UCLA Basketball Wins a Big One for Coach
by DCBruins on Dec 19, 2010 6:27 AM PST
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PrintIt feels good to be a Bruin today. A win against a top 25 team for the first time in a while (08-09 season). A total team effort and while maybe not 40 minutes more than 30 minutes of great effort. Some of the trademark Ben Ball Defense but also some of the quicker offense promised. But maybe the best part was to win the Wooden Classic:
Howland admitted after the game that he had asked the team to practice with Coach Wooden in mind. UCLA played one of their worst games of the year against at last year’s Classic with the legendary coach in his box.
"I was really looking forward to meeting him," Smith said.
Wooden didn’t get to see UCLA’s performance this time around. And he never got to meet Smith. But Howland seemed sure that Wooden would have been pleased.
"We played for Coach today," Howland said. "We wanted him to be proud of our team."
The numbers are what UCLA needed to do. Our front line had 55 points and 20 rebounds. UCLA forced BYU into 19 turnovers and only 5 assists. And what I hope will become a trend, the opposing team coach praised our size and inside presence as something unique and unstoppable.
"Give a lot of credit to UCLA," [BYU Coach] Rose said. "They were physical, strong, played well and shot the ball well. We really didn't have an answer for their size ... I thought defensively they did a really good job of making it hard for our half court options, for the sets that we run. Most of the baskets we scored tonight the guys had to make plays ... that's probably as physical as we've been guarded with size all year." . . .
Briefly, BYU's switch to a zone confused UCLA and the Cougars cut the lead to 33-30 on Brock Zylstra's 2-and-1. The Bruins, however, figured things out quickly and stretched the margin back out 39-30 on back-to-back threes by Lazeric Jones and Malcom Lee. . . .
"They just didn't allow us to do what we like to do offensively," Rose said of the Bruins' defense. . . .
"UCLA had an answer for every run we made," Rose said.
The front line was led by Nelson in points which included the primal scream dunk that wrapped up the game. Tyler Honeycutt missed a couple chippies but was solid including hitting some important threes but it was Josh Smith who stole the show. Josh's ability to play with four fouls and draw the fourth foul on BYU star Jimmer Fredette was key.
"I remember my last game I had four fouls, and I had a good talk with my dad," Smith said. "He said, 'It looks like you're not having fun out there.' Basically, he said just keep your head in and keep playing. You have five fouls. Don't get down.
"I knew he (Fredette) was going to drive, and I knew he was going to leave his feet. And I just said I'm going to take the charge. If I'm late, I'm late. But if I'm not, we're good." . . .
"He's as difficult a matchup as we've probably had here in the six seasons I've been a head coach," BYU coach Dave Rose said. "He's big, he's strong, he can catch it, he gets really deep catches at the rim. And when he shoots it, he's so big and he takes up so much space he can just grab it again.
"I'm glad we don't play them again because we don't have a game plan for him. Probably if we did we'd do some things different, but I don't know what that would be."
While the freshman was the key, so was some old style CBH defense by the captian Malcolm Lee. Yes, Jimmer had 25 points but he also had 7 TOs to only one assist:
"The two numbers that probably stand out the most are our turnovers and our assists," BYU coach Dave Rose said.
"That's the difference in the game."
Perhaps no Bruin worked harder on the defensive end than guard Malcolm Lee, who was assigned to guard Cougars All-America guard Jimmer Fredette. [...]
"Malcolm's defense was really, really key on Fredette," Howland said. "He still got his average but he had to work for every point."
CBH again showed why you never want to play UCLA basketball when they have time to prepare. But this time CBH gambled big during the game and it paid off not just for this game but for the season in the all important RPI. UCLA played a substantial portion of the game with three players with four fouls and finished with four players with four fouls on the court:
A little over 10 minutes remained in the game. Three Bruins had four fouls each and were perilously close to fouling out: sophomore forward Tyler Honeycutt, junior guard Lazeric Jones and freshman center Joshua Smith. . . .
Maybe it was the lack of depth that the Bruins are faced with, down to only nine scholarship players. Maybe it was the fact that Smith was terrorizing the Cougars in the paint. Whatever the reason, Howland felt the need to gamble, and it paid off; BYU didn’t get any closer to tying the game, and the three Bruins all avoided picking up their fifth.
