Have Bruins Fixed Their Massive Problem?

The UCLA Bruins seem to have corrected a major problem that was afflicting the team earlier in the season.

Nov 22, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Eric Dailey Jr. (3) dribbles to the basket as Cal State Fullerton Titans guard Freddie Cooper (2) defends during the second half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

The UCLA Bruins are now 8-1 following their fantastic victory over the Oregon Ducks on Sunday night, giving them their first win over a ranked opponent this season.

At this point, UCLA's loss to New Mexico feels like ages ago, as the Bruins have been rolling with seven straight victories ever since.

They have also seemed to correct a massive problem in the process: 3-point shooting.

Earlier in the season, UCLA was among the worst outside shooting teams in the country, but over the last couple of games, the Bruins seem to be righting the ship.

UCLA shot a blistering 12-for-23 from beyond the arc against Oregon, which followed a brilliant performance against the Washington Huskies where it went 11-of-22.

Suddenly, the Bruins are shooting 35 percent from deep, which is good for 108th in the nation. Still not fantastic, but it's a major step up from not being able to buy a triple earlier in the season.

Eric Dailey Jr. has really seemed to find the range, as he is connecting on 47.4 percent of his treys thus far. Tyler Bilodeau and Dylan Andrews (who sank the Ducks with a game-winning 3) have been great as well, converting on a 38.5 percent clip.

Then there is guard Lazar Stefanovic, who is nailing threes at a 47.8 percent rate.

Going into the season, UCLA looked pretty dangerous due to an influx of talent it brought in from transfers (which included Dailey and Bilodeau).

That was what made the Bruins' loss to New Mexico that much more alarming, but clearly, UCLA was still gelling as a cohesive unit at that point.

Now, the Bruins have apparently found their mojo, and it has resulted in UCLA jumping back into the top 25 (it is now ranked 24th).

The Bruins obviously still have a long way to go, and they have a lot to prove. They have a difficult stretch of games coming up, and we are surely going to find out an awful lot about UCLA over the next several weeks.

But one thing is for sure: the Bruins passed a major test against Oregon, and they have evidently discovered their confidence from long distance in the process.

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