Defense is Priority No. 1 Against High-Scoring Hawkeyes

The UCLA Bruins have hit a rough patch in all areas of their game, specifically on the defensive end. They will be stacking up against the highest-scoring offense in the Big Ten this Friday and must find a way to play strong enough defense to find a win.

Jan 10, 2025; College Park, Maryland, USA; Maryland Terrapins forward Tafara Gapare (6) and UCLA Bruins guard Lazar Stefanovic (10) fight for position during the first half at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images | Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

The UCLA Bruins (11-6) are in desperate need of a win this Friday night when they host the Iowa Hawkeyes (12-5) at Pauley Pavilion in hopes of snapping their four-game losing streak. The Hawkeyes are extremely dangerous offensively, and the Bruins must have a big-time defensive performance.

Coming into the game, the Hawkeyes possess the number one scoring offense in the Big Ten at 89.5 points per game. They hold the second-best field goal percentage in the conference at 51% and best 3-point shooting at 39.8%. This team is legit, and the Bruins must be ready for it.

Friday night is going to be a battle of two teams in the conference that lead the way on opposite ends of the floor. To stymy the high-powered Iowa offense, the Bruins have the best defense in the conference, allowing an average of 63.4 points and 17.1 forced turnovers per game.

Although the Bruins have given up more than their allowed average in five of their past six games, there is still hope to bounce back at home. In collegiate basketball, it is much more likely for a team to underachieve offensively than defensively, and UCLA could catch their opponent on an off night.

Senior guard Kobe Johnson is the Bruins' top defensive player and will be expected to wreak havoc once again. He leads the team in rebounds (5.7) and steals (2.0) per game. He has earned 15 steals over the past eight games and is a huge problem for opposing offenses.

Johnson and this entire UCLA team will have to put extra emphasis on limiting junior guard Josh Dix who has been stunning from 3-point range this season, shooting 46.8% from downtown. He has made 13 of his last 21 3s over the past three games and will look to do the same on Friday.

There are other key scorers for the Hawkeyes, but the number one priority will be avoiding Dix from having a standout performance. In recent losses, the Bruins have had a hard time containing star players and must find a way to do so if they want any chance at victory.

Even though the Bruins are not a great offensive team, their defense has been the sole reason they have won a lot of their statement games this season. If they can find a way to hold the number on offense in the Big Ten to under 75-80 points, they will have a great chance to break the losing streak.

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