The Bruins came in at No. 183 in the country in the statistic that the NCAA Selection Committee considers when choosing teams, while the Cougars were No. 5.
"That’s why this win is satisfying," Howland said. "We beat a team that’s definitely going to be in the NCAA Tournament, that’s going to be a high seed, that’s going to win a lot of games."
That was big but maybe Reeves Nelson put it best with his thundering closing dunk and yell, it was all for Wooden.
It was a big deal," said forward Reeves Nelson after he contributed a career-high 23 points to the UCLA victory. "Last year we didn't play very well (a lopsided loss to Mississippi State) in the game that was named after him. So everything leading up to this was dedicated to Coach."
The point seemed to be made, ultimately and finally, when Nelson threw down a highlight-reel dunk with a minute left over BYU's best post player, Brandon Davies. It put UCLA up by seven, set off a Ducks-score-a-goal roar in the building, and allowed Nelson and his teammates a rare chance to slap their chests and vogue. [...]
"This is an important event for us," said Howland. "The players did an unbelievable job." [...]
"It shows that when we're at our best, we can beat anyone," said Nelson.
Go Bruins!
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How about Smith's steal?
It may not have been the key to the game, but that is one for the highlight reel.
by BruinFanGA on Dec 19, 2010 7:23 AM PST via mobile reply actions
Let the boys play
“Howland felt the need to gamble, and it paid off; BYU didn’t get any closer to tying the game, and the three Bruins all avoided picking up their fifth.”
I really don’t care if they have four fouls. Especially Josh Smith. Leave him in there. Let him play. I picked him during the pre-season to be my MVP. He is just sooo good. The problem was CBH. He removes Smith every time Smith gets a foul. I say let them play.
What is the use of sitting them if you are losing anyway?
He is the quickest “BIG” I have ever since. I hope he completes his college degree at UCLA.
Every year we have Josh Smith in the lineup, we will have better recruits.
And if he failed to manage Smith's foul situation
And he picks up his fifth in the first half, which he was easily on pace to do, then he’s done a terrible job as coach. Seriously, we’ve been down on some aspects of how CBH has managed his program, but this is such a ridiculous nitpick. “Let them play” is a great sentiment to have after the fact when you know he didn’t foul out, but let me remind you that on Smith’s fourth, he had just come into the game and on that exact same possession was called for another foul. Face it, putting Smith back in with 10 minutes to play was a risky call, it paid dividends, and CBH should get the credit for it.
There is a major fallacy
in my opinion, of taking someone out so they don’t pick up fouls. I really don’t get it. If the goal is to keep them in the game…um…why take them out? I can understand the mental aspect of it, i.e. picking up a frustration foul, but if there are 15 minutes left in the game, and someone picks up their 4th foul, you sit them for 5 min…then they come back in and they are just as likely to pick up that 5th foul! If they don’t, then you took away 5 minutes of their playing time for no reason. Just let them learn to play under control if they are crucial to the game. I thought AA should never have come off the floor even with his 2 quick fouls against Florida.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
That's if you want to absolutely maximize the time a given player sees on the floor
But even then it’s not a guarantee. Certain players will do better and will be less foul prone against certain lineups. You will get better effectiveness out of a certain player against other lineups. Then there’s the most obvious situation; ensuring you have that player for when that player is needed most regardless of what the opponent has on the floor.
I really don’t see any basis for complaint on this issue in this game. Leaving in a guy who had played 10 minutes and averaged a foul every 150 seconds up until that point…are we really concerned that we’re not going to get the maximum time out of him if we put him back in with “only” 10 minutes left? Would anyone have put money on him finishing that game without another foul? If anyone would have, they’re a damn fool. As it turns out, CBH saw the situation that he needed Smith for the most, and put him back in, rolled the dice, and won.
Sounds like CBH was right (also for LV)
Good point Ty. It sounds like CBH did a great job in this game and nit-picking him does not fit.
Another issue is there is/was a big difference between 4 and 5 fouls in the minds of referees, or so I have been told. Refs know that certain players foul out often and because of that they do not get the benefit of the doubt as much as those who don’t. (Wilt Chamberlin was an extreme example. He never fouled out of a game in his career and the few times he got 5 fouls, every ref was reluctant to give him number 6.).
For Smith, if he had fouled out five times this year (which he could have easily done if he played all the extra minutes), the refs would probably be more like to rule against him on the Jimmer call.
