On eve of Pac-12 opener, UCLA takes aim at something it’s done once in last 25 years

Identified for being full go in every thing he does, UCLA coach Mick Cronin can be utterly happy with one half measure.

His group making 50% of its pictures.

The No. 21 Bruins have achieved that threshold heading into their Pac-12 Convention opener towards Stanford on Thursday evening at Maples Pavilion, capturing 50.4% by their first seven video games.

It’s an unbelievable place to be on condition that UCLA has sustained that kind of accuracy over a full season solely as soon as within the final quarter-century. Largely due to the excellent passing of level guard Lonzo Ball, the Bruins shot 52.2% through the 2016-17 season amid a slew of dunks and layups.

What makes the present Bruins (5-2) severe candidates to repeat that feat is a guard-heavy lineup that features keen passers past level guard Tyger Campbell. Amari Bailey’s largest celebrations have come after spotlight passes, not baskets, the freshman guard punctuating assists with a fast clap or fist pump.

“I take pleasure in my teammates’ successes greater than mine,” stated Bailey, who was the Pac-12 freshman of the week after averaging 15.5 factors and 6 assists throughout victories over Pepperdine and Bellarmine. “In order that’s actually the place that stems from. It’s a group sport. If I wished to be glorified for my particular person play, I might go do swim or tennis.”

Guard Jaylen Clark is expert at discovering his teammates in transition and ahead Jaime Jaquez Jr. is simply as joyful passing out of a double group as he’s attacking it. Off the bench, the Bruins have two extra keen ball movers in David Singleton and Dylan Andrews.

Even 6-foot-10 freshman middle Adem Bona has confirmed adept at passing, logging three of his group’s season-high 26 assists towards Bellarmine final weekend. It was no coincidence that the Bruins shot a season-high 60.8% whereas making 28 of 35 pictures (80%) contained in the three-point arc, together with three Bona dunks off lobs.

“I’ve been ready for that every one yr,” Bona stated with a smile after finishing his first faculty recreation with a number of lob dunks.

Jaquez stated capturing 50% had change into an unofficial purpose for a group that can notch a victory of types simply by making it to tip-off towards the Cardinal.

That is the third season that Pac-12 groups are taking part in one another earlier than Christmas as a part of an expanded 20-game convention schedule; within the first two, UCLA’s opening Pac-12 highway recreation needed to be postponed due to COVID-19 points.

Two years in the past, a referee examined constructive for the coronavirus earlier than a recreation towards Oregon and the remainder of the officiating crew was barred from working due to contact tracing. Final yr, an outbreak of the illness on Washington’s group and training workers compelled a recreation towards the Bruins to be postponed till later within the season.

“I simply hope we get by taking part in video games,” stated Cronin, whose first three seasons at UCLA all have been disrupted by the pandemic. “It’d be good, have a standard season.”

Clark is predicted to play towards Stanford (3-4) after sitting out the sport towards Bellarmine due to chilly signs, and redshirt freshman Mac Etienne additionally has been cleared after lacking the final recreation with plantar fasciitis.

The Cardinal, which has not made the NCAA match since advancing to the Candy 16 in 2013-14, is off to a different sluggish begin beneath coach Jerod Haase, dropping two of three video games final week within the ESPN Occasions Invitational.

Having misplaced its first two video games towards nationally ranked groups, UCLA desires to increase a modest two-game successful streak earlier than going through No. 22 Maryland and No. 19 Kentucky as a part of an East Coast swing in a number of weeks. Beating the Cardinal is subsequent on the agenda.

“It’s simply an enormous recreation for us to have the ability to go on the highway and get a convention win,” Cronin stated, “and you may’t anticipate to win except you go in there and outplay them.”