UCLA won’t rest on one big win
Bruins’ 9-0 start has created hype; now, Alford and his team look to sustain consistency
LOS ANGELES—Steve Alford, usually first to meet with the media, was last, appearing about 20 minutes later than normal as he stepped out of a Pauley Pavilion corridor Thursday.
UCLA’s basketball coach wasn’t running late so much as he had been held up. Four of his players wanted to spend extra time reviewing game footage, seeking ways to improve.
Never mind that the Bruins had beaten top-ranked Kentucky five days earlier, there were issues to address. Too many turnovers. Suspect transition defense. More missed free throws than usual.
The players saw their mistakes unfold, again and again, and desired pointers on correcting them.
“It’s just an attentive group,” said Alford, the former New Mexico (2007-13) coach. “It’s a selfless group.”
It’s also a group that knows early success doesn’t come with any guarantees. UCLA defeated top-ranked Kentucky and nationally ranked Gonzaga last season on the way to a losing record.
These Bruins want sustainability amid the hype that has accompanied their best start in a decade. It’s a process that will continue today when No. 2 UCLA (9-0) plays host to Michigan (7-2) at Pauley Pavilion.
“We know that if we believe all that stuff and we don’t improve this week,” Alford said, “we’ll get beat.”
Playing the Wolverines next after the Wildcats might make the Bruins feel as though they’ve spanned the pages of Aesop’s Fables in a week, having faced both the tortoise (Michigan) and the hare (Kentucky).
Michigan plays relentless defense and occasionally scores, entering the game allowing 58.2 points per game, ninth-lowest in the nation. Wolverines opponents are shooting 42.4 percent, including 35.2 percent from 3-point range.
Most of UCLA’s lulls this season have come against teams that like to slow the pace like the Wolverines. UCLA pushed through just fine in beating Nebraska and Texas A&M.
“What’s intriguing about the upcoming game is what tempo can be played,” said Alford, whose team ranks second nationally in scoring at 97 points per game. “Regardless of whether it’s a slower tempo or a quicker tempo, we want the ball moving.”
That’s rarely been a problem for UCLA. The Bruins rank first in the nation in assists per game (24.0) and field-goal accuracy (55.1 percent), prompting Alford to call it his best ball-sharing team in 26 seasons coaching.
If the Michigan game feels like more of a slog than usual, UCLA hopes to derive energy from what is expected to be the largest crowd of the season. One athletics official tweeted that celebrities Vince Vaughn and Jessica Alba were expected to attend, which should please Bruins shooting guard Bryce Alford after the La Cueva graduate name-dropped Alba earlier this season when talking about all the luminaries who had come to Pauley Pavilion in recent years.
Asked which was his favorite of the group, Bryce Alford quickly recovered. “Pat Riley,” he said, smiling. “We’ll go with that.”
The Bruins have become something of local heroes themselves and will probably be favored in every game until they lose. They also could make a habit of lengthy film sessions.
“If you don’t continue to progress and move forward,” Bryce Alford said, “then it all goes to waste.”
Friday games
WOMEN: In San Diego, Katelynn Flaherty scored 21 points and Michigan (8-2) shot 57 percent from the field in a 92-57 win over San Diego State. Kymberly Ellison scored 12 points to lead the Aztecs.
In Malibu, Calif., Katie Powell scored 17 points and Nikki Wheatley posted 13 points and 10 rebounds for UNLV (7-1), which used a 11-0 fourth-quarter run to secure a 68-61 victory over 0-9 Pepperdine.
In Lexington, Ky., Taylor Murray had 16 points and seven rebounds, Evelyn Akhator had her sixth double-double and No. 15 Kentucky (7-2) turned back Middle Tennessee 61-48. Alex Johnson had 19 points for the Blue Raiders (2-4).
In Las Vegas, N.M., Janessa Aukward scored 16 points in 22 minutes for Westminster (4-3, 2-1) in its 60-52 RMAC win over New Mexico Highlands (2-5, 1-3). Shania Ratliff scored 13 points to lead the Cowgirls.
In Lincoln, Neb., Jessica Shepard had a season-high 28 points to go along with 14 rebounds as Nebraska (4-6) routed 2-8 San Jose State 83-61. Dezz Ramos scored 24 points, 16 in the second quarter, to lead the Spartans.
In Laramie, Wyo., Mikayla Ferenz scored 34 points and Idaho (3-5) handed Wyoming (6-3) its first home loss of the season, 74-71.
MEN: In Omaha, Neb., Marcus Foster and Khyri Thomas scored 16 points apiece, and 10th-ranked Creighton (10-0) led by 37 points at halftime on its way to a 113-58 victory over Longwood (2-5).
In Las Vegas, N.M., Marlon Johnson scored 16 points for New Mexico Highlands (2-6, 0-4 RMAC), which lost 70-51 to Westminster (3-2, 3-0) despite trailing by only two points at the half.