Villanova at UCLA: 5 storylines to watch for top-5 matchup

PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 01: Collin Gillespie #2 of the Villanova Wildcats dribbles the ball against Marcus Zegarowski #11 of the Creighton Bluejays in the second half at the Wells Fargo Center on February 1, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Creighton Bluejays defeated the Villanova Wildcats 76-61. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 01: Collin Gillespie #2 of the Villanova Wildcats dribbles the ball against Marcus Zegarowski #11 of the Creighton Bluejays in the second half at the Wells Fargo Center on February 1, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Creighton Bluejays defeated the Villanova Wildcats 76-61. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
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Jaime Jaquez Jr. UCLA Bruins (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
Jaime Jaquez Jr. UCLA Bruins (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)

Jaime Jaquez and Johnny Juzang

With Myles Johnson arriving in Westwood, Los Angeles it provides the Bruins with a one-two punch in the paint as Johnson is able to sufficiently sub in for Cody Riley in the post, ensuring there is always a post presence. Regardless of how successful Riley (10 ppg) and Johnson (8 ppg) are scoring around the basket, they will be more successful if they do not have to deal with Justin Moore and Jermaine Samuels doubling down on them.

The Bruins are going to have to be able to occupy the Wildcats’ defenders on the perimeter and it will have to be Jaime Jaquez and Johnny Juzang getting that attention. Last season the Bruins made fewer than seven three-pointers per game, making ten in a game four times and 11 once. Juzang was the only Bruin to average two made three-pointers a game, as Singleton and Smith were the next two highest followed by Juzang and Jules Bernard who were all above one made per game.

If the Bruins hope to replicate the success they had against Chico State when they connected on 11 of 22 attempted three-pointers led by Juzang hitting 3 of 4 and Jaquez making the two he attempted. Percentage-wise the Bruins were ranked No. 40 in the nation with a success rate of over 37 percent. The Bruins need the symbiosis between the post freeing up the perimeter shooters and the perimeter shootings keeping their defenders close.