The UCLA basketball team is looking for answers after a 55-52 upset loss in the semifinals of the 2K Sports Classic against Michigan on Thursday, but they don’t have to look very far.
Coach Ben Howland juggled his lineup so much that the Madison Square Garden horn operator could have developed hand cramps.
All told, the UCLA coach shuffled in 25 different combinations in two games in The World’s Most Famous Arena. He tried 17 different lineups on the court in the 77-60 victory over Southern Illinois Friday, 10 in the first half alone. It’s daunting to imagine how many more permutations one could conjure up.
Amazingly, with 42 total substitutions in the two games in New York, Howland averaged a substitution every 1:54. The longest stretch against Michigan without a lineup change was the 4:24 the starting five played to open the game.
Perhaps this “substitution-itis” is understandable early in the season when coaches are trying to keep players fresh and experimenting with winning groups.
The problem with this strategy, however, is that it’s difficult for the players to find a rhythm when they are constantly being yo-yoed in and out. With the exception of seniors Josh Shipp, Darren Collison and Alfred Aboya, no one plays long enough to work up a sweat.
Even when a lineup is successful, Howland has been reluctant to recycle it. In the first half of the Michigan game, his most successful quintet was Aboya, Nicola Dragovic, Michael Roll, Jrue Holiday and Collison, who outscored Michigan 14-3 in their 5:08 on the floor. They didn’t play a single second together in the second half.
To compound the problem, UCLA’s half-court offense ““ which ran dry for stretches in past years ““ is suffering even more with the loss of Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook to the NBA.
They went nine minutes without a field goal in the Southern Illinois game. Unable to generate much in transition or off of turnovers, the Bruins mustered only 52 points and were stymied by the Wolverines’ 1-3-1 zone as well as their slowdown tactics.
Friday, the Bruins’ late run to pull away from the Salukis was catapulted by Collison’s outside shooting. In a half-court possession, UCLA moved the ball from side to side, forcing the defense to sag, leaving Collison open on the weak side for a three, from where he’s shooting 66 percent on the young season. The next trip down in delayed transition, Collison wandered to the corner and drilled another open triple.
Six quick points ““ a game-changer, and voila, game over ““ UCLA’s best offensive spurt of the week.
But more often than not the half-court game has stalled. Collison usually initiates the offense from about 40 feet away, where the Bruins like to run a ball screen for him. If nothing materializes, there are no secondary options. Big man James Keefe is left standing harmlessly in the corner, Shipp is shooting 17 percent from beyond the arc and Holiday is still finding his way off the ball.
Collison is averaging only 9.3 shot attempts per game, despite shooting 60 percent from the floor. He has been considerably more aggressive in the second half, hoisting 76 percent of his shots this season after halftime.
Given the team’s struggles, it would benefit his team if he looks to shoot more, if for no other reason than to put pressure on the defense and open up more options.
The Pac-10 schedule looms in the distance, as does Texas on Dec. 4. Until then, when will Ben Howland tighten up his rotation and will Darren Collison look to score earlier in the game?
If neither happens, it could be a bumpy month or two in Westwood.
If you have a fave five for the Bruins, e-mail Taylor at btaylor@media.ucla.edu.