Bruins Have Simple Explanation for Defensive Improvement Against Maryland

UCLA basketball has been a bona fide defensive team under head coach Mick Cronin, riding it to compete for conference championships and make deep postseason runs in March.

Under Cronin's watch, the Bruins have rivaled the teams of the 1970s, 80s, and 90s in terms of opposing shooting percentages and have produced eight all-conference defenders over the last five seasons.

Yet, the defensive end has been a challenge for this season's UCLA team. Seven opponents have scored at least 80 points on the Bruins through 16 games, and in a conference known for its defense and physicality, that will have to change if they hope to compete in the Big Ten.

UCLA Defense Steps Forward

If you're a UCLA fan looking for a positive sign, you got it on Saturday against Maryland. The Bruins held the Terps to 55 points on a miserable 30% shooting from the field. Cronin will even tell you it should've been lower, but UCLA needs to rebound better -- allowing 48 rebounds on the day, with 20 coming against the Bruin defense

Still, it was an overall great performance, but how did it change so quickly? Cronin wouldn't spill his secrets in the postgame press conference, but the players have an idea. And it sounds simple.

"I think we were just talking a lot more," sophomore guard Trent Perry told the media postgame. "We weren't mind-readers. Usually, we do stuff, but we don't talk it out, and I think today, we did all that. We were in sync."

Perry was a catalyst of the defensive showing, coming up with two steals and getting credited with eight deflections, the most on the team, according to Cronin. Overall, the Bruins force 13 turnovers, leading to 16 points and making a critical difference in a 12-point win.

"We just really emphasized talking," he added. "Talking corrects a lot of mistakes. If a person gets blown by, we have someone on the backside to help rotate. We have someone calling out ball screen coverages and that stuff. Defense and hustle and attitude really help make up for the mistakes that happen because you're not going to be perfect all the time."

It's been far from perfect, but the real question is if UCLA can keep this up the rest of the season. The Bruins face an offensively challenged Penn State team in their next game, but the following stretch includes three games against some of the conference's best offensive teams before the end of January.

"We can definitely carry this forward," junior guard Eric Dailey Jr. said. "Defense is effort and attitude, nothing else. There's obviously tactics to defense, but at the end of the day, just don't let your man score and help your teammates out."

"A loud gym is a winning gym," Dailey continued. "Just make sure we have a lot of talk and a lot of pointing and then rebound."

The rebounding part is a work in progress, but it'll come if the defense can continue to build on its most recent performance.