3 top storylines as No. 1 UCLA women’s basketball begins Big Ten play
UCLA women’s basketball coach Cori Close has a simple phrase to describe her approach to improvement: Get better.
“I always tell our team the answer to every question is ‘get better,’” Close told reporters Friday. “You want more playing time? Get better. You want to make sure that we’re winning games and having fun? Get better. That really is it.”
But how do you get better when you’re already recognized as the best? UCLA (8-0) earned a No. 1 ranking in the weekly AP Top 25 poll when it beat South Carolina in late November and they’ve remained on top since then.
@haleymsawyer No. 5 UCLA women’s basketball beat No. 1 South Carolina, the defending national champion, 77-62 on Sunday in LA. South Carolina went into the game on a 43-game win streak. #sportsreporter #journalism #reporter #womensbasketball #collegebasketball #ncaabasketball #womenssports #southcarolina #ucla
The Bruins are outscoring opponents by roughly 33 points. Their closest game of the season was its Nov. 4 season opener – a 66-59 win over No.22 Louisville in Paris.
UCLA will see heightened competition when it begins its inaugural Big Ten Conference season Sunday at Washington (7-2). Nine Big Ten teams are ranked in the AP top 25 ahead of the opening weekend of conference play.
“I’m projecting 10 or 11 (teams) to go to the NCAA Tournament,” Close said. “Really thankful to be in the Big Ten. There are great coaches, great players and I think we’re really lucky to be playing in what’s shaping up to be the No.1 women’s basketball conference in the country.”
Betts at her best
Betts has proven her ability to pull down rebounds and make easy layups despite being double- and triple-teamed in just about every game the Bruins play. Now, the coaching staff is working to get the most skill possible out of her and her 6-foot-7 frame.
The junior has increased her range and is comfortable shooting from 15 feet, but the coaches would like to see that number extend to 17 feet. Opponents tend to play physically and bully Betts down low, so shooting from afar could be valuable. Maintaining her strong base and keeping the ball above her head will also prevent turnovers.
In addition to physical skill, Betts has been working on neutral thinking – not letting the events of a game affect her. Close said that the game against South Carolina was one of her best neutral-thinking games. She recorded a double-double of 11 points and 14 rebounds in that game.
“She had what we call next-play speed,” Close said after the game. “And if she hadn’t done that work mentally to be there for us – every scouting report starts and ends with her – and if she didn’t have that stability mentally, we wouldn’t be sitting at this table feeling the way we do.”
Finding the right combination
UCLA has multiple players who could start on any given night. Betts and Janiah Barker are two of the top rebounders in the Big Ten with 10.9 and 7.8 boards per game, respectively. Six players are scoring an average of nine points or more per game.
Kiki Rice’s early-season shoulder injury thrust freshman Elina Aarnisalo into the starting point guard role. Rice is gradually increasing her workload as the games go on.
“I feel really good now,” Rice said. “I wanted to come back in time to play for the South Carolina game and it’s tough to have that be my first full game back. But I think having those three games in Hawaii definitely helped me get my feet under me. I feel in a much better place.”
Aarnisalo has impressed Close with her basketball IQ, speed and athleticism and has been in the starting lineup for all but one game this season. Striking the right balance between Rice and Aarnisalo could make the Bruins a difficult opponent.
UCLA will be without 6-foot-4 forward Amanda Muse and 5-foot-10 guard Charlisse Leger-Walker this season. Muse, a sophomore, has redshirted and Leger-Walker, a grad student transfer from Washington State, is also redshirting in order to recover from an ACL tear in January.
Taking care of both baskets
The Bruins have one of the most productive offenses in the country and are outscoring their opponents in the paint and from range – shooting a respective 49.2% and 34.9%. They match up relatively evenly with opponents when it comes to free-throw percentage.
Timea Gardiner, who played for Oregon State last season, has become one of the best distance shooters on the team and has made 18 of 38 3-pointers (47.4%).
UCLA will need to take care of the defensive side of the ball, too, and increase the number of defensive rebounds in order to create more offensive opportunities. Right now, the Bruins average 31.8 defensive rebounds per game to rank ninth in women’s college basketball, but Close is asking for a higher defensive rebound percentage.
“We’re really only in like the 75th percentile in defensive rebounding and that’s not who we are and we should be much better at that,” Close said. “So making a huge emphasis on defensive rebounding percentage and how we’re controlling the defensive glass.”
No. 1 UCLA (8-0) at Washington (7-2)
When: 2 p.m. Sunday
Where: Alaska Airlines Arena, Seattle
TV/radio: Big Ten Plus/UCLA Digital Radio