UCLA vs MSU Play-In Recap

By Dylan Zhao

I just want to begin by saying, we shouldn’t even have played in the First Four. If we didn’t blow 4 straight games, we wouldn’t have had to play MSU. We need to do better at finishing games and preserving double digit leads. With that being said, UCLA vs MSU was a completely different game.

Going into the game, my key points were:

1. Minimize turnovers

2. Preserve the lead and finish

And guess what we did in the first possession of the game. We turned it over. Absolutely atrocious. I feel like everytime I see Cody Riley play, he averages 3-4 turnovers a game. However, right out the gate, both teams came firing. It started off back and forth but soon the momentum was on MSU’s side and they maintained the lead until the last few minutes of regular play. 

MSU pushed the ball all game. They played fast and played physical. They were the bigger team and in the first half, we saw UCLA lacking. But as usual, at halftime, Mick Cronin knows how to turn things around. The Bruins started off hot after the half and kept that momentum all game. I also want to point out how great of a coach Cronin really is. He is defensive minded and also knows how to manage the game. Everytime the Spartans gained momentum and it looked as if they were ready to pull away, Cronin called a timeout. I love that. You need to know how to strategically use your timeouts. 

Now as the Bruins prepare for BYU, all I got to say is that we need to be better. Jaime played all 45 minutes of the game. That just shows how great of a player he really is. I’ve seen him play in person and he is the real deal. He can shoot the three, he’s got the length, he’s got the spin around fadeaway, he’s got it all. But he can’t do it alone. Jules Bernard really needs to step it up. He airballed twice. Twice! We can’t have that. Bernard needs to step it up. Juzeng was great as usual. But he hurt his ankle again and we don’t know what his status is for Saturday. However, I am optimistic he’ll be ready. Additionally, Tyger needs to run his usual game and score at least 10 points. I thought Tyger played a little sloppy but I want to see him drive inside a little more - be a little more aggressive and if the lane is closed, dish it out to someone at the arch. I want to see at least 10 from Cody Riley and I don’t want to see any more turnovers from him. On the defensive end, they need to play better. It was mentioned that this was the most the Bruins gave up in one half all year.   

MSU is more physical and bigger and plays fast. For most of the game, UCLA was trying to play catch up. We can’t have that Saturday. Defense needs to be better. We need to stop turning the ball over and secure the ball. I’ve seen firsthand the turnaround of this team from last year to now and I know the potential and have high expectations. Saturday is a winnable game but we need to take care of the fundamentals.