Scoring runs may prove pivotal in Sweet 16 matchup against Gonzaga

In March Madness, a team’s season could come down to a single scoring run.

Just ask the 2006 Gonzaga Bulldogs, who allowed the Bruins to mount an 11-0 run over the final 3:26 of the Sweet 16 game that year. Gonzaga led UCLA by double digits for almost the entire game – but it didn’t matter, because the Bruins’ sudden explosion was forceful enough to defeat the Bulldogs’ steady attack.

As the Bruins and Bulldogs face off in the Sweet 16 on Friday night in Houston, one scoring drought or deluge could prove the difference once again.

“That’s the biggest thing: who can make the best runs,” said junior forward/center Tony Parker. “You just have to weather their storm – hope they don’t weather yours.”

Throughout this season, there have been myriad issues contributing to UCLA’s losses against ranked teams. But the one recurring problem for the Bruins has been those scoring runs.

In UCLA’s game against Gonzaga on Dec. 13, the Bruins allowed the Bulldogs to mount a 12-3 run in the first half and were never able to come back from it. Then, in UCLA’s two games against Arizona, the Bruins saw their second-half leads evaporate as they underwent pivotal scoring droughts for several minutes. And who can forget the 24-0 run by Kentucky to start the game on Dec. 20?

So far in this NCAA Tournament, UCLA’s run to the Sweet 16 has seemingly hinged on scoring runs once again. A 19-0 run by Southern Methodist University appeared to do the Bruins in last Thursday – but then UCLA fought back with an 8-0 run over the final 1:06 to win the game.

“If you look at the last couple of games that we’ve played, especially Arizona and SMU, it was our defense that was what led up to them going on big runs; our offense was fine,” said senior guard Norman Powell. “So it’s really focusing on defense … and valuing the ball.”

Now, facing a Gonzaga team that has one of the most lethal offenses in the country, UCLA is doing its best to plug up the defensive holes and prevent a deluge of quick buckets from sinking them.

“I feel like (the Bulldogs) make runs really, really fast. If you watch them play against Iowa (in the Round of 32), they make a bunch of runs quick, fast,” Parker said. “So you’ve just gotta play solid defense and take every possession serious.”

The key sentiment shared among Parker, Powell and freshman forward Kevon Looney was this: Play the full 40 minutes, not 35 or 38. The Bruins have realized by now that playing hard for anything less than 40 minutes may not be enough.

“I think a lot of times we get up or we’ll have a lead – like a five-to-10-point lead – and we’ll get relaxed, and the other team will turn it up and we’ll have no answer for it,” Looney said. “We answered a little bit against SMU … so that was a step forward for us and I think we can keep it going.”

Howland hired

On Monday evening, former UCLA men’s basketball coach Ben Howland was hired for the same position at Mississippi State. Howland coached at UCLA from 2003-2013, and helped lead the Bruins to their comeback win over the Bulldogs in the 2006 Sweet 16.

Though Howland is now over two years removed from being UCLA’s coach, his effects on the team still resonate. Powell, UCLA’s lone senior starter, attributes Howland as one of the main reasons for his defensive progression at the collegiate level.

“He’s a great coach, he’s a great defensive coach,” Powell said. “You know, coming in, I wasn’t really a defensive stopper in high school. … He’s definitely helped me with my defense and helped me focus on being a great defensive stopper and being in the right position at the right time.”