SAN DIEGO—UCLA waltzed into the Big Dance in the middle of its hottest streak of the season.
Behind some of its most efficient play of the season, UCLA looked dominant much of the time in the Pac-12 tournament.
But after three wins over other NCAA tournament teams – Colorado, Stanford and Arizona – UCLA’s 76-59 win over Tulsa Friday was as maddening as the tournament’s nickname.
The Bruins diverted from their formula for success in the Pac-12 tournament, playing a much less efficient first half.
UCLA toppled a first-place Arizona team last Saturday by showing aggression in attacking the paint. In the first half of that game, the Bruins scored 43 points, 22 of which came in the paint, and shot 58 percent from the field.
Rather than replicating that success by looking for inside shots against a smaller Tulsa team, UCLA looked content to settle for jump shots early in the game – with limited success. In the first half Friday, the Bruins managed just 35 points on 38 percent shooting, scoring only eight points in the paint.
“I think we just got a little sped up,” sophomore guard/forward Kyle Anderson said of his team’s reliance on jump shots in the first half. “Their defensive pressure was very good to come out and I think we were just a little too anxious.”
UCLA’s lack of aggression in the first half didn’t stop with its shot selection. While the Bruins committed just five turnovers in the opening period, the errors mostly came from the result of careless and sloppy play. Early in the game, Anderson had his pocket picked from behind, unaware of the defender trailing him. Anderson also committed several traveling violations in the first half to turn the ball over.
“Maybe I did travel. I’m not gonna sit here and blame the refs,” Anderson said. “They called it – just had to move on to the next play and I gotta work on not shuffling my feet.”
The inefficiencies that plagued the Bruins in the first half and left them clinging to a 35-30 halftime lead were quickly rectified in the opening minutes of the second half. UCLA showed more aggressiveness right out of the gate, as sophomore guard Jordan Adams hit a 3 and then helped force the ball inside, converting on an and-one putback and dishing a touch pass to junior guard Norman Powell for a fast-break dunk.
“They competed well in the first half and both teams battled hard,” said Adams, who scored 13 second-half points. “We were just glad we were able to break away in the second half.”
UCLA turned a five-point halftime lead into an eventual 17-point victory, adjusting to Tulsa’s defense in the second half by emphasizing transition offense and better passing, Anderson said. Bolstered by the new game plan – the same strategy they used in the Pac-12 tournament – the Bruins scored 26 points in the paint in the second half to pull away.
UCLA’s sloppy first half was salvaged by a strong close to the game, but facing a Stephen F. Austin team Sunday that already upset a higher seed, VCU, the Bruins’ leash for slow starts is rapidly growing shorter.
“No one’s safe,” said redshirt senior forward Travis Wear. “This time of year, at this tournament, anyone can play.”