The Bruins looked relaxed at their Wednesday shootaround – the calm before the storm. Players joked with each other during a three-point shooting drill, before the practice turned into a fan fest, with a half-court shooting contest and a few highlight dunks from freshman guard Zach LaVine catching the attention of the smattering of spectators in the FedExForum seats.
There was no indication from the Bruins that they were worried about Thursday’s Sweet 16 matchup, in which they will face the No. 1 overall seed Florida Gators, the toughest and most lauded opponent UCLA (28-8) has faced this season and the same team that has clamped its jaws shut on three of UCLA’s recent championship runs. The Gators (34-2) are riding a 28-game win streak and have been ranked No. 1 in the AP poll since Feb. 24. Here are six key areas that could play a role in the game as the Bruins shoot for the upset:
1. Norman Powell vs. Scottie Wilbekin
Powell, a junior guard, has been the Bruins’ lockdown defender all season, routinely facing off against the opponents’ top perimeter players and will take on the same role Thursday. Wilbekin was named the Southeastern Conference player of the year this season and has continued his strong play in the NCAA tournament. Through two games, the senior guard is averaging 15.5 points on 54 percent shooting. Limiting Wilbekin, the motor that makes the Gators go, will be key for Powell and the Bruins.
“Coach has been making a comparison to him and T.J. McConnell of Arizona, the way he just leads his team and controls the pace of the game,” Powell said. “He’s real shifty with his dribble, he’s able to draw fouls and score the basketball. He’s a leader of this team.”
2. Tony Parker vs. Patric Young
While Wilbekin sets the tone for Florida’s offense, it’s Young who does the same for the Gators’ defense. The senior center is a monster in the paint, standing 6-foot-9 with a muscular 247-pound frame, and makes things difficult for opponents to score and rebound inside, a trait which earned him SEC defensive player of the year honors.
Given redshirt senior forwards Travis Wear’s and David Wear’s tendency to drift around the perimeter rather than battle in the post, the responsibility of negating Young’s impact will rest solely on the broad shoulders of Parker, a sophomore forward/center. Parker said he hasn’t faced a player as physically imposing as Young all year long, comparing him to NBA players Ronny Turiaf and Kendrick Perkins. Parker will look to limit Young’s interior presence while avoiding fouls, a task he acknowledged will be difficult.
“It’s gonna be a boxing match, man. … He’s very very active,” Parker said. “Even thought he’s that big, you still gotta know where he is, you still gotta have a feel for him because he crashes the glass so hard and he plays so hard.”
3. Handling the press
The Gators have the size to cause problems in the paint defensively, but their athleticism in the backcourt could cause UCLA even more problems. Florida runs a press on defense, routinely trapping ball handlers immediately after the ball is inbounded and pressuring the ball all 94 feet and making it difficult for opponents to run their offense.
The Bruins, however, seem well-equipped to handle this challenge. Sophomore guard Kyle Anderson pointed to ball security as essential when facing a press, and UCLA averages just 10.3 turnovers a game. Another positive factor for UCLA is the versatility of its guards, including the 6-foot-9 Anderson’s size.
“I think it definitely helps because if they trap Kyle, a lot of times he can just pass right over, and that’s a great asset to Kyle is his length and his size,” said freshman guard Bryce Alford. “And you can bring (LaVine) and I off the bench and we’re more speedy and kinda rely on our speed and I think we have a good balance of that.”
4. Florida’s experience
The formula for many recent championship-caliber teams has relied on a one-and-done freshman who takes his team deep into the tournament, then bolts for the NBA. Florida isn’t following that blueprint. Instead, four of the Gators’ five starters are seniors with a plethora of postseason experience. In fact, Wilbekin’s 14 NCAA tournament games matches the total tournament games played by all of UCLA’s starters combined.
Florida knows how to win games in March, and its veteran experience contrasts with a UCLA team that has appeared in three tournament games in the past three seasons.
“It just shows about how they’re able to fight through the whole season and why they’re the team they are,” Powell said. “Them being a vet team, they’re not going to get out of character, whether we make a run or they get on a run; they’re gonna stay together and play basketball and that’s what a veteran team does.”
5. Physicality vs. finesse
Florida vs. UCLA is a matchup of opposing styles. The Gators have dominated with their elite athleticism and strength down low, while the Bruins make up for what they lack in foot speed with skill and shooting ability. Thursday’s game could be decided by whether or not UCLA can keep up with Florida and play with the same physicality and prevent Florida from being dominant on the glass.
“Watching them, they get a lot of points on second-chance opportunities. They have big, physical guys, senior-oriented, and we’ve just got to match their intensity,” Anderson said. “It’s going to be tough to match their physicality, but we’ve got to match that and get to the glass and limit them to one shot.”
6. Can good offense beat good defense?
The two teams’ styles further differ in identity. UCLA has won the majority of its games through its fast-paced offense, ranking No. 12 in both KenPom.com’s adjusted offensive efficiency – a statistic that calculates points per 100 possessions – and in points, scoring 81.8 per game.
Florida’s success has come on the other side of the ball. The Gators allow just 57.5 points per game – the third lowest mark in the nation – and boast the second best adjusted defensive efficiency on KenPom.com.
While Wilbekin said he thinks the team whose style wins out will win the game, Anderson disagreed that UCLA’s offense could outmatch Florida’s defense.
“We don’t want to get into a matchup where it’s our good offense versus their very good defense. We want to present ourselves on the defensive end as well, and that’s what’s going to win this game, which team is better defensively,” Anderson said. “They’ve proven to be the best defensive team in the country all year. We’ve just got to match our defense as best as we can and make it a defensive game.”