Here are things you need to know about the Bruins for tomorrow's game.
Three Things to Watch:
1. Cats on the road: This won't be UK's first game away from Rupp Arena, but this will be the Cats first true road game. As you all know, Calipari's teams at Kentucky have been hit or miss on the road. Some seasons the road crowds don't seem to bother the Cats, other years it's been tough for UK to pick up road wins. We'll get our first look at which way these Cats will lean on Thursday.
UCLA hasn't been dominant at home. Lost their season opener to Monmouth and has played in a few other close games to inferior opponents. UCLA was suprisingly good at home last season, losing just one game (Gonzaga). It will obviously be a good enviroment so UK will need to be ready.
2. Will UCLA get hot?: This is a decent three-point shooting UCLA team. It's similar to UK where you likely only have three guys that will likely knockdown threes, but UCLA's shooters are bit more consistent. Holiday, Alford and Hamilton will be the big three-point shooters. Those guys will have to get hot for the Bruins to have a fighting chance against the Cats on Thursday.
3. The UK run: UCLA gives up a lot of runs and have done it several times this season. The main reason why is because UCLA isn't that great of a team, but when giving up these runs their head coach, Steve Alford, sometimes calls timeouts and sometimes doesn't. UCLA will begin to tire, become lazy and force things. That's when teams take advantage and get a solid lead. No reason UK shouldn't have some runs on Thursday, but if they don't it may be a close game.
Three Players to Watch:
1. Bryce Alford, No. 20: Alford is the coach's son and the leader of this UCLA team. He's a solid outside shooter, but he's going to play the Grayson Allen role for UCLA. He's going to have the ball in his hands a lot, he's going to attack and he's going to try and draw fouls. Kentucky did a great job against Allen, Briscoe specifically, and I would expect Briscoe to start out on Alford. You slow him down, or stop him, and the Bruins don't have a chance.
2. Tony Parker, No. 23: Seems like he's been there forever, but alas he's still there as a senior. He's going to be the player that may get UK in trouble. His only bad game this season was when he was in foul trouble. He's had a double-double in five of seven games. That's crazy. And one of those games he finished with eight rebounds so he was close. He could get Labissiere in foul trouble. He may have too much muscle for any UK defender. He's the guy UK needs to slow down. His post moves are solid, he has trouble scoring over guys and he's a below average foul shooter. He's the player to watch.
3. Thomas Welsh, No. 40: The problem with slowing down Parker is you have this 7-foot forward in Welsh that is also dangerous offensively. He's still a bit raw but he's improved a lot from last season. He's averaging 12 points and six rebounds per game, but if teams lock in on Parker he's capable of having a big game. Curious how UK will defend these two. I'd put Lee or Poythress on Parker, leave Labissiere on Welsh. Welsh is less likely to get to the line as he's shot just eight free throws all year. Parker has shot 39. Can't let Labissiere get in foul trouble.
Three UCLA Strengths:
1. Big guys: As I mentioned before, UCLA features a pair of dangerous big men that could get the Cats in foul trouble. They rebound well, averaging 43 rebounds per game, and Parker is one of the better rebounders in college basketball. Cats will need to hit the boards to limit UCLA's second chance points. The Bruins crash the board which is a strength, but also adds a weakness that I'll get to soon.
2. Free throws: UCLA isn't one of the better free throw shooting teams in the country, and they don't get to the line an insane amount, but when they are at the line they're pretty good. We've seen UK teams struggle to stay out of foul trouble on the road over the years, and if that happens Thursday night odds are UCLA will knockdown their freebies.
3. Half court offense: UCLA has a lot of movement when they're comfortable on offense. When they slow things down, they'll run a lot of baseline screens and will try to catch an off-the-ball defender sleeping. If you speed UCLA up, they'll make more mistakes, become impatient and force shots/penetration. But if you allow them to get comfortable they run a pretty offense that leads to open shots or a player one-on-one in the post.
Three UCLA Weaknesses:
1. On the ball defense: This is great news for UK's guards, but also some of their bigs. We saw some of this last season in Chicago, but the Bruins continue to struggle defensively. Their guards can't stay in front of anyone, but their bigs are really poor away from the basket. Some teams this season have pulled more athletic fours and fives away from the basket and allowed them to put it on the floor. That could be great news for Labisisere but especially Alex Poythress. But bigs aside, UK's guards should have some fun.
