Jeff Eisenberg E-mail Eisenberg at
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The year 2002 has aptly been hailed as the year of the point
guard in college basketball. With dynamic floor generals like
Duke’s Jason Williams, Illinois’ Frank Williams and
Gonzaga’s Dan Dickau roaming the hardwood, the game is being
played at a frenetic pace.
That breakneck tempo coupled with UCLA’s lack of perimeter
quickness has caused the Bruins’ defense to appear a step
slow at times this season.
With a backcourt that features no one under 6-foot-5, the Bruins
often tower over opponents, but do not have the quickness to play
most teams man-to-man. Rather than watch opposing guards
consistently beat his team off the dribble, head coach Steve Lavin
has tried to compensate by utilizing full court pressure and a
match-up zone.
While the Bruins have thrived in forcing turnovers by filling
the passing lanes, their zone defense has left them woefully
vulnerable to the outside shot. Statistically, it has become
painfully obvious that the team does not have the quickness to
rotate effectively and get a hand in the face of jump shooters.
UCLA has given up 8.5 three-pointers per game ““ by far the
most allowed by anyone in the Pac-10. Despite a gaudy 12-3 record
that includes Saturday’s thrilling victory over top-ranked
Kansas, the Bruins rank just seventh in the conference in team
defense, allowing over 72 points per game.
The squad has struggled to contain speedy guards all season
““ most notably Ball State’s Patrick Jackson in the
Cardinals’ 91-73 victory over the Bruins in the semifinals of
the Maui Invitational Tournament. The 5-foot-10 Jackson scorched
UCLA for 23 points and six assists, blowing by lethargic Bruin
defenders seemingly at will.
Other teams have also hurt the Bruins with backcourt penetration
and sharp shooting. UC Irvine’s Jerry Green notched 27
points, including four three-pointers, almost handing UCLA its
second home loss of the season by himself. Even in the Kansas
victory, the Jayhawk starting backcourt combined for nine
three-pointers despite struggling with the Bruins full-court
pressure.
A portion of these defensive woes can be attributed to a lack of
personnel more than any other factor. Due to a recruiting strategy
that focuses more on raw talent than filling specific needs, Lavin
has constructed a team whose lack of overall speed is a glaring
weakness.
Since quickness is not a skill that can be taught, the Bruins
must improve their team defense in order to offset their
deficiencies. A healthy Cedric Bozeman at point guard should help,
but the addition of one player is unlikely to drastically improve
the situation.
Instead, the entire team must continue to focus on fundamentals
as a means of improving its perimeter rotation in the match-up
zone. At 6-foot-7, both Jason Kapono and Dijon Thompson may never
be fast enough to close out effectively on opposing guards.
Therefore, in order to reduce their opponents’ high
percentage looks at the basket, the Bruins continue to force
turnovers with their trapping defense and shut down the passing
lanes in halfcourt sets.
With road games against Arizona and Oregon looming this month,
the Bruins need to improve quickly. The Wildcats and Ducks are the
league leaders in three-point field goals, averaging over seven per
game. Each features a bevy of blazingly quick guards who are
capable of either penetrating the defense or pulling the trigger
from the outside.
UCLA’s defensive effort in these two games could
foreshadow their postseason fate. In light of the finality of the
NCAA Tournament’s single elimination format, if an opponent
gets hot from the perimeter it could spell an early demise for the
Bruins in March.