UCLA Basketball: 2 Major Statistical Advantages Gave Bruins Edge Vs Ducks
The UCLA Bruins earned a hard-fought win over the Oregon Ducks this weekend by a score of 71-63. It was arguably the best win of the season for the Bruins, and they have been playing much better of late.
UCLA dominated the second half of the game to earn the win, but it was their defense that shut Oregon down. However, head coach Mick Cronin pointed to a few other statistics within the game that helped seal the victory for UCLA.
He looked at the rebounding advantage UCLA had and the plus-advantage in the turnover department. Both gave the Bruins what they needed to pull out the win.
"Again, we outrebound our opponents. Three straight wins. Fifteen, 14 and 11 offensive rebounds in our last three games, I’m pretty sure. Double-figure offensive rebounds. So, we’re plus-six rebounding and we’re plus-three in the turnover department. You get more possessions than your opponent. You don’t need to be an econ major at UCLA to figure out you got a better chance to win. But that takes effort to take care of the ball, turn them over and outrebound them. So I just think we’re learning what winning effort it is. There’s a difference between effort and winning effort.”
UCLA's season has been a strange one due to their lack of experience, but they've slowly built their way back up. It's a credit to the coaching staff for sticking with the young players and giving them the confidence needed.
With the NCAA tournament coming down the line, the Bruins are getting hot at the right time. They have a long way to go until they are real threats, but each day is a new building block for this young team.
