Why the UCLA Bruins shouldn't panic after a second straight loss

Published Jan. 26, 2017 5:47 a.m. ET

Aaron Torres

For college basketball fans who went to bed early on Wednesday night, boy oh boy will they wake up to a surprise on Thursday morning.

In a result that few saw coming, the USC Trojans toppled the No. 8 ranked UCLA Bruins, 84-76, in a game that frankly wasn’t as close as the final score indicated. USC dominated from about the middle of the first half on, handing their cross-town rivals a second straight loss. Steve Alford’s club also lost to Arizona last Saturday.

So we all know what is going to come next: Complete overreaction to the Bruins’ two-game losing streak. Some will say UCLA has been “exposed.” Others will say they weren’t that good to begin with or have been living off the Kentucky win in December for too long. Plenty will say that the Bruins are simply frauds, and it’s time to remove their name from the list of schools like Villanova, Kentucky, North Carolina and Kansas that are true title contenders.

That is what the reaction will be, but what I’m here to tell Bruins’ fans is to “R-E-L-A-X.” No, the sky isn’t falling and no the season isn’t over. Yes, there is still plenty to play for, and yes, the Bruins absolutely are still good enough to win a national championship. Ultimately, everyone needs to take a deep breath and chill out. It isn’t time to panic yet if you’re a UCLA fan.

Looking at the game Wednesday in the big picture, it really was just one of those nights where everything that could go wrong for UCLA did. After the Bruins jumped out to an 8-0 lead, the Trojans proceeded to outscore UCLA 84-68 over the final 37 minutes of the game (a staggering number when you remember the Bruins averaged 93 coming into the game). UCLA also turned the ball over 17 times (their season average was 12) and USC’s zone defense rattled the Bruins into shooting just 6-for-20 from three-point range. Not to mention that Lonzo Ball – as brilliant as he’s been – had probably his worst game as a Bruin, finishing with 15 points and 10 rebounds, but also a career-high seven turnovers.

Again it was bad. Really bad. And when you add it in with Saturday’s loss, it has left many folks asking “What’s wrong with UCLA?”

But as someone who was at Saturday’s game, I can tell you that the only thing the two games have in common is that they both resulted in UCLA losses. Against Arizona, the Bruins came out flat as a team and were playing catch-up the rest of the way. Sure, plenty of credit goes to Sean Miller’s club, but it was also the kind of game where UCLA fans sat back and said “OK, if we fix one or two things we’ll be fine.” It was a tough loss, but one that happens over the course of the college basketball season to everyone.

On Wednesday though, it was just different. It wasn’t about what USC did “right” or what UCLA did “wrong” but more just that, well, USC appears to be a really, really tough matchup for the Bruins. That’s not to say that USC is the “better” team overall or has more NBA Draft prospects or will go deeper in the tournament. But it is clear at this point that what the Trojans do – and who they are – just gives UCLA trouble.

https://twitter.com/FS1/status/824492810623606786

Overall, USC has now won four straight against UCLA dating back to last year and all four Trojans’ wins have been by double-digits. Wednesday was no different and it was clear that -- to put it as simply as possible -- USC is just a matchup nightmare for UCLA. The Bruins thrive on ball movement and jump shooting, but USC’s size, athleticism and closing speed make it impossible for UCLA to do what it does best. All night long it seemed like the Bruins didn’t get a single good look from behind the arc and at times had trouble simply working the ball into the paint. Keep in mind the Bruins scored 87 and 86 points respectively in their two losses but only 76 Wednesday. That’s much more about USC’s success defensively than it is what UCLA did “wrong.”

That’s also why I wouldn’t be terribly worried about Wednesday night’s result. Yes, the Bruins lost, but they lost to a team whose strengths can expose their exact weaknesses.

That means that UCLA is like every team in college basketball this season: Good enough to play with anybody, but also susceptible to losing against the wrong type of team. It’s the same for Kansas, Kentucky, Villanova or any title contender you want to throw against the wall. It is also means that if the Bruins can avoid a team like USC (think Florida State or Baylor) in the tournament, they should be fine.

Obviously that’s not what Bruins fans want to hear right now, but that, above all else, is the truth about Wednesday night.

This is one of those “styles make fights” deals more than it is “UCLA is falling apart” ones.

And right now, USC’s “style” just gives UCLA all sorts of problems.