Men’s basketball’s improved defense paves way to win over ASU

With 1:29 left in UCLA men’s basketball’s win over Arizona State on Sunday, Sun Devils guard Jahii Carson drove the ball into the paint and hoisted it up for a floater when it came to an abrupt stop. Carson’s final shot of the night found itself wedged between the backboard and the rim, epitomizing the normally deadly scorer’s struggles all game long.

For a UCLA defense that is still working on improving its play, shutting down Carson – the sophomore was held to nine points, half his season average – represented a win just as much as the 87-72 final score did.

“Really pleased with our effort defensively for most of the game,” said coach Steve Alford. “I thought we did some better things which we had to have. We hadn’t had a game where we’ve done this well on the backboard, which is a big key to our defense when it comes to positioning.”

Limiting Carson on the scoreboard and center Jordan Bachynski on the backboard were two keys to UCLA’s win and also represented a recent trend of improved play both in defense and rebounding, areas Alford said fed off each other.

On Jan. 5 against USC – the Pac-12’s top rebounding team – UCLA won the battle on the boards by six. Last Thursday against the Pac-12’s second best rebounding team, the Bruins went toe-to-toe with the Arizona Wildcats, finishing with just one fewer rebound. And against the Sun Devils, the Bruins dominated the glass, outrebounding Arizona State by 13 and hauling down 11 offensive rebounds in what Alford called the best performance of the three games.

“I really thought maybe (Sunday) more than the last several games, we’ve been in good defensive position and that allows you to be a better rebounding team, both in man and zone,” Alford said.

While defense has helped UCLA improve its rebounding, the reverse has also been true. The Bruins have focused on securing defensive rebounds, preventing opposing offenses from getting second-chance opportunities.

“We’re trying to limit the other team to one shot per possession,” said junior guard Norman Powell. “I feel like coaches have really done a great job … emphasizing rebounds.”

With the whole team beginning to play better defense, multiple players have capitalized with big rebounding numbers. And it’s been the Bruins’ guards more than their frontcourt players who have made the biggest impact on the boards. Starting forwards David and Travis Wear, both redshirt seniors, combined for just seven rebounds against Arizona State. But the starting backcourt – Powell, sophomore guard/forward Kyle Anderson and sophomore guard Jordan Adams – pulled down a combined 25 rebounds in the game.

Anderson said the improved rebounding also highlights an increased level of physicality shown by the Bruins.

“It’s a sign of toughness,” Anderson said. “We want to improve on being a tougher team … so just hitting the glass hard, make sure everybody’s in there. That’s a big sign of making improvement on the glass.”