The first meeting between UCLA and Oregon back in December went down as one of the best games of the college basketball season, with Dillon Brooks draining a contested jumper to give the Ducks the win at the buzzer. The two teams squared off again on Thursday night, and the result was another great game between two teams with Final Four aspirations.
UCLA vs. Oregon final score: 3 things we learned as Lonzo Ball willed the Bruins to victory
Star freshman guard Lonzo Ball went off in the second half to key a big comeback for UCLA.
Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
Oregon was in control for most of the night, but UCLA stormed back with a huge run in the second half to win 82-79. Freshman star Lonzo Ball turned in a special performance in the win.
Ball took over in the final 10 minutes to finish with 15 points and 11 rebounds. He made the two biggest plays of the night for UCLA, first scoring in the halfcourt on a drive to the rim then hitting this dagger three-pointer from way behind the arc. Even on a night when Ball only had one assist, he was clearly the star of the game:
Oregon led by as many as 19 points. Dillon Brooks and Tyler Dorsey each scored 19 points in the loss for the Ducks, but the offense went cold down the stretch to allow UCLA to come back.
Here are three things we learned in UCLA’s win:
1. UCLA’s great offense is enough to make up for its poor defense
The Bruins have been known as one of the country’s best offensive teams all year. The question is how much Steve Alford’s team will defend.
Maybe it won’t matter. UCLA can outscore anyone in the country when its four guards are on top of their game, led by the incomparable Ball. Aaron Holiday, Bryce Alford, Thomas Welsh, and Isaac Hamilton all joined Ball in double figures.
It’s also worth noting that UCLA played some solid defense in the second half to get back in the game. Still, there’s no mistaking that this team is about offense first, second, and third.
2. Oregon is finally playing like the team we thought it’d be in the preseason
Oregon was No. 5 in the preseason polls, but an injury to Brooks and early-season losses to Baylor and Georgetown left some wondering if the Ducks could live up to the hype. Even in defeat, the Ducks still looked like a team that could make a deep NCAA tournament run.
Oregon has few holes in its lineup, with a star on the wing in Brooks, an emerging guard in Dorsey, and two dependable big men in Jordan Bell and Chris Boucher. This is a tough loss, but the team’s prospects look bright.
3. Basketball is better on the West Coast
This sport is at its best when both teams push the tempo and have shooters to space out opposing defenses. It seems like the Pac-12 specializes in this brand of ball every year. Oregon and UCLA put on another great advertisement for the conference on Thursday.
See More:
