The UCLA basketball team is now the #20 team in the nation after starting the season 2-0 with wins over Purdue Fort Wayne and Long Beach State.
Depsite all the talent the UCLA basketball team has, they still need time to build chemistry. That was apparent last Friday when the Bruins struggled to put away Long Beach State at Pauley Pavilion.
RELATED: Podcast – The UCLA Men’s Basketball 2018-19 Season Preview
Despite the 91-80 win, which came after a drubbing of Purdue Fort Wayne by the score of 96-71, the Bruins, and more specifically head coach Steve Alford, showed that there are still some holes in the game plan. The defense continued to underachieve, the offense struggled to get going at times and there did not seem to be any meaningful coaching adjustments.
More from Go Joe Bruin
- UCLA Football: It’s time for the nation to meet Dante Moore
- UCLA Football: Where are they ranked heading into week 4
- UCLA Football: Position battle breakdown for Utah showdown
- UCLA vs. Utah: Location, time, prediction, and more
- UCLA Football: Highlights from Chip Kelly’s appearance on the Jim Rome Show
But a win is a win and that win helped the Bruins move up one spot to #20 in the latest Ap Top 25 poll.
UCLA has a ways to go to get this talented, but very young, team moving. We have seen what sophomores Kris Wilkes and Jaylen Hands are capable of. As the de facto leaders of this team, these to have to step up and take control if the Bruins want to be successful this season.
UCLA also has a human highlight reel in Moses Brown who logged his second double-double in as many games with 17 points and 10 rebounds against LBSU.
The Bruins also have to get their role players to step up, especially Prince Ali and Chris Smith who have at least one season of Bruin basketball under their belts. If they can consistently contribute points and plays in every game, this team can go far.
The issue here has to do with game planning and adjustments. After five years, Alford should know how to manage a game and put an effective defense on the floor. Unfortunately, that has not been the case.
For now, moving up one spot is fine, but it will only get harder as the season progresses.
Other Pac-12 teams in the Top 25: Oregon moves up one spot to #13. Washington, Arizona State and Arizona also received votes.