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UCLA Basketball: Takeaways from victory over Marquette Golden Eagles

By Chris Thedinga

LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 07: Head coach Mick Cronin of the UCLA Bruins cheers on his team in the second half of the game against the USC Trojans at Galen Center on March 7, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 07: Head coach Mick Cronin of the UCLA Bruins cheers on his team in the second half of the game against the USC Trojans at Galen Center on March 7, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /
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UCLA Basketball
Chris Smith UCLA Basketball (Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images) /

The play of Chris Smith

Chris Smith had yet another lackluster performance against Marquette. Smith was a preseason favorite for one of the All-Pac 12 slots and considered a true contender for Pac 12 Player of the Year. The UCLA veteran has not lived up to the lofty preseason expectations thus far in his 2020 campaign.

Smith went 0-8 from the field and only contributed four points to the Bruins total. This is not the first time this year that Chris Smith has failed to produce. This is the fourth game (of six total) that Smith hasn’t been all that impressive offensively. He has had recorded two totals under ten points (Marquette, Seattle U.) and has made more than three field goals just twice this season.

Sure, defenses are almost always keying up on Smith, as he is the go-to guy. Him just being on the floor has opened things up for his teammates this year, but there is reason to believe the respect defenses give Smith could begin to shrink.

You take a look at the other premier guards in the country and their stat lines don’t seem to have a similar look to that of Smith. For example, take Marcus Zegarowski of Creighton. Marcus has not played his best basketball early this year and has gotten off to a much slower start than he would have liked. However, he has still been in double digits in every single game.

Smith can have tendencies to simply disappear during games for stretches of time. Other premiere guards on top-notch teams do not do this. If Smith wants to be considered in the same class as a lot of the blossoming guard play we have seen in 2020, he has to be a factor in every contest.

If the Bruins are in a close game down the stretch, there is reason to believe that it will not be Chris Smith shooting the ball. Many UCLA fans would rather have Jaquez, or even Jules Bernard or Tyger Campbell be tasked with the big shot.

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