UCLA vs. Kansas Maui Invitational 2nd Round Preview
by Tydides on Nov 22, 2011 7:01 AM PST
in Basketball
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Following the Bruins' first victory of the season over Division 2 Chaminade, they must turn around quickly and prepare for by far their toughest test of the season in the 14th ranked Kansas Jayhawks after their opening round victory over Georgetown. The biggest advantage UCLA will carry into this game is the extra three hours of rest due to the KU-Gtown game being after ours. Going deeper, it appears as though UCLA will have to find a gear it has not yet displayed if it's going to have a chance of notching its first win of the season against a Division 1 opponent.
Some may recall last year's highway robbery in Lawrence as Tyler Honeycutt's one standout game of the year was overshadowed by some questionable antics. If there is a revenge factor in play here, it will be minor next to the list of problems KU will pose.
Having caught only the first half of last night's Kansas game, what I saw will be a concern for those who believe that our 92 point outburst against a Div 2 team would be the norm. KU's most impressive defensive possessions came as they rolled out a hard nosed physical man-to-man defense eerily reminiscent of how the Ben Ball Warriors used to play. While the defense didn't extend as far out as some of the past UCLA teams and the hedge and trap are less of a feature, Kansas is simply quicker and recovers much better, bumping cutters, and closing down passing lanes soon after they open. This is obviously a worry for a team like the Bruins who often have trouble making even uncontested passes inside.
While I expect KU (and every other team this year) to pay special attention to Josh Smith down low, they should be able to get away with sagging off of our other players like they were doing to Georgetown until we prove we can hit shots. It was nice to see Jerime Anderson and Norman Powell make Chaminade pay from the perimeter, but they will need help in that department from their teammates if Smith or Reeves Nelson expect to have any room to operate down low.
On the other end of the floor, Thomas Robinson looked like a load last night, and I expect Reeves Nelson to draw that assignment. We are going to need the Reeves that shut down Derrick Williams last year or Robinson will have his way with the rest of our frontline. He finished last night with 20 points and 12 rebounds against a far more lengthy and active Georgetown frontcourt. UCLA will likely also have to go small when KU puts Tyshawn Taylor, Travis Releford, and Elijah Johnson on the floor, all of whom appear to have the athleticism and footspeed our guards lack. I don't know who is going to pick up Taylor, but I don't like Lazeric Jones or Tyler Lamb for that matchup. Anderson or Powell may have a chance at it, but with two other guards to worry about there is likely going to be confusion, and whoever is playing the three is definitely going to need help.
Tipoff is 6:30 Pacific on ESPN, and the Bruins better be ready at gametime unlike last night, because while the Jayhawks may be inexperienced, they still appear to have things more figured out than this UCLA team and they have the talent to bury us quickly if we don't come out and match their energy and intensity.
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After three games ...
I just don’t see how Howland can keep justifying major mins for any of the Wear twins and Zeek Jones. I completely agree that Taylor will be a matchup nightmare for either Jones or Lamb.
This is the kind of game Howland should chuck his “safe” mindset and roll out the lineup of Jerime, Powell, Lamb, Nelson and Smith. The guys off the bench should be in the following order:
Stover
Lane
Jones
Parker (if available)
Wears
I really hope Howland doesn’t kill the chemistry of this team by overusing Wear twins and wreck the program like he did with Dragovic. The mins of Dragovic stunted the development of Lane and giftwrapped Mike Moser to UNLV. It will be inexcusable if he pulls the same shtick with the Wear Twins (who are nice kids but just not prototypical Ben Ball warriors).
Nestor
Your boy Lane looked athletic, aware, and aggressive last night – more so than I’ve ever seen. I now agree he should see more minutes.
He won't get it
Howland will use him haphazardly. Lane has been misused from his very first year. His growth was completely stunted with the scattershot mins from his first season when Howland could have reduced Drago’s role to a minimum (not more than 5-10 mins a game) and let the program grow through Moser and Lane’s freshmen growing pains.
I almost think
Stover should start too. He’s a man-child. Let Smith and the Wears see what kind of energy and conditioning it takes to see the court as a Bruin. At the very least he needs more minutes. He changes the game when he’s in there.
If Stover is completely healthy ... may be
Don’t think he is in full game condition yet. Stover is my favorite player (no one else is close) in this team.
