Lonzo Ball, TJ Leaf on facing Kentucky in Sweet 16


UCLA’s victory at then-No. 1 Kentucky on Dec. 3 was the Bruins’ signature win most of this season. The only one that may have surpassed it was a road win at Arizona nearly three months later.

Before Tuesday’s practice, Lonzo Ball and TJ Leaf promptly dismissed its December triumph in Lexington, KY – at least as it pertained to Friday’s matchup with second-seeded Kentucky in the Sweet 16.

“We’re both different teams right now,” Leaf said. “And the stakes are a lot higher. So it’s going to be a completely different game than the first one.”

Thirty-five games into its season, UCLA is better than it was nine games in. Naturally, a Kentucky team even more freshman-driven than UCLA is also considerably better, according to Ball.

One thing Ball and Leaf agree will be the same is the fast pace. UCLA outran Kentucky in the 97-92 win that snapped the Wildcats’ 42-game home winning streak. The Bruins’ 90.2 points per game make them the highest scoring team in the country. Kentucky isn’t far behind in ninth with 85.2 points per game. It figures to be another track meet on Friday at FedExForum in Memphis.

UCLA ‘fully anticipates’ TJ Leaf to play in Pac-12 opener

TJ Leaf (sprained ankle) is expected to play on Thursday when UCLA plays its first game of the Pac-12 tournament in Las Vegas.

TJ Leaf seems a near certainty to play in UCLA’s Pac-12 tournament opener on Thursday.

But even the freshman forward may not know how close to 100 percent he’ll be at that point. The Bruins’ leading scorer before he sprained his left ankle less than five minutes into UCLA’s win over Washington March 1 practiced with an ankle brace on Tuesday. But coach Steve Alford didn’t make it sound like he would be without restrictions.

“We’ll ease him back in (Tuesday),” Alford said before practice. “We’ll have a practice (Wednesday). But we fully anticipate him going on Thursday.”

Leaf was on the bench in a walking boot on Saturday for UCLA’s regular season finale against Washington State. He also said he would have played had it been an NCAA tournament game.

It’s certainly a good sign that UCLA isn’t waiting any longer than Thursday to suit him up in a game. It’s easy to believe that if the injury were more serious, there would be no issue holding him out even through the end of the Pac-12 tournament. Continue reading “UCLA ‘fully anticipates’ TJ Leaf to play in Pac-12 opener” »

What would UCLA look like without TJ Leaf?

Long before his leading scorer went down with a sprained left ankle during last night’s 32-point win over Washington, UCLA coach Steve Alford pointed out the way his team suffers when TJ Leaf suffers.

TJ Leaf after spraining his ankle Wednesday night

It’s no coincidence that Leaf’s worst game of the season stands as UCLA’s worst loss. The freshman forward matched his season-low with eight points, posted his second-lowest shooting percentage and didn’t have an assist in UCLA’s Jan. 25 loss to USC. In losses to Oregon and Arizona, his numbers were well below the team-leading averages of 16.8 points and 8.7 rebounds with which he entered Saturday night.

There are only eight players in Alford’s regular rotation and Leaf’s back-up is the weakest of the group. The good news is junior GG Goloman isn’t a drop-off on the defensive end. The bad news is, he won’t come close to matching Leaf’s offensive contributions. The other good news is the most efficient offense in the country has several options to fall back on.

Also on the positive front, it’s possible the ankle injury isn’t particularly serious. Alford confirmed after the game that it wasn’t broken, just sprained. He said Leaf would be on crutches and in a boot, acknowledged how badly UCLA needs him back as soon as possible – but then he didn’t even rule him out for Saturday’s game against Washington State.

Leaf could realistically sit out until the NCAA tournament begins. It would seem silly to play him against Washington state and it’s not out of the question for him to rest through the end of the Pac-12 tournament next week. Continue reading “What would UCLA look like without TJ Leaf?” »

As TJ Leaf goes, so goes the UCLA basketball team


The UCLA basketball team unquestionably revolves around Lonzo Ball. But a case can be made that the Bruins’ fate is tied more closely to its other freshman star.

For example, during UCLA’s back-to-back losses to Arizona and USC, Leaf averaged 8 points and 6 rebounds. During the winning streak the Bruins stretched to six games with an 87-75 win over Arizona State last night, Leaf is averaging 19.5 points and 9.2 rebounds.

Leaf led UCLA with 25 points and nine rebounds against Arizona State on a night where Ball put a scare into the UCLA fan base when he landed on Isaac Hamilton’s foot trying to block a shot in the first half. After limping into the locker room, he returned before the end of the half and coach Steve Alford said Ball is expected to be fine for Saturday’s mammoth game at Arizona.

Ball’s four points last night represented his lowest total this season. But he impacts the game in so many ways – he had 11 rebounds and five assists last night – that he has been a significant factor in each and every contest this season. Ball was UCLA’s leading scorer in its loss to Arizona Jan. 21 and he still managed 15 points and 10 rebounds despite a season-high 7 turnovers in the loss at USC Jan. 25.

In part due to the nature of his position and UCLA’s style slanted toward guard play, Leaf has been lost in the fray a few times. Continue reading “As TJ Leaf goes, so goes the UCLA basketball team” »

UCLA’s Ball, Leaf, Alford, Welsh make mid-season award lists

Lonzo Ball and TJ Leaf are in the running for several of college basketball’s top awards

Naismith Men’s College Basketball Player of the Year
Freshman Lonzo Ball was the only UCLA representative on the 50-player preseason watch list for college basketball’s most prestigious award. The Bruins freshman point guard will almost assuredly be one of the 30 players on the mid-season watch list when it’s announced on Thursday. He was one of six Pac-12 players on the preseason list along with Waghington’s Markelle Fultz, Cal’s Ivan Rabb, Arizona’s Lauri Markkanen and Oregon’s Dillon Brooks and Chris Boucher.

As a pass-first point guard, Ball will largely be judged on UCLA’s win total and the Bruins aren’t too shabby in that department with 20 victories in their first 23 games. The 6-foot-6 freshman is the only player in the country averaging at least 10 points, seven assists and four rebounds. Ball’s actual averages are 14.8 points, eight assists and 5.8 rebounds.

TJ Leaf was added to the Wooden award watch list at the mid-season mark


John R. Wooden Award (Player of the Year)
Ball and classmate TJ Leaf are two of 25 to crack the mid-season watch list for an award that carries plenty of weight in Westwood – it’s sponsored by the Los Angeles Athletic Club. It was no surprise that Ball was among the preseason top 50 for the award. Leaf, however, was not.

The committee gave a nod to Leaf’s particularly high level of play through the freshman’s first 17 games, adding the 6-foot-10 forward to the pool of candidates on Jan. 11 while subtracting more than 25 from the preseason list. Leaf is averaging a team-high 17 points and 8.9 rebounds. He is shooting 64 percent from the field, the 19th-best mark in the country.

The complete John R. Wooden Award Mid-Season Watch List:
Dwayne Bacon, Florida State, Soph., G
Lonzo Ball, UCLA, Fr., G
Joel Berry II, North Carolina, Jr., G Continue reading “UCLA’s Ball, Leaf, Alford, Welsh make mid-season award lists” »