It took UCLA men’s basketball about 37 minutes to pull away from Long Beach State for good on Sunday.
After largely coasting through their first three games, winning by an average of 27 points, the Bruins got their first real competition of the season against the 49ers. There’s plenty more of that to come. Very few of UCLA’s remaining 27 regular season games are expected to be lopsided in the Bruins’ favor.
Sunday was just a sample of the competition that’s to come for the Bruins. This week at the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament will be a triple scoop.
UCLA (4-0) flew to the Bahamas on Monday to prepare for the eight-team tournament and will begin play on Wednesday against Oklahoma (2-1).
Much has been made early this season of the Bruins’ size and length inside, which have been two key factors in their domination of smaller opponents so far this season. That won’t be the case against the Sooners.
Coming off a game in which they struggled somewhat on the glass, being outrebounded by Long Beach State by one, the Bruins’ big men will have an even tougher test.
Oklahoma has five players standing 6 feet 8 inches or taller, and the Sooners have been a vacuum on the boards through their first three games. The Sooners rank No. 9 in the nation in rebounds per game while holding opponents to the fourth-fewest rebounds per game.
However, when sophomore guard Bryce Alford walked into the tournament arena, he noted that the venue may be better suited for perimeter players to shine.
“It’s kind of a shooter’s gym,” Alford said in a press conference in the Bahamas on Tuesday. “You walk in there, and there is not a whole lot of room. With the low ceilings and everything, it’ll be interesting to play in there.”
After being ranked No. 18, the Sooners fell out of the AP Top 25 following a two-point loss to Creighton on Nov. 19. UCLA, meanwhile, replaced Oklahoma in the rankings, claiming the No. 22 spot.
Whether the Bruins are worthy of that will be determined this week. Following the game against Oklahoma, UCLA will play either Butler, which reached the national title game twice in the past five years, or No. 5 North Carolina. Next, the Bruins will play one of Georgetown, No. 18 Florida, University of Alabama at Birmingham or No. 2 Wisconsin.
Depending on how the cards fall, UCLA could be in line for the toughest consecutive opponents it has faced since last year’s NCAA tournament – and likely the most challenging consecutive opponents until this year’s tournament as well.
Regardless of the opponents, perhaps the biggest challenge for the Bruins will be rest. For a team that already has very limited depth, playing consecutive games after a cross-country plane ride will test UCLA’s limits and could expose its biggest weakness.
“We do have to make sure and get some rest because we have to play three games in three days,” said senior guard Norman Powell in Tuesday’s press conference in the Bahamas.
Whether UCLA comes home from the Bahamas with three wins or none, the tournament should at least teach the Bruins a lot about themselves: how they compare to top-ranked team, how their size deals with similar length and how to manage their depth issues.
“This tournament is very special because every game has championship-caliber teams in it. We are going to get three very good basketball teams that are very well-coached with great players,” said coach Steve Alford in the press conference in the Bahamas on Tuesday. “These last three games that we’re getting will be a good litmus test of where we are before we get to December.”