{"id":912445,"date":"2026-11-10T14:10:14","date_gmt":"2026-11-10T14:10:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/912445\/"},"modified":"2026-11-10T14:10:14","modified_gmt":"2026-11-10T14:10:14","slug":"3-focal-points-for-ucla-basketball-against-arkansas-pine-bluff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/912445\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Focal Points for UCLA Basketball Against Arkansas-Pine Bluff"},"content":{"rendered":"

UCLA will take on Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Wednesday, coming off two wins to begin a highly anticipated season in which the Bruins are considered a true national title contender under Mick Cronin.<\/p>\n

UCLA started the season off with a bang, defeating Arizona in a neutral-site game to kick off their college basketball season. They were then able to follow it up with a dominant performance over North Florida, winning 114-63 behind a 35-2 run to end the first half and essentially put the game away within the first 20 minutes.<\/p>\n

As the Bruins prepare to take on the Lions in their third matchup of the season, here are the four focal points they must focus on as the season progresses.<\/p>\n

Shooting Consistency<\/p>\n

One of the things UCLA will have to focus<\/a> on this season is being a consistently efficient team from the field. <\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

Nov 6, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Trent Perry (0) and forward Nikola Kusturica (17) celebrate in the second half against the North Florida Ospreys at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n

Against Arizona in the season opener, the Bruins didn’t shoot the ball particularly well, yet were able to still defeat the then No. 5-ranked Arizona team. The Bruins shot 38% from the field and 34% from deep in the win.<\/p>\n

Against North Florida<\/a>, they were able to bounce back, shooting 54.3% from the field and 48% from deep. Granted, North Florida is a much easier opponent than Arizona and boasts a much weaker defense overall; thus, the reason that UCLA will need to be able to consistently shoot effectively from the field.<\/p>\n

Interior Physicality<\/p>\n

UCLA was missing Xavier Booker<\/a> and Filip Jovic in the game against North Florida, with Jovic not seeing the court yet this season due to an ankle sprain. One of the question marks for this team heading into the season was their ability to be physical in the paint, and without Booker and Jovic, it makes that task much harder. <\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

Mar 22, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; UCLA Bruins center Xavier Booker (1) shoots the ball against the UConn Huskies in the second half during a second round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n

In order to be the team UCLA wants to be, they’ll need to consistently control the glass and finish possessions around the rim. Polishing up that ability now will be crucial before they head into a more physically opposing frontcourt, as the Big Ten has to offer.<\/p>\n

Containing Opposing Stars<\/p>\n

One thing that stood out in the Arizona game was the Bruins’ inability to stop opposing stars. Arizona’s forward Ivan Kharchenkov put up 38 points in 38 minutes, while shooting effectively from the field as well as grabbing 10 rebounds. <\/p>\n

Granted, that left little production for the rest of the Wildcats, which at times can be a good strategy for winning a game, but more often than not, UCLA will need to do a consistent job of limiting takeovers, as we saw from Kharchenkov in the season opener.<\/p>\n

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