UCLA Basketball: 3 keys for Bruins to defeat Arizona Wildcats

3. The Wildcats thrive at the charity stripe – while the Bruins are the best at keeping teams off the FT line

There are not as many teams in the country that thrive and live from the free-throw line quite as the Wildcats do – but now, they will line up against a squad that ranks among the best in keeping teams away from the charity stripe.

No team in the Pac-12 takes as many – and makes as many – freebies as Arizona does, attempting 23.8 and making 17.3 per game – both ranking at the very top in the conference.  Additionally, on the national level – their mark of 24.7 attempts is fifth in Div. I, while their number of makes (17.8) ranks fourth nationally.

Arizona’s reliance on the charity stripe is so great that they rely on nearly as much as they do three-pointers.  In Pac-12 play, the Wildcats see 50.6% of their point distribution come from two-pointers (7th) and just 26.8% from long-range (10th) – but see a league-best 22.7% come from free-throws.  That clip is reflected in their wins, as well – with none more telling than their recent win over Oregon State, where the Beavers attempted just 10 freebies – while the Wildcats were 23-34.

But no team is better in the Pac-12 in not allowing freebies than the Bruins, who see conference foes have just 15.1% of their point distribution come from the charity stripe.  Against UCLA, Pac-12 teams are taking just 13.8 free-throws – and making 10.1 – both the best defensive marks in the conference.

Regarding Arizona, it is no coincidence that the Wildcats took just 11 free-throws against Oregon – and lost – but took 34 against Oregon State and won.  If UCLA hopes to pull out a win, they will need to keep Arizona off the charity stripe – much like they did in their last meeting, where the Wildcats took just 16 freebies, while the Bruins doubled that mark with 32.

Again, this is not necessarily a must-win for UCLA in regards to an at-large bid – but it is one if the Bruins hope to keep their national reputation afloat, particularly in the midst of a stretch where their last two wins came by single-digits.  Considering the last meeting in January came down to just five points, this one could very much come down to the wire, as well – and the Bruins will desperately need everyone on board to pull it out.