Stover
What do you see in Him?… Yes ..he has long arms that allow him to reject shots…. but if the rejected shot goes out of bounds and/or in the hands of the opposition ..what is the gain? I would rather see someone blocking them instead of rejected them? in addition he is very slow running down the floor like he’s got lead in his shoes …with no lateral quickness. when set defensively . and has absolutely no offensive skills.>
What do I see in him?
I see the same Ben Ball Warrior in making the way I saw in PAA and LMR. He plays hard every single defensive possession. He is throwing his body around, constantly getting in position to get rebounds. He also is the quickest among our forwards to provide help on defense.
UCLA’s defensive intensity was at a different level when he was in the games. We clearly see different games.
What I saw..
I was referring to what I saw last year when he was playing. I did not see the game last night.
Then you were seeing different UCLA games
Anthony Stover emerged as a defensive spark plug last season. There were number of posts making specific observations on that point.
Lead in his shoes?
I see that kid busting his ass up and down the court. His 7-foot frame is deceiving. He’s not slow. And he’s a presence inside with that length and those hops. He alters shots in the lane. He’s not in there for his offense.
If he keeps up that energy and continues to learn, he’ll play in the NBA. Not many 7-footers like him physically.
by the blur 98 on Nov 22, 2011 11:13 AM PST up reply actions
Faster than Josh, Not as lazy per working out. Doesn't get instant fouls!!
Sounds like Josh can come off the bench too.
You don’t want to workout like everyone else.
You don’t want to move your feet- reach, reach, reach.
You want to smile while on the bench like your enjoying the breather.
Than come off the Bench.
Reminds me of Bynum = puts the cart before the horse.
The key word is LAZY!!!!…….
by look closer on Nov 22, 2011 11:17 AM PST up reply actions
Stover? Slow? Laterally?
He’s the one big who actually executes Howland’s interior defense well. He’s the one big who can hedge, and get back to his man, and not screen his teammate. Agreed that he still doesn’t have much of an offensive game, but the defense is absolutely all there.
He only looks slow
It’s painful to watch him run and move some times because he looks really uncordinated but the hustle and motor and desire he brings to the court is unmatched by anyone on our team
by lil eg not cs on Nov 22, 2011 12:06 PM PST up reply actions
Remember
Neither PAA nor LMR were “offensive” players. They got us enough points when needed. What they did provide though was become an indispensable part of the core of our Ben Ball defense. Stover is the only guy in our team who can provide that ingredient.
yup
only problem for us is, those teams had JF/AA/DC/RW on the outside, giving us a guard-heavy offense in which those inside guys just had to dunk when necessary.
I totally agree with the premise that Stover is BY FAR the best fit for classic BenBall defense, just noting that we don’t have the guards to play the same offense. It’s a mess all round.
by VeniceBruin on Nov 22, 2011 12:12 PM PST up reply actions
Re. offense
That’s why it’s more imperative we go with Powell as a starter. I think Nelson, Powell and Smith can give us points along with good supporting role from Jerime (within the starting group).
Wears should be nothing more than role players and I’d emphasize Lane over them.
I'd be more up for the Wears playing if they had just arrived
and we thought they would improve once they got used to the system etc – but these guys are just as much returning players as Lamb, Smith, Stover etc after a year of practicing.
I agree with your points – just having a hard time working out how we are going to play. The best M2M defensive lineup might be Anderson, Lamb, Parker/Powell, Lane, Stover but then we would REALLY struggle to score. Best offensive lineup might be Jones, Anderson, Powell, Nelson, Smith – but then we’re getting burned defensively.
I think I just decided by process of elimination that Powell is our best chance of having a guy who can contribute on both ends. That is disturbing…
by VeniceBruin on Nov 22, 2011 12:30 PM PST up reply actions
I have come around on Nelson a bit
Yes, he is a character. But if Howland can manage him well … he is the anchor at 4. I think we back him up with Lane over the Wears. Use Stover at 5 when Josh can’t go.
As for Wears. Give them 5-10 mins each for the 4 and 5 spots and that’s it.
Powell
If we pressed and played open court I could see Powell making an impact this season using his athleticism. He looks lost in the half court offense and has had trouble staying in front of his man – but it’s early. I saw him in HS, he’s beastly.
