University of North Carolina Athletics
Photo by: J.D. Lyon Jr.
Know Your Opponent: UCLA
December 21, 2019 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers
By Bobby Hundley
UCLA (UCLABruins.com)
Location: Los Angeles, Calif.
Rankings: No. 115 KenPom, NR AP
NET/SOS: No. 163 NET, No. 181 SOS
Record: 7-4
Carolina Series History (Last Meeting): Carolina leads 9-3 (Carolina 94, UCLA 78, Nov. 23, 2018, Las Vegas)
UCLA takes on its second ACC opponent in as many games Saturday when the Bruins face Carolina Saturday in Las Vegas. Mick Cronin's team lost 75-61 at Notre Dame on Dec. 14, its third miss in three chances for a signature non-conference win after losing to BYU and Michigan State in the Maui Invitational.
Cronin inherited a young roster when he made the move to Westwood after the dismissal of Steve Alford. Senior guard Prince Ali and junior forward Chris Smith are the only upperclassmen who see significant minutes, and Smith leads the four double figure scorers with 11.3 points per contest.
The Bruins are not a strong shooting team and take fewer 3s than any Pac-12 team not named Cal. Despite the lack of perimeter production, UCLA does manage to create a relatively efficient offense through dominating the offensive glass and limiting turnovers. These have been staples of Cronin's system - at Cincinnati his teams ranked in the top 25 nationally in offensive rebounding percentage nine times in 13 seasons.
Defensively, UCLA has been burned by teams making close to 39 percent of their 3s and getting to the foul line with regularity. Sophomores Jalen Hill and Cody Riley are the team's best defensive rebounders, while Ali is the top perimeter defender.
The Bruins were picked to finish eighth in the Pac-12 in the preseason media poll. That speaks to the work ahead for Cronin and his staff, but it also points to an improved league that failed to place a team above the No. 9 seed line in last year's NCAA tournament.
UCLA (UCLABruins.com)
Location: Los Angeles, Calif.
Rankings: No. 115 KenPom, NR AP
NET/SOS: No. 163 NET, No. 181 SOS
Record: 7-4
Carolina Series History (Last Meeting): Carolina leads 9-3 (Carolina 94, UCLA 78, Nov. 23, 2018, Las Vegas)
UCLA takes on its second ACC opponent in as many games Saturday when the Bruins face Carolina Saturday in Las Vegas. Mick Cronin's team lost 75-61 at Notre Dame on Dec. 14, its third miss in three chances for a signature non-conference win after losing to BYU and Michigan State in the Maui Invitational.
Cronin inherited a young roster when he made the move to Westwood after the dismissal of Steve Alford. Senior guard Prince Ali and junior forward Chris Smith are the only upperclassmen who see significant minutes, and Smith leads the four double figure scorers with 11.3 points per contest.
The Bruins are not a strong shooting team and take fewer 3s than any Pac-12 team not named Cal. Despite the lack of perimeter production, UCLA does manage to create a relatively efficient offense through dominating the offensive glass and limiting turnovers. These have been staples of Cronin's system - at Cincinnati his teams ranked in the top 25 nationally in offensive rebounding percentage nine times in 13 seasons.
Defensively, UCLA has been burned by teams making close to 39 percent of their 3s and getting to the foul line with regularity. Sophomores Jalen Hill and Cody Riley are the team's best defensive rebounders, while Ali is the top perimeter defender.
The Bruins were picked to finish eighth in the Pac-12 in the preseason media poll. That speaks to the work ahead for Cronin and his staff, but it also points to an improved league that failed to place a team above the No. 9 seed line in last year's NCAA tournament.
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