UCLA Beats Kentucky, Remains Undefeated In Dominating Performance

Still first half, The Wildcats fell behind 44-41 as UCLA thrived in an NBA type scoring pace with little defense, no surprise with so many NBA scouts here and many of these players likely future NBA impact players.

Calipari attributed UCLA’s success behind the arc to his team’s inability to successfully guard the perimeter, giving the Bruins easy looks behind the arc.

“We weren’t focused like we usually are”, Monk said.

Freshmen forward TJ Leaf and forward/center Ike Anigbogu battled against Kentucky in the paint, combining for 10 points and eight rebounds to keep UCLA in the game.

For nearly the entire second half, Kentucky was unable to get closer than seven points. I think our guys will learn from that. We didn’t have Lonzo Ball past year.

The Bruins were able to take control of the game coming out of the second half as they relied on T.J. Leaf. Welsh is averaging 10.6 points per game with an ability to score under the basket or on base-line jump shots. United Kingdom is not likely to be the best offensive rebounding team in the nation, but they should be a very good defensive rebounding team. they only got 63% of their defensive rebounds, and they are a bigger and more athletic team than the Bruins.

The opposition has called them “freaky”, “ridiculous” and “a different breed”, and that’s just in the past week.

I haven’t even gotten to Isaac Hamilton who – hello – actually leads the team in scoring (and had a game-high 19).

Whether the Bruins have a honest chance of winning at Rupp Arena is nearly beside the point; in Lexington on Saturday the sheer fact of a win or a loss will matter far less than the kind of performance that preceded it. Butler’s offense relied on ball movement as 22 of its 31 field goals came by way of an assist.

Ball set up his teammates with several nifty passes. Sophomore guard Isaiah Briscoe three times drove baseline and stepped out of bounds in the second half.

The Wildcats overcame a 3-for-9 start to reach 50 percent from the field in the first half before a 1-for-8 spell to close the opening 20 minutes.

United Kingdom has scored 100 or more points in three straight games for the first time since December 1977.

With Ball struggling, Holiday played 15 minutes in the first half and showcased the vast difference between today’s UCLA squad and the team that didn’t make the NCAA tournament last season.

No. 8 Gonzaga 69, No. 16 Arizona 62: Przemek Karnowski scored 18 points and Gonzaga defeated Arizona in the inaugural Hoophall LA doubleheader at Staples Center.

Revisionist history might allow us to look back at Saturday as the arrival of Leaf, but he’s already been here, we’ve (mostly) just failed to notice.

Kentucky has become the country’s premiere destination for one-and-done freshmen, producing three trips to the Final Four and one national championship in the last six years. This loss was tough primarily due to the back-to-back nature of the last two games against the Bruins, and to the legendary status of both teams.

UCLA is the best shooting team in the nation.

Saturday’s matchup will be the third in as many years between the Bruins and Wildcats, all of which have featured a No. 1-ranked Kentucky team. He finished three assists short of the school record held by Earl Watson of 16. Ball was the player that everyone was talking about over the first month of the season, but Kentucky’s De’Aaron Fox proved he’s also a legitimate lottery pick with a great effort on Saturday. He took just three shots.

Lonzo Ball can’t be great just by himself as this game is a team sport. UCLA is 4-0 all-time against UC Riverside.