2. Transition defense: My goodness they're slow to get back. I'm sure they'll make it a point of emphasis to limit UK in transition, as the Cats are really good in the fast break, but everything I've watched from UCLA has shown that will be difficult unless they want to change their game plan. The Bruins crash the boards in a big way when they're on offense, risking a lot. If they get it, they have a great chance at a putback, if they don't they have four guys up by the rim and only one getting back on defense. If the other team is ready to run, and UK will be, the Bruins are in trouble.
3. Bigs being doubled: I've talked a lot about how impressive UCLA's bigs have been this season, especially Parker, but if you double-team him he really struggles. He's try to force shots, he'll get frustrated and he's not great at passing out of double-teams. The Cats will need to be smart not to foul, and realize that they may leave a shooter open, but it's clearly the play when UCLA throws it in the post.
Three Quotes:
Calipari: "Last year was an outlier. I had a ridiculous team. And they would go into a game like that to smoke somebody like they did Kansas. They would go in with that mentality. This team is, we don't have that mentality."
Briscoe: "Only thing I know is that we're going to UCLA to play a game. I don't know any of the history. I'm just going to play basketball."
Steve Alford: "Going to be a special night. I don't want them to get to ramped up too quickly."
Three Predictions:
1. Ulis: If Ulis plays the Cats will be fine. He'll calm things down, he's played in rowdy atmospheres and he'll be sure to take care of the ball.
If he doesn't play, this game will be tough for Kentucky. UCLA will press a bit, will try to get UK deep in its shot clock before setting things up. If Ulis isn't there the Bruins will pressure Briscoe and Murray and try to get them to turn the ball over.
2. Labissiere bounces back: I doubt you'll see Labissiere play as poorly as he did on Monday at any point this season. Yes, UCLA has some skilled bigs, but that's on offense. Defensively those bigs struggle. Labissiere should be able to have solid looks from 6-12 feet and also could blow by Parker or Welsh if they're matched up on Labissiere. A double-double is coming for Labissiere.
Also, Labissiere needs to be careful falling for pump-fakes. UCLA does a ton of shot fakes and the Cats need to be patient.
3. Kentucky wins: If Ulis is out it may be closer, but Kentucky should win this game by eight or more. It's going to be a rowdy atmosphere, UK will have some silly mistakes and you better believe the officials won't make it easy for the Cats. But, UK is more talented at every position. The Cats eventually go on a run in the second half to put this game away, 77-68.
Three Things to Watch:
1. Cats on the road: This won't be UK's first game away from Rupp Arena, but this will be the Cats first true road game. As you all know, Calipari's teams at Kentucky have been hit or miss on the road. Some seasons the road crowds don't seem to bother the Cats, other years it's been tough for UK to pick up road wins. We'll get our first look at which way these Cats will lean on Thursday.
UCLA hasn't been dominant at home. Lost their season opener to Monmouth and has played in a few other close games to inferior opponents. UCLA was suprisingly good at home last season, losing just one game (Gonzaga). It will obviously be a good enviroment so UK will need to be ready.
2. Will UCLA get hot?: This is a decent three-point shooting UCLA team. It's similar to UK where you likely only have three guys that will likely knockdown threes, but UCLA's shooters are bit more consistent. Holiday, Alford and Hamilton will be the big three-point shooters. Those guys will have to get hot for the Bruins to have a fighting chance against the Cats on Thursday.
3. The UK run: UCLA gives up a lot of runs and have done it several times this season. The main reason why is because UCLA isn't that great of a team, but when giving up these runs their head coach, Steve Alford, sometimes calls timeouts and sometimes doesn't. UCLA will begin to tire, become lazy and force things. That's when teams take advantage and get a solid lead. No reason UK shouldn't have some runs on Thursday, but if they don't it may be a close game.
Three Players to Watch:
1. Bryce Alford, No. 20: Alford is the coach's son and the leader of this UCLA team. He's a solid outside shooter, but he's going to play the Grayson Allen role for UCLA. He's going to have the ball in his hands a lot, he's going to attack and he's going to try and draw fouls. Kentucky did a great job against Allen, Briscoe specifically, and I would expect Briscoe to start out on Alford. You slow him down, or stop him, and the Bruins don't have a chance.
2. Tony Parker, No. 23: Seems like he's been there forever, but alas he's still there as a senior. He's going to be the player that may get UK in trouble. His only bad game this season was when he was in foul trouble. He's had a double-double in five of seven games. That's crazy. And one of those games he finished with eight rebounds so he was close. He could get Labissiere in foul trouble. He may have too much muscle for any UK defender. He's the guy UK needs to slow down. His post moves are solid, he has trouble scoring over guys and he's a below average foul shooter. He's the player to watch.
