UCLA basketball team dispatches Michigan, escalates hype

The UCLA basketball team finished final exams on Friday, then passed their latest test on the court with flying colors.

In their first game since dethroning Kentucky and earning a No. 2 ranking, the Bruins knew they’d get Michigan’s best effort Saturday night in front of a sellout crowd anticipating a show. UCLA took repeated shots on the chin in the first half, but countered every punch Michigan landed and had the mental fortitude to keep swinging until pulling away in the final eight minutes of a 102-84 win.

Michigan made an astounding 12 of 16 3-pointers in the first half. UCLA didn’t flinch, responding by shooting 10 of 14 from beyond the arc, including a bomb by Lonzo Ball to tie the score just before the first-half buzzer. All the Bruins did after shooting 61 percent from the field in the first half was shoot a ridiculous 74 percent in the second half.

These offensive performances are reaching such heights that UCLA coach Steve Alford called his team’s attack “the most phenomenal offense I can think of in my career.” Oh yeah, they played some defense too, holding Michigan to 34 percent shooting in the decisive second half.

The word championship is starting to be thrown around – Lonzo Ball didn’t shy away from it in his postgame press conference. And it’s hard to say it’s not justified. At each opportunity to fail, this team hasn’t just passed, it has aced the test.

Here are links from our coverage:

  • The game story detailing UCLA’s offensive excellence
  • Columnist Jeff Miller on why UCLA deserved a celebrity crowd
  • Notebook about starting center Thomas Welsh’s knee injury
  • Keith Birmingham’s photo gallery from the game
  • Video: Lonzo Ball on UCLA’s drive for a championship
  • Video: TJ Leaf and Bryce Alford on the atmosphere at Pauley Pavilion
  • Video: Coach Steve Alford on the Bruins’ second-half defense