UCLA men’s basketball plays very good defense under Mick Cronin. It is true this season. It has been true for nearly all of Cronin’s tenure in Westwood. Defense is something UCLA does well on a relatively consistent basis. That said, there’s one clear defensive flaw which simply has to be addressed and nipped in the bud.
In the Bruins’ eight-point loss to Nebraska on Saturday, their initial halfcourt defense was very strong. Nebraska hit only 33 percent of its shots. Nebraska made only four more field goal attempts (17) than the number of turnovers it committed (13). Nebraska scored 66 points only because UCLA, trailing, had to purposefully foul in the final minute and inflate the Huskers’ point total. Essentially, UCLA held Nebraska under 60 points, which should regularly be good enough to win. Defense was not the main reason UCLA lost; a 4-of-28 3-point shooting disaster undid the Bruins more than anything else.
However, one clear problem emerged for UCLA on defense. Knowing Nebraska was struggling to shoot the ball from the field — NU was 7 of 25, or 28 percent, from 3-point range — UCLA had to realize just how important it was to not hand the Huskers freebies at the free throw line. Yet, UCLA did keep sending NU to the charity stripe. Nebraska cashed in.
Even before the final minute, in which Nebraska piled up several additional free throws, NU had already collected a lot more free throw attempts than UCLA. The Huskers got into the bonus, and UCLA could not stop fouling.
The final tally at the free throw line in this game: Nebraska took 16 more attempts (29-13) and made 15 more shots. Nebraska was plus-15 in a game decided by eight. Even if you take away 10 late free throws, Nebraska was still plus-6 in attempts and plus several points.
This is not the first time this has happened to UCLA this season. In the loss to North Carolina — in which the Bruins gave away a 16-point second-half lead — UCLA sent Carolina to the foul line 35 times. The Tar Heels shot poorly from the line, missing 11 times, but they still outscored the Bruins 24-13, going plus-11 in a game decided by two points.
UCLA plays such good initial halfcourt defense. The Bruins have no excuse for piling up fouls and free throws. Mick Cronin has to crack down on this and get instant accountability from his players.