I realize this may be an old wise tale but I have heard this from multiple sources. Refs read stat sheets and see the number of DQs. LVBruin (you are a former ref right?) or anyone else feel free to disagree.
by DCBruins on Dec 19, 2010 5:37 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
I am not nitpicking on this game
I was just making a general comment. I thought it was the right thing to do for CBH regardless, BY was making a big run.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
Definately feels better this Sunday am then it has in a while
Really like the class that Dave Rose has shown. His post game comments are complimentary to the UCLA team. Many coaches would just blame their own team for not permorming instead of giving credit to the team that did. He also showed class in the last 30 seconds when he took out his starters instead of turning it into a last second foul fest. Nice job Coach Rose.
So happy to also see everyone play up to their potential at the same time. RN brought a ton of effort and enthusiasm to the court and LJ/JS were exceptional considering how they were strapped with foul trouble. Hope the team builds on this win, stays humble and focuses one opponent at a time. Put away Montana St. early please.
Players' confidence
Knowing they can play with four fouls and win a contest when it was getting tight will help immensely down the line. The players just need to keep building on this win and work on their weaknesses.
As big as this game was for the record
I think it was bigger for the psyche of this young team. They looked like they were having fun, passed well, played team defense and never became frustrated, even down 10 early.
Lots of standouts in this particular game, but JA reducing TOs, playing strong D and shooting effectively has been the most important story happening below the surface over the past several games. TL looked strong as well with some nice passes, I love how he comes in, blankets his man and feeds the big men; no forcing shots trying to get his points in limited minutes.
The player that impressed me
who won’t get a lot of praise or attention is Brendan Lane. You could really see the muscle he put on over the summer and he’s turning into a great 6th man when Joshua gets into foul trouble. I really see him emerging as a Lorenzo Mata type, giving us those crucially needed and reliable minutes off the bench.
Lee is too bouncy just like Livingston
Most of the time he doesn’t have the “finish”. Too much art and grace but doesn’t translate to anything but turnovers.
Oh btw, wasn’t he the one who commited that last second foul at Kansas?
I give him one more year. Then I’ll call him Captain Lee.
He was going after a loose ball with the game on the line
I’d expect any of our players in that situation to do the same, or they don’t belong out there. The call is widely agreed to be bullshit, so holding that against Lee doesn’t hold water.
Note on Malcolm
I was upset with his inability to finish around the rim a few times yesterday but I kept reminding myself that when you’re guarding a player like Jimmer on the defensive end you often don’t have legs on the offensive end. ML was either running through screens or down in a defensive stance all day. That will take a toll.
ML played good defense and had 7 assists
Both he and TH missed baskets very close to the rim, but all the players contributed to the win. None of our players are complete, so it takes a team effort with fewer mistakes for us to win at this point.
And the incredible finish with 2 guys hanging on him.
That was epic. ML isn’t Kobe. But when Kobe has a key match-up his offense suffers. It’s hard to play full out on d and then not be a little winded (and therefore off) on O.
Go Bruins!
Were you watching the same game?
I like Lane’s effort, but when he was on the floor instead of Smith it was night and day for the Bruins on both ends of the court. He got out-muscled for rebounds, had a couple of defensive breakdowns, and wasn’t even looked at on the offensive end. The guy is all effort but he still needs another year to develop until he can be a great contributor to the team. Of course, once the Wear twins are eligible and hopefully Stover develops into a 5, then Lane can be moved to his more natural forward position and not have to play the 5 again.
Lane
Brendan has bulked up over the summer, but, frankly, he’s not a low post player. In high school he was a spot up shooter and was a roamer (help side) defender. We haven’t seen Lane utilized to the best of his ability. He has a really nice face up game and a consistent shot out to the stripe. He just needs to get his confidence. Next season he’ll have the freedom to play more on the perimeter and show what he’s capable of.
Life is what happens when you're busy making plans.
I was impressed
with how this team kept its composure when BYU made a push late! Great win. Disappointed that the refs continue to penalise Josh for being so big.
"Success is never final, Failure is never fatal. It's Courage that count's" - John Wooden.
Between 6 minutes remaining and 2 minutes remaining
Fouls: BYU – 3, UCLA – 3
BYU went on to commit 3 more to either extend the game or in a futile attempt to stop the Reeves Nelson thunder dunk, but evidence of favoritism, which you imply with the word “allowed”, when the game was in doubt does not appear to exist. Even if it did, I only consider that makeup for taking Smith away from us on that ridiculous fourth foul.
