Undefeated men’s basketball opens Pac-12 play against Oregon
Senior guard Bryce Alford said that despite the team’s No. 2 ranking, UCLA views Oregon as the favorite in Wednesday night’s conference opener. The Ducks are coming off an Elite Eight finish and are expecting senior guard Chris Boucher back from ankle injury. (Jintak Han/Assistant Photo editor)
By TuAnh Dam
Dec. 28, 2016 3:11 p.m.
Coach Steve Alford called on his players to rope-a-dope and throw the early punches a la Muhammad Ali.
They got the message.
Down went Nebraska. Texas A&M was next. Then-No. 1 Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio State all hit back, but none could find a way to come through against UCLA.
The No. 2 Bruins (13-0) made it through the non-conference slate unscathed for the first time since the 1994-95 season when they last hoisted a championship banner.
Behind freshmen Lonzo Ball and TJ Leaf, Alford’s team has quickly become the favorite to win the Pac-12 and contend for another NCAA title.
But the Bruins, who still consider themselves underdogs in their conference opener, are focused on aiming a punch right at the No. 21 Oregon Ducks (11-2) when they step into the ring on Wednesday night in Eugene.
“They have a target on their backs and we have a target on our back,” senior guard Bryce Alford said, “But we know that they’re the favorite to win the conference so we have to go in there and try to punch them first.”
[Predictions: UCLA vs. Oregon and Oregon State]
The defending conference champions stumbled in non-conference play against Baylor and Georgetown, but were the preseason favorite to win the Pac-12 after reaching the Elite Eight last year.
With fast-paced UCLA on the other side of the court, Oregon – like Nebraska, Texas A&M and Ohio State – will try to slow down the nation’s second most efficient offense that puts up 124.7 points per 100 possessions, according to Kenpom.com.
“We don’t want to get into a fast-tempo game,” Oregon sophomore guard Tyler Dorsey said. “We want it to be a tough-nosed game. Defensive-wise they haven’t hit any adversity yet, so we want it to be a physical game and make it tough on them.”
Senior forward Chris Boucher, the Ducks’ leading scorer, will be a game-time decision with an ankle injury, but the Bruins are expected to have junior Thomas Welsh back after missing four games with a bruised right knee.
The starting center is one of six UCLA players averaging double figures this year, a product of not only Ball’s passing and assists – 8.3 a game and 108 on the year to lead the nation – but also the work the returning players put in the offseason after last year’s underwhelming season.
“It’s a blend,” coach Steve Alford said of Bryce Alford, Isaac Hamilton and Aaron Holiday’s improved shooting. “A piece of it that gets forgotten is what (the veterans) have done on the offense. Their commitment to the offseason was terrific and now they’re reaping the benefits.”
The benefits?
A conference schedule where opponents are eager to get in the ring and land the final knock-out punch to one of the top teams in the country.
