UCLA Basketball: 3 takeaways from season-opening loss to San Diego State
Higher High’s Ahead?
This will most likely end up being one of the worst games UCLA plays all year long. They faced a *very* good team on the road and played extremely sloppy basketball. They didn’t have two of their top playmakers, and their All Pac-12 candidate was hampered due to foul trouble the entire game.
Yet, I come away encouraged by what the future of this team holds more-so than when I came into it. We know just how good Chris Smith and Tyger Campbell can be, and we have seen it enough times to know it’s not unusual for them to play to that level. We also know that Jalen Hill is an extremely efficient postman who can affect games on both sides of the ball. Now, let’s pair those known factors with some good things we saw today.
If Cody Riley can be as effective in the paint as he was tonight, he’ll be a real force in conference play. SDSU is a top-4o KenPom defense that has some solid post defenders. his 14-12 double-double today spotted him in the top five of Ken Pomeroy’s individual performances of the day.
Jaime rattled home three 3-pointers tonight, a feat that he only accomplished once his entire freshman campaign. Even better, he shot it at a 60% clip. If Jaquez Jr. can become a more reliable outside shooter this year that will open up a whole number of possibilities for the Bruins at full strength.
We can also factor into the equation that perhaps the best long-ball shooter UCLA has on the roster is Juzang, who was out tonight. Johnny not only shoots it well but provides some much-needed length and versatility.
Next. 10 biggest takeaways from opening night. dark
All in all, I come away cautiously optimistic for the Bruins after that loss. The more I think about the game, the more I feel good about where Cronin has UCLA going. This team’s ceiling is simply much higher than it was a year prior, and it sure will be fun to see that.