The UCLA basketball team was able to rely on defense to help pull out the victory at Oregon as the Bruins only allowed 2 field goals in the last seven minutes of the game.
So what is UCLA basketball interim head coach Murry Bartow putting in the water in Westwood? UCLA has made several improvements since the former assistant took over for Steve Alford a week and a half ago and the changes are already paying dividends.
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The most surprising of all these improvements has been the emergence of a functioning defensive plan. Though UCLA continues to base themselves in a 2-3 zone which often has weaknesses, there is a lot more activity within that zone. The players seem more cognizant of who is in their area, their rotation is not great but it is cutting off more lanes, and the interior defense seems to have more chutzpah as Moses Brown grows more confident.
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The Bruins still have to find ways to cut off the corner threes and close up the backdoor cuts, but for the most part, there is progress.
Another thing that has been working for UCLA is the full-court press. Against Oregon, the Bruins forced a timeout, forced a turnover off a press (a solid effort by Prince Ali), they engaged in several traps and overall disrupted Oregon’s inbound game and ensuing possession.
That effort allowed UCLA to fight back from nine down with under a minute to go, tie the game to force overtime, and end extra time with a 7-0 run for the win. In the last 7:10 of the game (regulation and overtime), UCLA only allowed Oregon to shoot 2/15 (13.3%). In OT, the Ducks were 1/11 (9.1%).
It could be said that Oregon melted down, but in reality, they did not seem ready for such a pushback from the Bruins’ extra effort. UCLA benefitted off of those mistakes and was able to turn defense into offense on several occasions. In the last six minutes of the game, UCLA outscored Oregon, 22-10. That is a total effort. Offense, defense, transition… it was all beautiful as the Bruins did not give up on any play.
Of course, this game was not as big as “Heartbreak City”, but it was reminiscent of UCLA’s epic NCAA Tournament takedown of Gonzaga so many years ago. It was the way everyone hustled. It was how they sacrificed their bodies. It was how they stood tall when Oregon tried to go into the paint.
It was inspiring and exciting. Not all of it, as the Bruins were pretty atrocious for the majority of the game, but what matters is that they never gave up. Let us hope this is not a trend and the path the Bruins are now taking will help them get even better on defense.