The UCLA Bruins were an example of a team that didn’t do much of anything special during the regular season. However, as soon as March came around, this team surprised a lot of bettors.
2013-14 Recap
The Bruins’ wrong turns did not come in March. This team blazed through the Pac-12 Tournament, beating the regular season league champion, Arizona, in a very well-played tournament championship game. The Bruins’ best game of the season came in that second meeting with the Wildcats after the two teams played in Los Angeles a few weeks before. After winning the Pac-12 Tournament, the Bruins won two games in the opening rounds of the NCAA tournament to reach the Sweet 16.
UCLA crossed that point between solid teams and teams that really made a lot out of their seasons. By getting to the Sweet 16, UCLA showed that it was on a higher level than other teams across the country and in the Pac-12 itself. Losing to an eventual Final Four team, Florida, in the Sweet 16 was nothing to get upset about.
It was in the regular season that this team didn’t do nearly as well as it could have. The Bruins lost their final regular season game to Washington State by 18 points. The team lost at home to Oregon and suffered a few other puzzling losses. The Bruins didn’t do anything of note in the November-December non-conference part of their schedule, losing to Duke in one of the truly challenging games this team played outside the Pac-12.
UCLA suffered a lot more on defense than on offense last season. The Bruins averaged only three blocked shots per game, putting them 10th in the Pac-12. The Bruins rebounded only 50.9 percent of all shots (offense and defense), which put them seventh in the Pac-12. UCLA’s two-point field goal percentage defense was 48.6, eighth in the Pac-12.
This was an ordinary defensive team, and when Florida scored 79 points against this team to end UCLA’s season, the Bruins realized what it looked like when an opponent could string together lots of successful offensive possessions. UCLA had a lot of talented ball handlers who could also get on hot streaks as shooters. The Bruins benefited from an offensive surge in March. However, this team needed to cultivate a few defensive stoppers as the season moved along, and the Bruins never found that ability.
Offseason Changes
The Bruins experienced a lot of roster turnover. There’s probably not another school in the country that will undergo more personnel changes.
They fielded the Wear twins, David and Travis, last season. They also had Kyle Anderson, Jordan Adams, and Zach LaVine. Each one of those players has since moved on to the pros.
They’ve also found out that top recruit Jonah Bolden was ineligible for the season and then point guard Jon Octeus was denied admission to the school. Needless to say, this team is somewhat shorthanded going into the season.
At the same time, it doesn’t mean that there will be a massive drop-off. Freshman Kevon Looney will be counted upon heavily and he had a really good summer. Tony Parker and Norman Powell will have to carry the workload early in the season so that the newcomers can adjust. It will be interesting to see what Steve Alford gets out of these guys, including his son, Bryce.
Projected Finish
This is a team that wasn’t that good last season but put together a solid stretch in March to impress. And then they lost a ton of talent and are in full-on rebuilding mode. However, there’s still plenty of athletes here and Alford is an underrated coach. In a weak conference, the Bruins should get back to the NCAA Tournament and last a round or two.
Pick: Second In the Pac-12, Round of 32 In The NCAA Tournament
