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Defensive struggles cost No. 4 UCLA against No. 1 Florida

wilbekin

Entering their game against No. 1 Florida, the general feeling was that No. 4 UCLA had the offensive weapons needed to challenge the NCAA tournament’s top overall seed. With an uncommon matchup at the point in the form of Kyle Anderson and guards Jordan Adams and Norman Powell both playing well, the Bruins are a difficult team more many opponents to slow down.

However the more important question was whether or not UCLA would have the tools needed to defend Florida, and the answer in their 79-68 loss was an emphatic “no.”

After failing to shoot 40% from the field in their first two NCAA tournament games Florida made 50% of its shots against UCLA, shooting 21-for-37 inside of the arc. And in the second half Florida shot 59.3% from the field, making 13 of its 19 two-point attempts. On the season UCLA’s opponents made 48.6% of their two-point attempts, but the Bruins were worse against a Florida team that continuously found the open areas as the game progressed.
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Part of that had to do with Michael Frazier II ending his shooting slump, thus providing Florida with the balance needed to enjoy better spacing. But whether it was in zone or man-to-man, UCLA simply could not keep the Gators from finding quality two-point looks. Thanks to their ability to force turnovers UCLA put together solid defensive efficiency numbers this season, but when unable to force those mistakes some of the Bruins’ deficiencies as individual defenders can be exposed.

Florida accounted for 22 assists and 12 turnovers Thursday night, a far cry from the 25 assists and 24 turnovers that Tulsa and Stephen F. Austin combined for against the Bruins last weekend in San Diego. UCLA scored 19 points off of those Gator turnovers, which kept them within striking distance for much of the evening.

But a 10-0 second-half run spearheaded by Scottie Wilbekin, who played a role in eight of those points, provided Billy Donovan’s team with the cushion needed to wrap up a fourth consecutive Elite Eight appearance.

UCLA didn’t have its best night offensively, shooting 42.2% from the field and 3-for-18 from beyond the arc, but for them to not score as efficiently as they did a week ago was to be expected given Florida’s defensive ability. With this being the case the Bruins needed to consistently string together stops in the half court, but they were unable to do so.

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