LOS ANGELES – Often the starting guards of the UCLA men’s basketball team find themselves in a healthy debate. The defensive-minded trio debate the opponent’s best attacking option.


“It comes down to who we play,” senior Kobe Johnson said Wednesday. “Depending on the sizing, the matchup.”


The topic of conversation between Johnson and his stoic sidekicks this week was Caleb Love, the erratic fireball who leads Arizona in scoring (14.1 points per game) and can torch any defense when he sees his first shot fall. Johnson and junior Dylan Andrews both have experience with Love in Pac-12 battles in recent years. But according to Johnson, Louisville transfer Skyy Clark could get the “Love matchup.”


It’s a good problem to have three starters who are all willing and able to take on a challenge like guarding Love. In reality, the 24th-ranked Bruins (8-1) will face the Wildcats (4-4) on Saturday afternoon in a neutral-site game at Phoenix’s Footprint Center. And the two that aren’t on Love on any given possession should stay on their toes as this Wildcats team is chock full of defensive scorers.


Jaden Bradley and KJ Lewis, who each brought a spark off the bench last season, entered the starting lineup this season and have improved their production. Bradley is averaging 12 ppg, while Lewis is at 10.3. Arizona also added Campbell transfer Anthony Dell’Orso, who is shooting 50% on 3.8 three-point attempts per game.


“They’ve had a changing of the guard,” said UCLA head coach Mick Cronin.


This isn’t the Oumar Ballo, Pelle Larson, grind-it-out Wildcats who traded Pac-12 regular-season titles with the Bruins and defeated them for the 2023 Pac-12 Tournament championship. These Wildcats aren’t as dominant on the glass, or as impressive with their pace. That said, according to Cronin, they are still trying to play in a familiar style. Similar sets, similar tendencies, just different personnel.


And those players are still trying to teach each other as they navigate one of the nation’s toughest early-season schedules.


“They’re 4-4, but metrics-wise they’re in the Top 25,” Cronin said. “So it tells you they’re a Top 25 team.


It’s important to view them as such for the Bruins, who have had five days to come down from the high of celebrating Andrews’ game-winning, bank-shot 3-pointer against No. 12 Oregon on Sunday in Eugene.


What was ultimately a 73-71 victory was nearly a disaster for the Bruins when Andrews forced an entry pass to Tyler Bilodeau that was deflected, intercepted and turned into a Jackson Shelstad 3-pointer that put the Ducks up by one with 10 seconds left. put the lead ahead. On the ensuing possession, Andrews stumbled and missed Bilodeau, who finished off a shorter Shelstad, before recovering and saving the possession with the winning shot.



Sitemap of uhneszlqfa.evsur.ru

Cannabis News RSS Feeds: Weedrss.com

1000+ unique media and news posts every 24 hours…

Published 2 hours ago
Published 7 hours ago
Published 13 hours ago
Published 16 hours ago
Published 17 hours ago
Published 17 hours ago
Published 20 hours ago
Published 21 hours ago
Published 21 hours ago
Published 21 hours ago
Published 22 hours ago