Seven games into Pac-10 Conference play, an unsettling trend has begun to develop for the UCLA men’s basketball team.
On too many offensive positions, players seem stagnant, choosing to pass the ball around the perimeter until an open jump shot presents itself instead of driving to the basket or getting the ball to the Bruin big men in the post.
There have been times this season when this strategy has worked, such as against Oregon on Jan. 4 when the Bruins made 13 of 22 3-point shots, including 8 of 10 in the first half.
Yet recently the No. 17 Bruins’ (15-4, 5-2 Pac-10) offense seems to be the main deterrent to success.
On Jan. 17 against Arizona State, the Bruins went through a 13-minute stretch with just one field goal, which proved to be the fatal blow in a 61-58 overtime loss.
On Saturday against Washington, the Bruins’ relied heavily on outside shooting, which led to fewer foul shots.
In an 86-75 loss to the Huskies, the Bruins attempted just 15 foul shots, compared to Washington’s 43.
When asked for an explanation about the difference at the foul line, coach Ben Howland pointed to the Bruins’ inability to consistently penetrate the lane.
“We’re too dependent right now on outside (shooting) and we got to get more stuff going to the basket,” Howland said. “We’re not getting to the foul line enough.”
The Bruins have attempted the most 3-point shots of any team in the Pac-10 (380) and have a 38.2 shooting percentage from beyond the arc, which is second in the Pac-10.
While Howland admitted that such a high shooting percentage from the 3-point range is impressive, he emphasized that the number of 3-point shots attempted is too high.
One player Howland believed needed to drive more was freshman Jrue Holiday.
Through seven Pac-10 games, Holiday has attempted only 11 foul shots and has made just five for just a 45.4 percent mark.
“He’s got to attack more,” Howland said. “That’s what he does best, and he’s shooting 40-percent-plus of his shots from (behind the) 3-point line. Not only is he good getting to the basket, he’s good at creating for others. That’s probably what he does best when he goes to the basket.”
Holiday himself pointed to a need for the Bruins to attack the basket and get to the foul line.
“We’re going to have to start doing a lot more,” Holiday said. “When we drive we usually jump-stop, and we don’t usually look to go up or get hit or anything. That’s why we probably haven’t been to the line like we should.”
ANOTHER CONTROVERSY IN SEATTLE FOR ALFRED ABOYA: For the past two seasons when the Bruins traveled to Seattle, UCLA center Alfred Aboya has been at the center of attention.
Last season when guarding an inbound pass, Aboya was struck in the face with the ball by Washington’s Tim Morris, a move that UCLA coaches and players believed to be intentional.
This year, Aboya was involved in more incidents.
There was the elbow from Washington’s Jon Brockman that gave Aboya a large cut on the forehead.
There was the body block from Venoy Overton that Aboya felt was intentional.
And there was the technical foul called on Aboya for taunting, his first technical foul in his four-year career at UCLA.
Howland said the night before the game he showed Aboya the footage of Morris throwing the ball in his face from last season to impart to Aboya what kind of game to expect.
While Howland called the Brockman elbow “a vicious play,” he declined to comment on whether or not he believed it was intentional.
Aboya believed it was an accident but did note that he was frustrated throughout the game.
“I never got a technical ever,” Aboya said. “That technical just shows how frustrated I was.”
As far as the body block by Overton, in which Aboya ran down the court and Overton came from a distance to stop him, Aboya had no doubts.
“I felt (the block) because he really tried to hurt me,” Aboya said. “And I watched it again. He’s supposed to run up and down, not side to side.”
With reports from Jason Feder, Bruin Sports senior staff.