UCLA Bruins Expose No.1 Kentucky Wildcats, Three Takeaways From The Game

The UCLA Bruins (5-3) came into their Thursday night contest with the Kentucky Wildcats (7-1) with a 4-3 record that included losses to Monmouth, Wake Forest and Kansas.

They seemed to lollygag a bit in their play, meaning they were not meeting their potential at all. But something about having No.1 Kentucky in Pauley Pavilion brought the best out of Steve Alford’s bunch as the Bruins took control in the first half and never relinquished it in upsetting the Wildcats.

UCLA decided to play a zone forcing the Wildcats to have to shoot over the top and Kentucky did not handle that too well.

John Calipari’s crew shot a mere 37.9% from the field and only hit 8 of 25 from beyond the arc which played right into the Bruins hands.

UCLA finished with five players in double figures led by Thomas Welsh who tallied 21 points and 10 rebounds.

Bryce Alford and Issac Hamilton chipped in 15 points each, Tony Parker dropped 11 points on the stat sheet, and Aaron Holiday stuffed the stat sheet with 10 points eight rebounds and seven assists.

The play that let you know that UCLA meant business against the Wildcats tonight was the dunk by 6-foot-3 freshman guard Prince Ali on Alex Poythress. The play fouled Kentucky’s Alex Poythress out of the game and electrified the crowd.

Kentucky was led by Isaiah Briscoe who finished the game with 20 points and Jamal Murray who added 17.

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The Wildcats were a tad bit beat up in this game with Tyler Ulis playing with a bad right elbow and Marcus Lee having to leave the game with a head injury.

Kentucky losing Lee from their frontline was a major blow because he could have definitely helped the Wildcats in the paint with his offensive activity and rebounding ability.

Kentucky appeared to be exposed in this game while UCLA found out that they are a whole lot better than their record indicates.

Here are three takeaways from UCLA’s upset win of No.1 Kentucky.

Skal Labissiere Gets Pushed Around Way to Easy

Skal Labissiere is a very skilled 7-footer that can finish around the basket with either hand and use his length to block shots, however he was completely exposed in this matchup by UCLA’s frontcourt of Tony Parker and Thomas Welsh.

Parker and Welsh used their strength to keep Labissiere in check with the freshman phenom finishing with a meager six points and one rebound in 16 minutes.

Welsh finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds while Tony Parker added 11 points and three boards.

Dec 3, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins center Thomas Welsh (40) grabs a rebound against Kentucky Wildcats forward Skal Labissiere (1) during the second half at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

Not having to worry about Marcus Lee’s presence on the court may have aided in the shut down of Labissiere, but in the end UCLA had a blueprint for Kentucky and it started with owning the painted area.

Just imagine what SEC teams with strong front lines are going to be thinking they can accomplish against the Kentucky Wildcats after seeing this outcome and how it was done.

UCLA Needs to Get Out of Their Own Way

Steve Alford’s team is 5-3 right now but they really should have a better record than that.

In all honesty the losses to Wake Forest and Monmouth should not have happened, but UCLA is the type of team that has the talent but has a way of beating themselves.

Thursday night was a prime example of what the Bruins can do when it all comes together for the team.

Bryce Alford played solid ball in 37 minutes with 15 points, five rebounds and four assists. Aaron Holiday did a little bit of everything from the backcourt falling three assists and two rebounds short of a triple-double.

Lastly, the UCLA Bruins frontcourt of Welsh, Hamilton and Parker played like one of the best in the nation.

The offensive production was strong, but the defensive effort of the Bruins was what netted the Bruins this win and should give them the confidence that they can play with anyone in the country going forward.

Kentucky’s Frontcourt Has Some Weaknesses This Season

We did not think that Kentucky was going to get through this season undefeated at all. But you had to think that they were going to make it into SEC play undefeated.

But this loss to the UCLA Bruins showed that this year’s edition of Kentucky Wildcats’ basketball is far more vulnerable than last year’s Kentucky team.

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The inexperience of this team is really a very small part of the issue. This year’s Wildcats’ team is lacking overall team physicality and is not deep in the frontcourt.

Once Marcus Lee went out with his head injury four minutes into the game Kentucky’s interior was truly nonexistent.

If Kentucky is not able to establish any kind of interior presence during a game they can be had.

When you think about teams in the SEC like Vanderbilt, LSU, Mississippi State, and Texas A&M who have pretty good frontlines that may be able to give the Wildcats trouble, this game could be seen as a beacon of hope.

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As much as it did help that UK could not hit an outside shot, the fact that Kentucky’s interior lacks physicality and depth can be a problem.

Overall this team is not physically imposing and that means that they are not going to intimidate anyone this season.