Johnny Juzang confident he can still be the March Madness leader UCLA needs

Sooner or later, when their protection falters or the opposite crew is making a push, they may want him to be that man once more.

The man who can get his personal shot. The man who can rating in bunches. The man who can carry an offense.

A 12 months in the past, Johnny Juzang did all of that on a nightly foundation. UCLA’s capturing guard lugged his crew from the First 4 to the Closing 4 with an epic scoring spree, averaging 22.8 factors in six spine-tingling NCAA event performances.

A 12 months later, he’s barely making a postseason ripple.

When he scored 14 factors in opposition to Saint Mary’s within the second spherical final weekend, awakening with 12 factors within the second half, it was hailed as an enormous triumph. His output in opposition to the Gaels represented solely the third time within the final seven video games that he had reached double figures.

Loopy because it sounds, Juzang may need turn into the quietest main scorer on any crew left taking part in.

A sprained ankle suffered final month didn’t assist. Neither did all these spotlight tapes circulating which have made Juzang the centerpiece of each defensive recreation plan since he shredded one crew after one other final March.

“You’ve simply obtained to take what the protection offers you and simply be able to make basketball performs, profitable performs,” Juzang informed The Instances on Tuesday as he ready to board the crew bus headed for Los Angeles Worldwide Airport and a cross-country flight to face North Carolina in an East Regional semifinal. “If the crew scores, we rating, in order that’s what it’s about. Yeah, [the other team] may take away one thing, however it might probably open up one thing strategically for any individual else.”

UCLA persevered with Juzang averaging 11.5 factors within the first two rounds, beating spunky Akron and Saint Mary’s. The fourth-seeded Bruins (27-7) will possible want extra — presumably far more — from Juzang within the scoring division Friday evening in Philadelphia in opposition to North Carolina (26-9), a No. 8 seed that’s taking part in like a championship contender after knocking off top-seeded Baylor within the second spherical.

With star UCLA ahead Jaime Jaquez Jr.’s availability unknown after he sprained his proper ankle late within the recreation in opposition to Saint Mary’s, the necessity for Juzang to revert to his outdated NCAA event kind could possibly be particularly acute. Jaquez didn’t observe Tuesday, although he seemed to be strolling nice as he stepped aboard the crew bus and he’s extensively anticipated to at the very least attempt to play in opposition to the Tar Heels.

Jaquez has averaged 15 factors within the NCAA event because of a formidable array of low-post strikes, trailing solely level guard Tyger Campbell’s common of 16 factors among the many Bruins. Guard Jules Bernard has offered one other double-figure scorer with 12 factors per recreation, however the Bruins have gotten primarily no offensive manufacturing from their put up gamers. Ahead Cody Riley is averaging 5.5 factors and heart Myles Johnson hasn’t scored in restricted minutes.

After his crew made it this far behind scrappy protection and a trickle of offense, UCLA coach Mick Cronin acknowledged the necessity for sustained shot-making that Juzang can ship on school basketball’s greatest stage. As a sophomore, he scored at the very least 23 factors in 4 NCAA event video games final season, dropping 28 on Michigan within the Elite Eight and 29 on Gonzaga within the Closing 4.

Now could be the proper time for an encore.

“You’ve obtained to go on the market with confidence and let it rip and also you’ve obtained to carry out,” Cronin mentioned, “as a result of in opposition to a crew like North Carolina, to assume you’re going to have the ability to win it with simply nice protection in a rock struggle might be not practical — they’ve obtained an excessive amount of firepower and there’s occasions in a recreation after we’re going to must match them and rating with them, and I believe that’s the remainder of the event.”

After returning for his junior season to spice up his NBA draft inventory and assist the Bruins win their first nationwide title since 1995, Juzang’s presumed last school chapter hasn’t been storybook stuff. Along with the sprained ankle, he contracted COVID-19 after the crew’s 26-day layoff brought on by the virus and injured a hip when he fell off a scooter.

His statistics largely mirror these of final season, Juzang averaging a team-high 15.7 factors on 43.4% capturing, together with 35.5% from past the arc. He’s extensively projected as a second-round draft decide after having been a borderline first-round decide on the finish of final season.

Just lately, there have been glints of that very same March magic. He sank a three-pointer on the halftime buzzer of the Pac-12 event championship in opposition to Arizona, unleashing a celebratory shimmy, on the best way to 16 factors. He gave a assured head shake after draining a three-pointer solely 20 seconds into the NCAA event opener in opposition to Akron earlier than lacking his last three photographs from past the arc and ending with simply 9 factors on three-for-11 capturing.

That’s been the norm not too long ago for somebody who hasn’t reached 20 factors since tallying 23 in opposition to Stanford on Feb. 8. Juzang sprained his proper ankle late within the first half in opposition to Oregon on Feb. 24 and sat out the subsequent two video games earlier than returning in opposition to USC on March 5, beginning the slog to regain his rhythm.

Following Juzang’s newest single-digit efficiency, Cronin mentioned he wanted to assist free his high scorer in opposition to swarming defenses. The Bruins sprang Juzang with screens for 2 baseline jumpers within the second half in opposition to Saint Mary’s as a part of a private 6-0 run that pushed UCLA right into a 10-point lead.

For anybody questioning, Juzang mentioned he feels no strain to reprise his starring function from a 12 months in the past.

“No, man,” Juzang mentioned. “The one strain is on myself to get to this nationwide championship, in order that’s the purpose, man. That’s the one purpose. I need to contribute to profitable as some ways as I can, so doing no matter it takes.”

Sooner or later, in some frantic second, that’s most likely going to contain turning into the go-to man as soon as extra.