4.3) are hitting the glass every game.
As a team, the Bruins are grabbing just over 10 offensive rebounds a game giving them the opportunity for second and third chances to score. On the flip side, the Utes are dead last in the PAC-12 pulling down just five offensive rebounds a game.
In fact only one player, Tyler Rawson, is averaging over five total rebounds a game for Utah. If the Bruins can crash the boards and limit Utah to just one shot per possession while pulling down 10 offensive boards for themselves, UCLA has a great chance of getting out of this game with a victory.
Longest winning streak in this brief rivalry is two
In 11 games, neither team has been able to dominate this series. The Bruins were able to get two straight victories in 2012 and 2013 but ever since then, UCLA and Utah have traded victories back and forth.
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Unfortunately for the Bruins, they were able to go into Utah last year and come away with a one point victory. If the pattern holds up the Utes are due for a win this year. But, on paper at least, UCLA has a stronger squad and should extend their streak against Utah to two.