UCLA is one of the favorites to win the NCAA Tournament, bu they have some shortcomings to consider.
With freshman point guard Lonzo Ball leading the charge, the UCLA Bruins have become a popular pick to win the NCAA Tournament. On face, it makes sense. The Bruins have a high-powered offense, are seeded highly and should be able to outscore most of their opponents. Reality, though, isn’t that simple. UCLA won’t cut down the nets in Phoenix. Here’s why.
5. The Bruins have a historically bad defense
There’s no doubt that UCLA’s offense is tremendous. The Bruins averaged 90.4 points per game, the highest mark in the nation. They play fast and score efficiently. UCLA ranks third nationally in adjusted efficiency, per KenPom. The problem is that the Bruins don’t have the same success on the other end of the floor.
UCLA allows an adjusted 99.8 points per 100 possessions, which ranks 75th in Division I and is the fifth worst mark in the NCAA Tournament for an at-large team. No team that has cut down the nets since 2002 has entered the tournament with an adjusted defensive efficiency anywhere near as bad as the Bruins.
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UCLA’s defense doesn’t create many turnovers, which means that teams are always getting shots up. That can be a problem in a single-elimination format because all it takes is one hot game from an opponent. It’s a scenario that seems possible against the Bruins who have allowed opponents to shoot 36.9 percent from behind the arc this season.
There are also some problems with how well UCLA can defend pick-and-roll. Neither TJ Leaf nor Thomas Welsh are particularly mobile big men and they can be taken advantage of in high ball screen against. The NCAA Tournament is well-known for prizing guard play and those pick-and-roll actions could spell doom for the Bruins.