How UCLA’s Biggest Strength Led to Defeat in Big Ten Tournament

After a strong first impression in the Big Ten conference this season, UCLA's momentum was halted with its defeat against the Wisconsin Badgers in the Big Ten Tournament.

The most shocking area in the defeat for the Bruins, however, came at the expense of one of the program's biggest strengths.

Throughout the regular season, the Bruins were highly known for their defensive game, as they leaned heavily on that area to lead them to victory. The Badgers must have known this going into the game, as it was blatantly evident through the end result.

UCLA held its opponents all season long to score an average of 65.1 points, which led the Big Ten. From an offensive standpoint, however, the Bruins averaged 74.9 points per game in the regular season, ranking 14th overall.

Now, it shouldn't surprise UCLA fans that Wisconsin came out shooting on all cylinders in the matchup. Not only did the Badgers rank fourth in the conference for average points per game with 80.4, but they also had revenge on their mind for earlier in the season when the Bruins swept a victory right under their feet.

The 3-point shot was the true killer for the Bruins. At the conclusion of the game, Wisconsin secured 19 3-point shots, which tied them for the most 3s made by a program in the Big Ten Tournament. After a statistic like that, it's difficult to try and find a win on the other side.

One shocking area from the defeat as well was senior guard Kobe Johnson leading the starters in most points scored. Johnson has been highly recognized all season long for his defensive skills, but the casual viewer wouldn't have gathered that from watching the game on Friday afternoon.

In an almost reverse role, junior forward Tyler Bilodeau, who led the Bruins in scoring in the regular season, scored just 2 points and secured nine rebounds in 18 minutes of action.

UCLA's first campaign did not end the way it wanted, but the players shouldn't be disappointed, given the season they were able to put up. It will just take more from both the squad next season and also from a coaching standpoint for head coach Mick Cronin.

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