Life is what happens when you're busy making plans.
I thought he looked better last night on offense
He hit some open shots, I think he is progressing more than any other player right now. He does still need to be more aggressive on D, but that is another reason why we need big who don’t hesitate.
LRMAM wasn't exactly lighting up the box score either
But like Aboya and Mata-Real, they were all indispensable on defense.
Don’t mean to digress to far here, but for that reason, I sort of get Malcolm Lee’s departure. It’s not like he was all of a sudden going to turn into a Kemba Walker-like force on offense after just one more year. If he’s going to make it in the L, he’s going to catch on as a defensive specialist. I don’t feel he had anything to gain by staying another year. But that ship has long since sailed.
Lee
Malcom could have used another year to refine his jumper and work on getting his own shot off the bounce. His defense is good but not something that will keep him rostered for 5+ years in the league. Guys that can score and create opportunities for others stick in the league for a long time – even defensive guys like Raja Bell and Shane Battier consistently make the open jumper.
Life is what happens when you're busy making plans.
Agreed.
Good attitude and coachable!
Unlike some of his Lazy teamates…….
by look closer on Nov 22, 2011 11:20 AM PST up reply actions
Definitely no wear should start
It’s clear that with three bigs starting teams are focused on slashing our defense. I like ur starting five. Still have mixed feelings about Jerome starting but he does seem to be our only hope at this point. Sheesh have we sunk that low?
by BruinArts on Nov 22, 2011 7:35 AM PST via mobile up reply actions
If Jerome is slipping ...
Then Howland can bring in Jones. Let them compete against each other. Honestly I don’t think Jerime is some some great pg. I just think he is more viable option and is playing better. He also looks to feed the post unlike Jones who has a shoot first mindset. So Howland should go with him. If Jerime starts slacking then bring in Jones to give us a spark.
I am wondering what is up with Jones physically
Last night he seemed like he didn’t want to go to his right at all. Maybe something is still bugging him. In any case, less minutes are in order. I still have faith in him to figure it out, but he needs to make it quick. He won the starting job in an open competition last year, let him do it again this year.
Lane is the opposite story. Great game and his stats don’t show how effective he was on the glass. Several times he didn’t get the rebound but kept it alive for someone else to grab it. He also looks more comfortable on the offensive side and did not foul a lot on defense.
originally read that as "No one should start"
and had a hard time disagreeing…
by VeniceBruin on Nov 22, 2011 12:06 PM PST up reply actions
Zeek (and Lamb) finally showed signs of life last night on offense
But still way too many possessions where they settled for jumpers early in the clock. They were fortunate in the 2nd half as the shots finally started to fall. Still would prefer they put the ball on the floor and take it to the rack — which they also finally started to do.
Defense also finally showed signs of life — although that was just in the 2nd half. First half was still pretty awful. At least there were several possessions where UCLA finally started playing UCLA defense.
But yes, please, please, please Coach Howland, don’t overdo it with the Wears. Their skillset is not really conducive to good UCLA basketball.
Wait a second, was Parker injured or something?
I did not hear about this, is that why he wasn’t playing yesterday?
Sprained knee from practice.
Michael C
www.onviolence.com
Only one I disagree is with LJ
I still see him able to contribute, unlike the Wears.
Michael C
www.onviolence.com
If LJ hits his shots, then its a moot point.
Now, we could say that about all sorts of guys, but that really is the crux from a shoot first point guard.
Michael C
www.onviolence.com
I wish I could see one of those +/- stats for when certain players are in the ball game
Looked like Reeves’ contribution was obvious.
But I could swear in that 1st half we were playing better when Stover and/or Jerime were out on the floor.
Stover’s level of activity really stood out to me in terms of his help defense, running the floor, and setting screens.
It sucks that
the day we play KU is the one day a week I have to work 70 miles from Lawrence in a small town. Wearing blue and yellow regardless, but it would be better if I were in Lawrence. Oh well. I’d be tempted to do a load of laundry tonight just to wear it again tomorrow if we win.
Roses are red, violets are blue...f*** $C.
I've got loads of it
most of it doesn’t meet the work dress code, however. Could wear my yellow dress shirt with my Joe Bruin tie…
Roses are red, violets are blue...f*** $C.