I recall several situations where they had called fouls on us earlier in the game, where they just let the players play
My reaction was that they were going to let the players decide the game, rather than fouling out our key players. The charge block call on Jimmer/JS could have gone either way.
I refuse to accept that crappy officiating is the norm
I do not consider us lucky or fortunate for being “not screwed over” for four minutes of a game. I’d rather they do their job correctly all game long. To say they swallowed their whistles implies that there were fouls committed that weren’t called only in our favor, which is a notion I reject. If the refs start calling the game more loose down the stretch, then that’s annoying, but if it’s consistent for both teams then there shouldn’t be much of a problem. They allowed BYU to get away with plenty of contact inside during that time period as well.
I disagree on the charge/block call.
I watched the replay a couple times, and JS pretty clearly had his feet planted and contact was made by Fredette, to his chest— textbook charge. If you meant that it could have gone either way given that they were pac10 refs, I agree completely.
Jones and Honeycutt are both shooting at least 40% from three point land so far
who says we only have an inside game? :)
good job attacking the zone
One of the nicest jobs I’ve seen of us attacking the zone in a long time. We had a few of the “pass it around for 25 seconds and jack up a wild shot” plays, and a few quick shots, but for the most part we looked to get it inside by passing or driving and we did pretty well.
Hopefully Lee gains a ton of defensive confidence from this game and becomes a lockdown defender. Would be great if he learned to shoot, too :-)
Fun game and nice win Bruins and CBH.
by RealisticBruinFan on Dec 19, 2010 9:46 PM PST reply actions
Bruins figuring it out...
Howland cleaned house, rid the program of malcontents and disruptive influences. The Bruins had to define roles, figure out style of offensive play, build a little confidence while meshing a new PG and center. There was going to be some bumps. This team has a lot of room to grow, by February the Bruins will be a very tough team to play.
Offensively I like what I’m seeing from this group. The play unselfishly. They are getting comfortable and now understand that they are an attacking offense. Smith and Nelson are beast down low, Jones is a steady point, Lee and Honeycutt are slashers that are streaky from beyond the arc. JA is playing with a lot more confidence. Lamb is playing more under control. Lane and Stover chip in where needed.
They aren’t a national title contender, but they have the look of tournament team if they just win the games they should. With a little health and a little luck who knows – the Kansas and VCU games could have gone either way.
Life is what happens when you're busy making plans.
Given our performance to date
It really is too bad the Pac 10 is so crappy. We seem to have our best games against our toughest opponents. Not only would we not have to worry about whether the conference schedule is tough enough to amass quality wins, but we’d likely see better games out of this team. Of course the flipside of that coin is that we don’t carry that kind of intensity into games against lesser opponents, so rather than squashing Montana St. as we should, we’ll probably find a way to make things uncomfortable tomorrow.
Pac Ten
I’ve seen a number of the ranked teams play. Outside of Duke and Ohio State I don’t see dominant teams. The Pac-10 doesn’t have the early marquee wins OOC that would raise the national profile of the league and increase the conference RPI, but that doesn’t mean the upper half of the league isn’t good. To the contrary. UCLA, Arizona and USC have all played Kansas very tough. Washington could have easily beaten Kentucky, Michigan State or Texas A&M, Wazzu had Kansas State on the ropes, I could go on. The margin is razor thin in most of these contests. I think Washington, Arizona and UCLA can play with most teams across the country – I feel those three teams will get enough wins in conference play and get at-large bids. Washington State has looked pretty good early, but they did the same thing last season, time will tell. USC is very athletic and wil be a wild card for sure. The ACC has only one ranked team. The SEC is no juggernaut. I think we’ll get a better handle on where or team stands nationally about Feb. 1. I feel UCLA has the depth and athleticism to do some big things in conference.
Life is what happens when you're busy making plans.
You are what your record says you are
If we as a conference don’t have good wins and our RPI is in the toilet, then the conference is bad. “Almost” doesn’t amount to jack squat in the eyes of the selection committee.
yup
and look now for BYU to tank and for our ‘quality win’ to lose its lustre..
by britishbruin on Dec 20, 2010 4:46 PM PST up reply actions
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