UCLA men’s basketball (17-8, 9-5 Big Ten) can bounce back from its 30-point blowout loss to then-No. 2 Michigan on Saturday with a Tuesday night contest against No. 15 Michigan State (20-5, 10-4) at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. Daily Bruin Sports editor Connor Dullinger analyzes the Spartans’ roster, along with their strengths and weaknesses.
Personnel:
Coach: Tom Izzo
Starting lineup: Guard Jeremy Fears Jr., Guard Jordan Scott, Forward Coen Carr, Forward Jaxon Kohler, Center Carson Cooper
Best player: Jeremy Fears Jr.
X-factor: Jaxson Kohler
KenPom ranking: No. 13
Adjusted offensive rating: 120.3 (No. 43)
Adjusted defensive rating: 92.4 (No. 7)
Adjusted tempo: 56.8 (No. 265 )
An away trip can be an offensive nightmare.
UCLA saw it Saturday morning when they were blown out by 30 and scored a season-low 56 points against then-No. 2 Michigan – the top-ranked defensive team in the nation.
And Tuesday evening, the Westwood squad will take on No. 15 Michigan State, which boasts the seventh-best defense in the country.
The Spartans rank third in the Big Ten in fewest points allowed per game, and No. 17 in the nation in field goal defense, holding opposing teams to 39.7% shooting from the field.
Michigan State’s tenacity on defense extends to the rim as well, with the team blocking 4.3 shots per game which ties for fourth in the Big Ten. On the glass, the Spartans rank top three in the conference in defensive rebounds, offensive rebounds and total rebounds, which could pose a problem to a Bruin squad that ranks No. 14 in total rebounds per game.
Guard Jeremy Fears Jr. is the engine that powers the Spartan offense. Fears leads the nation in assists, averaging 9.2 per game, and has 11 double-digit assist games this season, including 17 on Jan. 24 in Michigan State’s win over Maryland.
Fears is one of, if not the best, offensive facilitators in the country, using his quickness while dribbling, court vision and patience to manipulate opposing defenses. He opens up space and shot opportunities for his teammates by slashing into the paint, drawing multiple defenders and finding open 3-point shooters on the opposite wing or the strong side corner.
And when he is not passing to shooters beyond the arc, he is finding forwards Jaxon Kohler and Coen Carr and center Carson Cooper for alley-oops in the paint. His speed gets him the first step and allows him to penetrate the heart of the defense, where he can pick apart collapsing defenders and find his big men for a basket.
Fears it not an ultra-efficient scorer – shooting 43.3% from the field and 25.3% from beyond the arc – yet he leads the team in scoring, averaging 15.1 points per game. Fears excels going downhill and also has a decent pull-up jump shot and floater package.
The benefactors for Fears’ facilitation are Kohler and Carr, who rank second and third on the team in scoring with averages of 12.5 and 11.7 points per game, respectively. Kohler is perhaps the Spartan’s most efficient catch-and-shoot player, knocking down 40.8% of his 3-point attempts. He makes 1.7 long shots per game, with threes making up almost half of his shot diet.
Alongside his proficiency in 3-point land, Kohler averages a team-leading 9.2 rebounds per game, and he is especially tenacious on the offensive glass, grabbing 3.2 per game – a mark that ties for fourth in the Big Ten.
Kohler will likely garner the defensive attention of Tyler Bilodeau, and the senior forward will need to be aware of Kohler’s presence at all times, ensuring that he is not crashing the offensive glass and making sure to follow him to the 3-point line when he slips screen.
Carr – the team’s starting wing – is best known for his explosive jumping ability, incredible athleticism and thundering dunks that light up the Spartan crowd at the Breslin Center. Carr’s athleticism and strength allow him to dominate the interior, grabbing offensive rebounds, dunking any time he has open space in front of him – even if a defender is there – and finishing layups through contact.
Because of his interior presence, he does not frequent the 3-point line or the midrange, but he sometimes dribbles into his shot outside the interior to knock down 3-pointers. Defensively, Carr’s jump-out-of-the-gym ability allows him to chase down defenders in transition or provide backside help in the paint.
Carr is also a serviceable rebounder, grabbing 5.3 per game. Because his work on the glass and his 6-foot-6, 225 pound frame, he will most likely get the defensive attention of guard/forward Eric Dailey Jr. The junior will need to maintain the box outs on the defensive end to limit offensive rebounds and get back in transition to prevent his fast-break opportunities.
The last contributor in the starting frontcourt is Carson Cooper. The center averages 9.9 points and 7.2 rebounds per game and shoots 55.4% from the field. Cooper dominates almost exclusively in the paint, putting back offensive rebounds, clearing out space in the post-up and going to work in the low post while also sparsely utilizing a floater package.
Cooper will most likely attract junior forward/center Xavier Booker, and the former may dominate the latter on the glass, leading to fouls and easy Spartan baskets. Cooper also uses his body and strength more than Booker, which could lead to little defensive resistance.
The Spartans’ fifth starter is forward Jordan Scott, who averages 5.6 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. He is not the most efficient scorer, shooting 40.2% from the field and 33.8% from beyond the arc.
Scott is a tenacious defender and shows the ability to shoot the pull-up mid-range jumper from the elbow and the wing, and can also take catch-and-shoot opportunities from the corner. Scott has posted double-digit scores in four consecutive games leading up to Tuesday night’s contest.
While Scott is not the team’s main contributor, he is coming off a hot streak and could continue in the friendly confines of the Breslin Center.
The Spartans are a well-rounded team that dominate the boards, are tenacious defenders and hit the interior hard. The Bruins aren’t exactly the most proficient in the areas that the Spartans excel at, but will have to best the nation’s top defense and shoot hot from beyond the arc to walk away victorious.
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