Defense Remains a Nagging Problem

Though the half-court offense still appears unorganized, UCLA’s offensive production isn’t a serious problem. Thanks to outbursts such as Toby Bailey’s 32-point second half on Sunday, the Bruins have scored 80 points or more in 13 consecutive games.

But, on defense, the bad statistics are piling up.

Punctuated by Washington’s 96-point offensive performance on Sunday, the Bruins have allowed opponents to average 88.9 points--and make 51.1% of their shots--in UCLA’s last nine games.

UCLA is 5-4 in those games, and finishes up the regular season playing host to Arizona State and Arizona, two of the highest-scoring teams in the conference.

“Definitely, our defense is what we’ve got to keep working on, keep improving,” J.R. Henderson said. “I mean, our offense isn’t the problem. We can always put points on the board. But we’ve got two more games left to get our defense ready for the [NCAA] tournament.”

The recent defensive lapses have raised the Bruins’ opponent field-goal percentage to 46.2%, well above Coach Steve Lavin’s goal of 40% or lower. And after the recent scoring surge, UCLA opponents are averaging 79.7 points a game this season--almost six points a game more than last.