Equaling its 97-point per game average – which now ranks second of 351 Division I college basketball teams – against then-No. 1 Kentucky in Rupp Arena? That singular performance altered the perception of everything UCLA had done to that point.
Turns out the No. 2 Bruins can produce offensively against just about anybody. And play enough defense against another of the best offensive teams in the country to win – on the road. Stats like UCLA’s nation-leading field goal percentage were validated when the Bruins shot 53 percent against Kentucky.
UCLA isn’t just playing at a breakneck pace, evidenced by an average of 14 seconds per possession. What really makes the Bruins scary is that they’re scoring the fifth-most points per possession in the country, making them the only team in the top 11 in number of possessions and offensive efficiency. For a deeper look at the statistical marvel UCLA is to this point, here is a story about the questions UCLA answered in Saturday’s win at Kentucky.