Jan 23, 2016; Eugene, OR, USA; Oregon Ducks forward Chris Boucher (25) watches as UCLA Bruins guard Bryce Alford (20) shoots the ball at Matthew Knight Arena. Mandatory Credit: Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports
The UCLA Basketball team has something to prove this year during Pac-12 play as they try to win a conference title after last season’s poor 6-12 performance.
The UCLA Basketball team is heading into Pac-12 play with a 13-0 record. Though they should keep the pace of their uptempo offense going, they need to be aware of the perils that the Pac-12 season brings.
Last season, the Bruins simply ran out of gas by the time conference play rolled around. Though they went 9-4 in their non-conference schedule — which included wins over #1 Kentucky and Gonzaga — the Bruins essentially ran into a brick wall once they started the Pac-12 portion of their schedule.
UCLA went on the road to the Washington schools and lost both games. The win over UCLA was Wazzu’s only conference victory of the year. It was that bad.
So how will the Bruins do this Pac-12 season? Let us first take a look and the schedule:
ucla bruins
Go Joe Bruin 12hUCLA Basketball: Bruins #2 in the AP Poll for the Fourth Straight Week
More headlines around FanSided:
12h - UCLA Basketball: Though Perfect, The Bruins Still Have a Few Things to Fix11h - NCAA Basketball: Ranking the most thrilling teams to watch in the country3d - What's Bruin Show - Episode 117 - UCLA Basketball is Perfect Heading Into The Pac-123d - UCLA Basketball Recruiting: Charles O'Bannon Jr. Picks USC Over UCLA4d - UCLA Basketball is on a Championship PathMore News at Go Joe Bruin
Wed, Dec 28, 6 p.m. at Oregon (ESPN2)
Fri, Dec 30, 8 p.m. at Oregon State (Pac-12)
Thu, Jan 5, 6 p.m. vs Cal (ESPN or ESPN2)
Sun, Jan 8, 5 p.m. vs Stanford (FS1)
Thu, Jan 12, 8 p.m. at Colorado (FS1)
Sat, Jan 14, 3 p.m. at Utah (Pac-12)
Thu, Jan 19, 8 p.m. vs Arizona State (FS1)
Sat, Jan 21, 1 p.m. vs Arizona (CBS)
Wed, Jan 25, 8 p.m. at USC (FS1)
Wed, Feb 1, 6 p.m. at Washington State (Pac-12)
Sat, Feb 4, 7:30 p.m. at Washington (Pac-12)
Thu, Feb 9, 7 p.m. vs Oregon (ESPN)
Sun Feb 12, 2 p.m. vs Oregon State (FS1)
Sat, Feb 18, 7 p.m. vs USC (Pac-12)
Thu, Feb 23, 6 p.m. at Arizona State (ESPN or ESPN2)
Sat, Feb 25, TBD at Arizona (ESPN or ESPN2)
Wed, Mar 1, 8 p.m. vs Washington (FS1)
Sat , Mar 4, 6:30 p.m. vs Washington State (ESPNU)
Wed, Mar 8, Pac-12 Tournament Begins
<<<BOLD – home game, Italics – away game>>>
Dec 21, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Lonzo Ball (2) shoots against the Western Michigan Broncos in the second half at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
Pac-12 Preview, Cont.
Clearly, this is a different team than UCLA Basketball displayed last season. Lonzo Ball, TJ Leaf and Ike Anigbogu are three freshmen that have really helped elevate the Bruins back to an elite level.
They have fit in perfectly with veterans Bryce Alford, Isaac Hamilton, Thomas Welsh and Aaron Holiday and should do good things against their conference opponents. Last season, the Bruins had most of these pieces in place, but bad roster management and a thin depth chart helped lead to their late season downfall.
That changes this season. Not only do the Bruins have depth, but all of their pieces are fitting nicely into place. They also have Ball who is an expert at pacing the game in UCLA’s favor.
The result: 13-0 in non-conference and a #2 ranking. So what will happen in the Pac-12?
In my preseason schedule analysis, I predicted the Bruins would go 14-4 in the Pac-12. I still believe this will happen with losses all away from Pauley Pavilion at Oregon, Utah, Washington and Arizona, but that could change.
Looking at each of these four team’s non-conference performances and how the Bruins have done on the road, it is possible for the Bruins to go into Utah and Washington and win. That means possibly losing at Oregon and Arizona, though that could also turn out wins for the Bruins, but let us not get ahead of ourselves.
If UCLA beats Oregon in their first Pac-12 game of the season, that will set the tone for the rest of the schedule.
Pac-12 Preview, Cont.
Getting back to beating Utah and Washington, if UCLA pulls out a win against one of these teams, it will be the first time Steve Alford has gotten a conference road sweep in his tenure at UCLA. It is possible he gets all four, but I could easily see him getting two.
More from Go Joe Bruin
As for defending the home court, except for last season, the Bruins have been very good at winning at home. That should get back to normal this season with this team stepping onto Nell and John Wooden Court. Yes, I am predicting UCLA stays perfect at home.
As for the legitimate contenders, Oregon, Arizona and USC will all be gunning for the Bruins and are the biggest threats in conference. So with my prediction of staying perfect at home, UCLA’s games at these three opponent’s home arenas will be very important to watch as these three games could result in losses for UCLA.
But that brings me to my last point: USC. With the Trojans beating, pardon…, embarrassing UCLA three times last season, I expect the Bruins to come out against the Trojans with guns a-blazin’. That is right, two wins over USC this season and a possible third in the Pac-12 tournament. The Bruins will be that hungry for wins agsint their crosstown rival.
I still stand by a 14-4 conference record prediction, but could also see UCLA winning the Pac-12 with a 16-2 record. And yes, I can see the Bruins going undefeated, but I will reserve caution after what the Bruins did last season. They need to prove they can handle the slings and arrows of outrageous Pac-12 play before trying to go perfect in conference.
Improved, definitely. But enough to go 18-0 in the Pac-12? That might be too optimistic.
