It’s been a season of surprises thus far for the UCLA men’s basketball team.
The Bruins lost their season opener on their home floor to a mid-major team – Monmouth (8-3) – but then came back to beat then-No. 1 Kentucky (9-2) less than a month later.
A week after that, UCLA defeated then-No. 20 Gonzaga (9-3) at the McCarthey Athletic Center for just the third time in the Bulldogs’ last 48 home games.
Mixed in between those games were a few underwhelming performances against mid-major teams, such as a five-point win over Cal Poly (6-6), a seven-point win over Long Beach State (6-8) and a nine-point win over Louisiana-Lafayette (4-6).
On Tuesday, the Bruins finished up their up-and-down nonconference schedule with a 67-53 win over McNeese State (2-8).
Similar to the games against Cal Poly, Long Beach State and Louisiana-Lafayette, UCLA (9-4) played down to competition a little bit, allowing the Cowboys to keep it within single digits for much of the game. At halftime, the Bruins held a slim 30-27 lead.
“We didn’t get in a great flow offensively tonight,” said coach Steve Alford. “(It was) not one of those games that had a great flow to it and I give (McNeese State) credit for that.”
McNeese State tried to take the air out of the ball, preventing UCLA from making it a fast-paced game. The strategy worked, as the Bruins struggled to score consistently in their half court sets. By game’s end, UCLA shot just 43.1 percent from the field.
But saving the game for the Bruins was their defense, which has been one of the most glaring weak points thus far this season. UCLA held McNeese State to just 20 made field goals and 30.3 percent shooting. That was a far cry from UCLA’s reckless defensive performance on Saturday against North Carolina, when the Bruins at one point allowed the Tar Heels to score a basket on 10-straight possessions.
“Since the (North) Carolina game, we haven’t mentioned offense much at all,” Alford said. “It wasn’t what we were really concentrating on – it was about our defense.”
Carrying the Bruins on both sides of the floor were two of the more surprising players of this young season so far: junior guard Isaac Hamilton and sophomore center Thomas Welsh.
Hamilton had four steals and a game-high 18 points, pushing the ball in transition whenever possible against the slower-paced Cowboys. On five different occasions, the junior guard advanced the ball on a fast break and scored a layup on the other end.
It was like Hamilton was a completely different player than he was less than a month ago – when he committed eight turnovers against UNLV. Since that difficult game, Hamilton has averaged 18.6 points and 1.2 turnovers per game, becoming one of the Bruins’ most reliable players.
With his nine made field goals against McNeese State, Hamilton also became the first UCLA men’s basketball player since Tracy Murray to score at least eight field goals in five straight games.
“(I’m) just being aggressive,” Hamilton said of his recent streak. “Just trying to make plays.”
Aside from Hamilton, Welsh has taken his own rise to prominence recently. After averaging just 3.8 points per game last season, he’s up to 12.5 points per game this year.
Against McNeese State, Welsh was the other dominant force aside from Hamilton, taking the game over with his mid-range game as well as his height inside. The sophomore center finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds – his fourth double-double of the year – and added two blocks as well.
“I have a ton of confidence in my 15-foot jump shot and (the guards) put me in a position to knock it down,” said Welsh, who made five mid-range jumpers on the night.
With Welsh and Hamilton’s drastic improvements, Alford said the Bruins are in a good position heading into Pac-12 play on Jan. 1.
“We’re further ahead than we were last year when we went into Pac-12,” Alford said. “Our guys need a break. Coaches need a break. This has been a grind. It’s been a hard 13 games. We’ve really had a demanding schedule.”
But it’s just beginning for the Bruins, who have another 18 games – plus the Pac-12 Tournament – to surprise the nation even more.