NCAA Basketball: Takeaways from Virginia’s surprise Continental Tire title win

Key takeaways for 4th Place UCLA Bruins

Little production coming from the 5-spot

This isn’t a big surprise, as five-star freshman center Adem Bona was known for his defense and rebounding. And all things considered, he had a solid weekend against top-10 caliber teams.  Kenneth Nwuba and Mac Etienne also get minutes there but at times, the Bruins go completely small at the five-spot. They’ll have to live with having four main scorers on the but as long as the interior is defended and Bona keeps improving, it shouldn’t be a weak spot.

Jaylen Clark is ready for big minutes

The junior wing was a consensus breakout candidate this offseason and he’s lived up to that, averaging around 17 ppg and 9.0 rpg. Clark is an elite defender and is shooting over 50% from deep in five games this season and went for 23 points and 10 rebounds against Baylor. It’s early but a case can be made that he’s an upgrade over last year’s leading scorer Johnny Juzang thanks to his defense.

Bruins need more from Amari Bailey

If Nick Smith of Arkansas was the top freshman ball-handler in the freshman class, then Bailey, another top-10 prospect, was No. 2. The 6’5 guard has high expectations and has been in the starting lineup so far this season. However, Bailey had a miserable two games, combining for just six points on 2/10 shooting from the field. It was definitely a learning experience going up against two talented backcourts and he should grow from this experience but in order for UCLA to make a Final Four run, they need more from the five-star guard.