3. Thomas Welsh, No. 40: The problem with slowing down Parker is you have this 7-foot forward in Welsh that is also dangerous offensively. He's still a bit raw but he's improved a lot from last season. He's averaging 12 points and six rebounds per game, but if teams lock in on Parker he's capable of having a big game. Curious how UK will defend these two. I'd put Lee or Poythress on Parker, leave Labissiere on Welsh. Welsh is less likely to get to the line as he's shot just eight free throws all year. Parker has shot 39. Can't let Labissiere get in foul trouble.
Three UCLA Strengths:
1. Big guys: As I mentioned before, UCLA features a pair of dangerous big men that could get the Cats in foul trouble. They rebound well, averaging 43 rebounds per game, and Parker is one of the better rebounders in college basketball. Cats will need to hit the boards to limit UCLA's second chance points. The Bruins crash the board which is a strength, but also adds a weakness that I'll get to soon.
2. Free throws: UCLA isn't one of the better free throw shooting teams in the country, and they don't get to the line an insane amount, but when they are at the line they're pretty good. We've seen UK teams struggle to stay out of foul trouble on the road over the years, and if that happens Thursday night odds are UCLA will knockdown their freebies.
3. Half court offense: UCLA has a lot of movement when they're comfortable on offense. When they slow things down, they'll run a lot of baseline screens and will try to catch an off-the-ball defender sleeping. If you speed UCLA up, they'll make more mistakes, become impatient and force shots/penetration. But if you allow them to get comfortable they run a pretty offense that leads to open shots or a player one-on-one in the post.
Three UCLA Weaknesses:
1. On the ball defense: This is great news for UK's guards, but also some of their bigs. We saw some of this last season in Chicago, but the Bruins continue to struggle defensively. Their guards can't stay in front of anyone, but their bigs are really poor away from the basket. Some teams this season have pulled more athletic fours and fives away from the basket and allowed them to put it on the floor. That could be great news for Labisisere but especially Alex Poythress. But bigs aside, UK's guards should have some fun.
2. Transition defense: My goodness they're slow to get back. I'm sure they'll make it a point of emphasis to limit UK in transition, as the Cats are really good in the fast break, but everything I've watched from UCLA has shown that will be difficult unless they want to change their game plan. The Bruins crash the boards in a big way when they're on offense, risking a lot. If they get it, they have a great chance at a putback, if they don't they have four guys up by the rim and only one getting back on defense. If the other team is ready to run, and UK will be, the Bruins are in trouble.
3. Bigs being doubled: I've talked a lot about how impressive UCLA's bigs have been this season, especially Parker, but if you double-team him he really struggles. He's try to force shots, he'll get frustrated and he's not great at passing out of double-teams. The Cats will need to be smart not to foul, and realize that they may leave a shooter open, but it's clearly the play when UCLA throws it in the post.
Three Quotes:
Calipari: "Last year was an outlier. I had a ridiculous team. And they would go into a game like that to smoke somebody like they did Kansas. They would go in with that mentality. This team is, we don't have that mentality."
Briscoe: "Only thing I know is that we're going to UCLA to play a game. I don't know any of the history. I'm just going to play basketball."
Steve Alford: "Going to be a special night. I don't want them to get to ramped up too quickly."
Three Predictions:
1. Ulis: If Ulis plays the Cats will be fine. He'll calm things down, he's played in rowdy atmospheres and he'll be sure to take care of the ball.
If he doesn't play, this game will be tough for Kentucky. UCLA will press a bit, will try to get UK deep in its shot clock before setting things up. If Ulis isn't there the Bruins will pressure Briscoe and Murray and try to get them to turn the ball over.
2. Labissiere bounces back: I doubt you'll see Labissiere play as poorly as he did on Monday at any point this season. Yes, UCLA has some skilled bigs, but that's on offense. Defensively those bigs struggle. Labissiere should be able to have solid looks from 6-12 feet and also could blow by Parker or Welsh if they're matched up on Labissiere. A double-double is coming for Labissiere.
Also, Labissiere needs to be careful falling for pump-fakes. UCLA does a ton of shot fakes and the Cats need to be patient.
3. Kentucky wins: If Ulis is out it may be closer, but Kentucky should win this game by eight or more. It's going to be a rowdy atmosphere, UK will have some silly mistakes and you better believe the officials won't make it easy for the Cats. But, UK is more talented at every position. The Cats eventually go on a run in the second half to put this game away, 77-68.
