UCLA agreed to a 10 a.m. start on Saturday so CBS could broadcast the game to the entire nation.
Show-offs!
It was over before the Pauley Pavilion crowd had settled in its seats.
A Dragovic jumper from the corner. Darren Collison at the elbow. A Jrue Holiday floater on the baseline. Alfred Aboya darting into the paint for a hook. Holiday’s steal and lob to the sky-walking Josh Shipp.
All five starters scored in that opening sequence, and in 3 1/2 minutes, it was 11-2, UCLA. Notre Dame should have hopped back on the bus right then; the Bruins buried the Irish 89-63.
Against USC last Thursday, the story was the same: 9-2 out of the gates, 36-13 by the 5:40 mark. A 76-60 cakewalk.
Who are these guys?
Four home games. Four blowouts. One new team. Call it UCLA Version 2.0.
In an unprecedented transformation, the Bruins went from a deliberate, methodical half-court team to an up-tempo, aggressive squad. Overnight.
From waltz to techno. From tortoise to hare. From Version 1.0 to shades of Rick Pitino.
Instead of Pitino’s trademark press, UCLA is generating turnovers with its tenacious half-court defense, leading to run-outs and easy points. After a few minutes of that blitzkrieg, coach Ben Howland, like the Louisville coach, substitutes in waves, injecting a fresh crop of athletes ready to apply the same maniacal pressure and attacking pace.
As a result, no starter has played more than 27 minutes in the last three games.
“Coach asked us to play as hard as we can, don’t worry about the substitutions,” Aboya said last week, explaining the changes in UCLA’s style.
“In the past, we were afraid when the underclassmen would get in the game, there would be a drop off. Now, we don’t worry about it, because we know we’re going to get the same pressure, same intensity, same passion.”
Aboya is the quintessential senior role-player: Starting for the first time in his career with essentially no NBA prospects, he plays smart, he plays hard and, as Howland says, has “a lion’s heart.”
In the past two games, Aboya has shut down USC’s Taj Gibson and Notre Dame’s Luke Harangody, holding each star to his worst scoring output of the year. Harangody’s streak of 52 consecutive games scoring in double figures went up in flames.
Holiday is more comfortable and admittedly playing with more confidence. After scoring in double figures just once in the first seven Pac-10 matchups, Holiday has netted at least 13 points in three consecutive outings. In the current four-game streak, Holiday is stuffing the stat sheet, averaging 12.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 2.0 steals while shooting over 65 percent. The celerity of the Bruins’ more aggressive offensive approach has allowed him to shine as a playmaker.
Even Collison made a fundamental change on offense, starting his offense earlier. “I’m not waiting for teams to double me,” he said.
Of course, Howland keeps reminding everyone, in fluent coach-speak, “It all starts with our defense.” Indeed, Collison’s ball pressure has been disruptive, as has Holiday’s ability to shut down the opponent’s best wing player. But UCLA’s defensive forte is quick, active hands, and Collison, Holiday and Shipp all have great mitts that lead to numerous deflections and disruptions. The Bruins are 15th in the country in steal percentage.
Add it up, and UCLA Version 2.0 is the class of the Pac-10. The old virus-vulnerable Bruins averaged 70.4 points per game in conference play. Over the last four contests, Version 2.0 is averaging 85.8.
The next challenge is to take the show on the road. Can UCLA operate its new product away from home in a hostile environment?
The white-hot Bruins, sporting a 23.3-point margin of victory during the four-game home stand, now face their biggest remaining regular-season challenges. A critical Bay-area trip lingers, as does a rematch with Washington at home, but UCLA’s best shot at a road win against a top-25 team is Thursday’s showdown with Arizona State.
Remember, it was the Sun Devils’ active zone that flustered UCLA 1.0’s slow and stagnant offense.
Thursday, the Bruins will unleash Version 2.0 on ASU. Then, we will truly see the effectiveness of these software upgrades and whether this team can run without any glitches.
If you think Version 2.0 is here to stay, contact Taylor at btaylor@media.ucla.edu.