Bruins practice playing better beyond the 3-point line and limiting opponents' runs before they travel to Notre Dame
Two weeks ago, the UCLA men’s basketball team was enjoying the warm, sunny beaches in Lahaina, Hawaii, as it played three games in three days in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational.
The Bruins will be in a far different environment Saturday when they travel to South Bend, Indiana, where temperatures are expected to be in the low 40s with showers of snow, to face longtime rival Notre Dame for their first true road game of the season.
The away game means few UCLA fans in the stands come tip-off, as the Bruins (7-3) hope to replicate last year’s success against the Fighting Irish (7-3) in the conclusion of a two-season home-and-home series.
“In Maui, it was our fans vs their fans, but going out there to South Bend, it’s going to be mostly Notre Dame fans. We’re excited,” UCLA point guard Tyger Campbell said. “The fans last year were great when they came out. Hopefully it’s a good game when we go over there, and we want to get the win. That’s all I’m worried about.”
While it’s hard to prepare for the possible distractions on an opponent’s home-court environment, Bruins’ head coach Mick Cronin has focused this week’s practices on helping his players remain mentally focused as a unit throughout the full duration of the game.
“We’ve got to practice staying together,” he said. “What people don’t know about me is that you watch me coach the Denver game, I know we’re going to win, so I’m coaching that game like practice. Saturday is a different story. I’ve got to keep these guys’ heads up, we’ve got to keep our arms around each other, we’ve got to stay together on the road because … it’s just you and your bench and you’ve got to stay together.”
Last year, it was a buzzer-beater 3-pointer from Kris Wilkes that gave UCLA a 65-62 win over Notre Dame.
Even though there hasn’t been any as close games this year for the Bruins, the team has struggled to perform consistently beyond the arc. It finished the Maui Jim Maui Invitational with a 75-62 loss to then-ranked No. 3 Michigan State, in which UCLA shot a season-low 13.3% on 3-pointers.
On Sunday, the Bruins allowed Denver to make six 3-point shots in the first half alone. While the team was able to hold the Pioneers to just one 3-pointer in the second half in a 81-62 victory, the Bruins shot just 5 of 22 from outside the 3-point line.
Cronin believes if the team is able to stop and prevent opponent’s runs, like the one Denver used with 3-pointers to twice get within one point, it will be able to play a full 40-minute game.
“The biggest thing I teach young guys is how to take a punch and keep fighting, because what happens with young guys, [is in] their body language and it becomes instead of a two-point run for the other team, it’s a 10-point run,” he said. “You got to learn how to stop a run. We can’t get down on ourselves, that’s what we’re practicing.”
UCLA at Notre Dame
When: Noon Saturday
Where: Purcell Pavilion, Notre Dame, Indiana
TV/Radio: ABC/AM 570
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