The garbage time minutes from last night
Those are the minutes that the Wears should play. From what I have seen so far, they just are not tough enough to bang the boards. And we certainly don’t need slow 6’10" guys to jack them out from the outside. Defensively, clueless. I think Howland believes he has his own set of Lopez twins.
They're tampering with our chemistry. Come on coach.
Coach them up Ben.
Pretend you’re at Pitt still, and make men out of them.
by look closer on Nov 22, 2011 11:33 AM PST up reply actions
In other words, our program is going no Wear? :)
I may work with the Waves, but I'm still a Bruin!
(Formerly "HoozierDaddy")
Settle them down and infuse them into the scheme, or Bench them til they do.
Love the activeness, Hate the random leaps and reaches that result in fouls and blow-bys. It’s simple!
Tell them to blend in, or sit with Tyler, until these Mater Dei boys can figure it out.
I’d call coach Gary McNight, and ask him to speak with the 3 boys, to get’em in gear!
They may admire and respect him more than CBH, who knows!
Got that sinking feeling this week!
I don’t like to be negative, but based on what I have seen for both BB and FB, I have a feeling we will have a depressing week. I should get another hobby.
Bruins win tonight...
KU is down a few notches from previous years. Their guard play is good, not exceptional. Keeping Robinson off the glass is big tonight. Just a hunch. I feel the guards found some confidence last night – the result was more important than the opponent. I like out frontcourt against the Jayhawks – they really don’t have a guy that can attack us off the dribble and finish. KU’s bench is really thin too.
UCLA 74- Kansas 69
Life is what happens when you're busy making plans.
Wish I could have blind faith in this team like you
Actually watching the games sort of kills that for me though.
A match up thing...
MTSU was uberathletic they attacked us off the dribble and when the Bruins were slow to react and help they made, literally, all their jumpers. Any team that spreads the court and uses the bounce will give our defense fits – especially with Smith and the Wears’ on the court.
Robinson will be a tough cover for any of our bigs, but Whithey and Rellaford are just “guys”. I expect our players to get up for this game and display some heart tonight. Can’t underestimate momentum or seeing shots go through the nets for our backcourt. KU couldn’t contain Smith last year with the Morris twins and more frontcourt experience.
I like the three guards – more perimeter quickness and ball handling – playing with Nelson and Smith. The Wears’ are going to have to be put in positions where they can flourish. They are more pick and pop bigs than bangers – especially David. Again, nothing the team has shown says they should win tonight, but I expect a big effort. Believe it or not, the Bruins would prefer to face Duke more than Michigan – style of play and, again, the match ups.
Life is what happens when you're busy making plans.
The Wears need to be put in a spot where our team can flourish
The bench.
And you don’t need to have “uber athletic” guards to get by our guards on the perimeter. The KU guards displayed enough acumen in both the driving and the passing game against GTown’s zone to make me very uncomfortable with the prospect of having both Zeek and Lamb trying to hold them down on the outside. As I said above, if Reeves isn’t playing his Derrick Williams defense, we don’t have another player that can match up with Robinson, and that alone could probably lose us the game. Smith is way too slow and would probably only play about 15 minutes anyway given his conditioning. The Wears? Nope. Lane? Maybe a slightly better chance and that’s not saying much. If Stover has to help out, we’ll probably get killed on the glass.
Really the only realistic matchup problem we pose for the other team is Smith, and last night KU sat down in the post to negate GTown’s size advantage and dared their forwards to make shots. They’ll do the same thing tonight, and since no one on our team throws a decent entry pass, Smith is going to have to put on his hard hat and do some offensive rebounding. There’s really little point in comparing this year and last year anyway. We were competitive with KU last year because of Honeycutt’s big game. The guy was unconscious. No one on this year’s team has yet shown an ability to have that kind of transcendant performance.
Releford has been quite impressive
during the few pre- and regular season games KU has had so far. If I were choosing players I’d take him over any current Bruin other than Smith and ‘good’ Reeves.
Roses are red, violets are blue...f*** $C.
Won't be able to watch the game tonight
Hoping for some good updates by phone, I’ll be checking in every so often.
Go Bruins! Get revenge for the terrible ending of last year’s game! Honeycutt had a monstrous game last season, here’s hoping someone else gets a chance to explode, Reeves, Powell, Lamb, Joshua, ANYONE!
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