Basketball edition looking back on the 2016 season

The best year of the Steve Alford era would come in the 2016 season. With star freshman Lonzo Ball coming in, UCLA was ready to make a run in March. Ball would be one of the best players in the nation and UCLA would go 31-5 on the year. They would spend the month of December as the No. 2 team in the nation after they were 19-1 after their first 20 games. With their only loss of that stretch being a late two-point loss to Oregon 89-87.

The Bruins had the second best offense in the nation. Averaging 89.8 points per game. Scoring 100 or more on nine separate occasions in the year. Although their defense wasn’t the best giving up 75.5 points per game. Their offense was so good that they simply just scored so much that it didn’t matter on most nights. Ball was a First-team All-American averaging 14.6 points, 7.6 assists and 6 rebounds per night. Setting the UCLA record for assists in a season with 274.

Ball was paired with another great freshman in TJ Leaf who averaged 16.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Both guys would become first round picks in the 2016 NBA draft. Aaron Holiday with 12.3 points per game and Isaac Hamilton with 14.1 points per game both had good seasons scoring the ball as well. In total the Bruins had six players average double digit points and were able to get production off the bench.

The Bruins would disappoint in the Pac-12 tournament losing to Arizona in the second round. This led to them getting the No. 3 in the South although they were 29-4. They would go on to win their first two matchups. Setting up a Ball versus De’Aaron Fox star matchup versus Kentucky in the Sweet 16. A game the Bruins would lose 86-75 and end the best window that Alford had to win at UCLA.