How does Steve Alford ensure his players aren’t swallowed up by the newfound hype around UCLA basketball?
“We schedule Michigan,” the coach said. “We know that if we believe all that stuff, and we don’t improve this week, we’ll get beat.”
The No. 2 Bruins (9-0), whose road win over then-No. 1 Kentucky on Saturday catapulted them near the top of the polls, are set to host the Wolverines (7-2) Saturday night in front of a sellout crowd at Pauley Pavilion which will reportedly include Vince Vaughn and Jessica Alba.
[Related: UCLA men’s basketball completes Kentucky upset for second year in a row]
With its fast-paced offensive attack, UCLA will look to quickly get those fans going, but the Bruins will have to contend with a Michigan team that is on the opposite end of the pace-of-play spectrum.
[Related: No. 11 Bruin basketball outperforms No. 1 Wildcats on both sides of the court]
Whereas UCLA ranks eighth in the nation in possessions per game, Michigan has played slower than all but four teams in the country, according to Sports Reference.
“That’s going to be what’s intriguing about the upcoming game – what tempo can be played?” Alford said.
Michigan has been an effective defensive team this year, and it’s well-positioned to take away two of UCLA’s top scoring tools: transition offense and 3-point shooting.
Not only do the Wolverines slow the game down when they have the ball, but they’re also elite at defending against opponents’ fast-break opportunities, allowing just 0.84 points per possession in transition, per Synergy Sports. And only eight teams in the nation allow fewer 3-point attempts than Michigan.
That’s not to say UCLA won’t be able to score, but the Bruins will have to focus on moving the ball as well as they have thus far this season.
“When we’ve struggled, the ball has stopped – and the guys are seeing that,” Alford said. “Regardless of whether it’s a slower tempo or a quick tempo, we want the ball moving. That was what was very impressive playing a team like Kentucky on their home floor. For 40 minutes, that ball moved.”
The Wolverines are about as different an opponent from the Wildcats as possible.
They don’t push the ball in transition – though they haven’t been exceptional at shooting 3s, connecting on 34.9 percent thus far, the Wolverines hoist a ton of long-range shots. Nearly half of their attempts this season have come from 3-point territory.
“They really like to take their time on offense and work to get efficient shots, and they’re really good at it,” said senior guard Bryce Alford. “It’s a team we can’t get behind early because they’ll run the clock out on us.”
Point guard Derrick Walton is the biggest long-range shooting threat. He’s jacked up over six shots a game from beyond the arc, and connected on more than 40 percent.
He and wingman Zak Irvin are the primary ball-handlers for the Wolverines, though 6-foot-11 forward Moritz Wagner has been by far the most efficient scorer on the team. Wagner has broken out recently, averaging 14.8 points on 68.6 percent shooting over the last four games. He’s got a versatile offensive game that includes three-point shooting, post-up ability and a healthy dose of hard rolls to the rim.
The Wolverines, on the whole, don’t boast the same type of talent that the Bruins do, but, as Steve Alford pointed out, Michigan is a worthy enough opponent to make sure the UCLA players stay focused amidst the nationwide exposure.
Perhaps it helps that UCLA’s star freshman, point guard Lonzo Ball, all but rejects the hype surrounding him and the Bruins.
“I don’t really like the attention,” he said Thursday. “So I walk around with my hoodie on. Try to stay warm.”
Ball will get the kind of attention he prefers Saturday night, with Pauley Pavilion as packed as it’s been in a long time as the Bruins try to stay hot.
“It’s a fun time to be a part of this program,” Bryce Alford said. “We’ve never been ranked this high, so it’s new territory for us. We’re going to have a target on our back.”