BY JOHN CLAY
...both the Cats and the Bruins enter Saturday’s get-it-and-go affair averaging over 95 points per game -- that’s ridiculous, by the way -- the contrarians would argue that the difference between winning and losing in such a turbocharged tilt could come down to defense. UCLA is shooting 55.3 percent from the field. The Bruins are shooting 45.6 percent from three-point range, second in the nation to Creighton’s 46.3. They are hitting 74.8 percent from the foul line. All give of UCLA’s top scorers are shooting 41.7 percent or better from three-point range. Meanwhile, Kentucky is shooting 49.6 percent from the field, 32.3 percent from three and 71.1 percent from the free throw stripe...
Lonzo Ball, the 6-foot-6 point guard from Chino Hills, California does it with an unusual flair. Through eight games, he leads the nation with 9.6 assists per game. Despite an unorthodox twisiting motion, Ball is shooting 57.7 percent from the floor and 47.4 percent from three, having made 18 of 38 shots from behind the arc. He’s making 70.8 percent of his free throws and averaging 4.9 rebounds per game.
Ball’s stellar early play as overshadowed the play of another UCLA freshman. T.J. Leaf, who withdrew his commitment to Arizona and signed with the Bruins, is averaging 17.3 points and nine rebounds per game. The 6-10 forward from El Cajon, California has also blocked 11 shots. Tough to deal with around the basket, Leaf can also step outside and make the perimeter shot. He’s 8-of-16 from three-point land. Thomas Welsh (is) averaging 10.8 points and 9.8 rebounds this year. Isaac Hamilton, a 6-5 senior, is UCLA’s leading scorer this year at 18 points per game. Bryce Alford is averaging 15.5 this year and is shooting 45.6 percent from the floor and 41.7 percent from three. He can be a streaky shooter, one Kentucky can’t let find his rhythm on Saturday.
NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT TITLES
UCLA 11
1964, 1965, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1995
Kentucky 8
1948, 1949, 1951, 1958, 1978, 1996, 1998, 2012
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