UCLA men’s basketball had an identity to start the season. The Bruins found a new leading scorer in junior guard Bryce Alford and a powerful big man tandem in senior forward Tony Parker and sophomore center Thomas Welsh.
Now, it looks like UCLA may be in the midst of an identity crisis.
Alford has yet to rise to the occasion in league play as the Bruins’ offensive leader, instead being replaced by the more quiet, consistent play of junior guard Isaac Hamilton, who has reached double digits in scoring in each of UCLA’s last 16 games.
The big-big lineup that caused ranked opponents such as Kentucky and Gonzaga trouble now proves to be cumbersome when it comes to dealing with guard-heavy lineups such as Oregon last week.
These issues became apparent against the Ducks on Jan. 23, as the Bruins struggled to both score and defend. Nothing appears to get any easier this week, when the Bruins take on the Washington Huskies on Thursday at home.
UCLA opened its Pac-12 season at Washington, where the Bruins fell to the Huskies 96-93 in double overtime. Alford took over 30 shots and hit only 18 percent from inside the arc that night, then shot 20 percent overall two days later at Washington State. The Bruins rebounded from that two-loss road trip to upset then-No. 7 Arizona the next week.
READ MORE: A look back at the Bruins’ disappointing Washington road trip.
While UCLA’s lineup wasn’t good enough to beat Washington at the beginning of the month, the Bruins have developed some new weapons since then.
Sophomore forward Gyorgy Goloman is back in the rotation after sustaining a leg injury in October. Goloman is a lankier forward than Parker, able to better defend against perimeter shooting and more agile guards.
Also coming off the bench for UCLA is junior forward Noah Allen, whose improved practice play began earning him minutes on the Oregon road trip. Both Goloman and Allen can help diversify the Bruins’ options at the four spot.
UCLA’s issue in its losses so far have been in a heavy reliance on too few contributors. With Hamilton warming up to his new role and Goloman and Allen seeing significant playing time, the Bruins may be able to solve this issue when they get a second chance at the Huskies.
Compiled by Claire Fahy, Bruin Sports senior staff.