WBB: UCLA Preview With All Bruins Insider
We sat down with UCLA insider Sam Connon, publisher of All Bruins on FanNation, to preview this matinee clash on the hardwood with the Huskies. UCLA is seeking their third straight victory, as they look to take advantage of a UConn squad on the mend, coming off a historic loss. Here’s a look key storylines heading into the matchup:
UConn was held to a historically-low 44 points on Thursday night. What lessons can the Bruins take from Georgia Tech's shutdown?
Even when UCLA was winning at the start of the season, they were really struggling to disrupt opposing 3-point shooters. Through five games, teams were shooting 44.3% from deep against the Bruins. The last two games have been a change of pace, though, as St. John's and San Jose State combined to shoot 9-of-41 from long range. As Georgia Tech showed Thursday, that could be the recipe to beat UConn without Piage Bueckers and Azzi Fudd. Without those two top guards, the Huskies shot 5-of-18 from deep against the Yellow Jackets. The Bruins should play into the new weakness from their opponents, meaning post players IImar'I Thomas and Izzy Anstey will need to use their length and strength in the paint to take charge on that end of the floor.
Where have the Bruins most improved since the 2019 Sweet 16 matchup?
It's been over two years since that matchup, and UCLA has experienced quite a bit of roster turnover since then, so much so that there aren't any players from that contest that will be suiting up Saturday. And on top of that, this year's team has suffered a handful of injuries that have hindered coach Cori Close's ability to utilize a full rotation, as was the case last year. But while this team is thinner than the 2019 Sweet 16 squad, it has more scoring options to turn to. Michaela Onyenwere is gone, fresh off winning WNBA Rookie of the Year with the New York Liberty, but Cincinnati transfer IImar'I Thomas is here in her place. Japrece Dean got picked by the Chicago Sky in 2020, but Charisma Osborne has arrived and taken on an even more important role in initiating the offense over the past few years. Just between those two, the Bruins' top scorers are more prolific than before – Thomas once scored 50 in a game with the Bearcats – and that's not even including veteran sharpshooter Natalie Chou or Indiana transfer Jaelynn Penn. Those four alone are averaging 64 points per game between them, and they are each capable of going for 20-plus any given night.
What sort of a statement would beating UConn on neutral ground send after the tough showing on the Gulf Coast?
The Bruins were kind of lucky to start the year 3-0, and Close wouldn't let her team forget it after putting them on blast following each of those home wins against inferior opponents. UCLA's luck was bound to run out eventually, and the floor really fell out from under them for a moment out in Florida the week of Thanksgiving. The Kent State loss was a textbook fourth-quarter collapse, while the South Dakota State defeat was more of a complete loss. Even after winning back-to-back games since those losses, a win over UConn would do wonders for UCLA's confidence. The Bruins already got a major bump when they blew out San Jose State 112-33 and had a blast doing it, and it's safe to say beating the Huskies in front of an East Coast-based, national TV audience would further boost their morale. UCLA has had Thanksgiving tournament troubles before – notably getting swept at the 2018 Paradise Jam by North Carolina, Kentucky and South Florida – but ended up playing UConn in the Sweet 16 and competing to the final buzzer just a few months later. The Bruins' wounds from the Gulf Coast Showcase are obviously a lot more fresh this time around, but they're certainly not as down in the dumps as they were a week ago.
What are reasonable expectations for the return of Charisma Osborne?
Osborne has been such a great scoring guard for the Bruins since the start of last season, starting all 23 games and playing nearly 35 minutes a night last year. That has all caught up to Osborne so far this year, as she suffered a scary ankle injury against CSUN on Nov. 19 that luckily only kept her out for one game, then went down with a knee injury on Dec. 5 versus San Jose State. A UCLA Athletics spokesperson confirmed to All Bruins that Osborne will be playing Saturday though, so it apparently wasn't very serious. In Osborne's first game back from the ankle injury, she played 38 minutes, took 20 shots and finished with 21 points, so don't expect her to be gun shy just because she missed the end of the Bruins' most recent game. So if Osborne is playing, it's only safe to assume she'll be her normal self, running the offense as scoring in a handful of ways as often as she can. The initial plan this season was to play her more off the ball, but with Wake Forest transfer points guard Gina Conti still out with a foot injury, things will once again go through Osborne.
