No, UCLA does not need to win this weekend’s Pac-12 tournament to reach the NCAA Tournament. The No. 3 Bruins (28-3, 15-3 Pac-12) have already done more than enough to secure a ticket to the Big Dance, but their performance in the conference tourney could play a significant role in determining how deep into March […]
Author Archives: Matt Cummings
Bruins defeat Huskies in 98-66 blowout despite T.J. Leaf injury
This post was updated March 2 at 12:15 a.m. The highlight plays came in bunches Wednesday as No. 3 UCLA pummeled an overmatched Washington team 98-66 at Pauley Pavilion, but the defining moment of the game was a sour one for the Bruins. Less than five minutes into the first half, freshman forward T.J. Leaf sprained […]
Men’s basketball leads Washington 49-28 at halftime
A left ankle sprain to freshman forward T.J. Leaf overshadowed UCLA’s first-half dominance against Washington on Wednesday night. The Bruins headed into halftime with a 49-28 lead, but the most notable moment of the game came less than five minutes in, when Leaf landed on the foot of Washington’s Noah Dickerson and crumpled to the […]
Matchup against Washington to test UCLA’s rebounding improvements
In theory, Wednesday’s matchup with Washington should be a cakewalk for the UCLA men’s basketball team. The Bruins are simply better on both ends of the floor, and the Huskies’ star freshman point guard Markelle Fultz is questionable with a sore knee. But in at least one area, Washington (9-19, 2-14 Pac-12) will provide an […]
Men’s basketball set to push tempo against weak transition defense
This post was updated Feb. 23 at 5:40 p.m. If you – like most people – enjoy watching the Bruins’ offense, you may want to save your blinking for the commercial breaks during No. 5 UCLA men’s basketball’s (24-3, 11-3 Pac-12) Thursday night game at Arizona State (13-15, 6-9). With freshman guard Lonzo Ball always […]
Fixes in defense power UCLA men’s basketball to victory against USC
What a difference three weeks make. Seeking revenge for a January loss to USC that prompted a players-only meeting about the need for more defensive intensity, UCLA put forth a dominant defensive effort in Saturday night’s 102-70 win over its crosstown rival. “After our last ‘SC game, we talked about it as a team and […]
Bruins improved against zone defense since last Trojan encounter
When USC coach Andy Enfield decided to switch from man-to-man to a zone defense eight minutes into his team’s win over UCLA on Jan. 25, the UCLA offense immediately stalled out. The Bruins turned the ball over 11 times in the final 12 minutes of the first half, as the Trojans erased a 10-point deficit […]