UCLA Basketball: 2021-22 keys to defeating Arizona Wildcats in rematch
By Tuck Clarry
UCLA Basketball looks to double-up their lightwork of the Arizona Wildcats, this time on the road in Tuscon. A victory on Thursday would put the Bruins in the driver’s seat for the conference and could give them a path to securing a number one seed or at least a favorable two seed regional placement.
The win last Tuesday at home seemed to bring the Bruins back to life after a ho-hum to the opening of conference play and return from COVID pause. They had beaten Oregon State, Utah, and Colorado by an average of nine points. Since the 16 point win against Arizona, UCLA has won by 23.5 points.
UCLA is clearly trending upwards and here are three keys to ensure that they take care of Arizona.
Continue that defensive intensity
In Arizona’s previous 17 games, it looked like nobody could handle their speed and ability to get out in transition. The number two ranked team in KenPom’s adjusted tempo metric could not find space to run and get easy points when they played in Pauley Pavilion. Arizona scored a season-low 3 fastbreak points that night.
That high-minded defensive hustle not only limited transition buckets but also stifled any really easy looks for Arizona. They made six of their 23 attempts at the rim–not including dunk attempts–and had to slow down their pace drastically. The Wildcats rank ninth in the country in points per possession, but UCLA’s defense limited them to a staggering .797 per possession. Including the Wildcats, UCLA has held their last four opponents to a sub-1 point per possession average.
The Bruins may also be catching Arizona at the right time. Including their previous matchup, the Wildcats are shooting 31% from the field and 19% from three. Notably, point guard Kerr Kriisa and Wooden award nominee Bennedict Mathurin are a combined 7 for 56 in that span. If the Bruins can continue to frustrate Mathurin and Kriisa it’s difficult to imagine a different result than what we saw last week.
Mick Cronin has his team invested on that end of the floor similar to his Cincinnati teams in terms of locking down individual assignments. Peyton Watson had a coming-out party with his clamps against the Wildcats’ wings, recording two steals and two blocks and making every possession difficult when he was out on the floor.