It’s not that he only does one thing, but if you’ve ever watched any Bryce Alford highlights, you know that, as they say, that boy can shoot. If only Arizona had paid a little more attention to that aspect of the UCLA point guard’s game.
Alford hit the game winning three-point shot with 1.8-seconds remaining to give UCLA their first Pac-12 win, 87-84 over the rival Wildcats on Thursday night in Westwood. He finished with 25 points, six assists, and four rebounds in a must-win game for the talented Bruins, who risked falling to 0-3 in conference play and all but assuring themselves of an auto-bid-only scenario for their NCAA Tournament hopes.
But that’s how quickly fortunes can change in college basketball, with the Bruins now set to host Arizona State this weekend for a chance at a 2-2 record before taking on USC next week. It would be quite the turnaround for one of the nation’s most talented and most inconsistent teams. At this point, it’s difficult to imagine that we won’t be talking about Steve Alford’s group in similar tones as the season wears on.
With the likes of Isaac Hamilton and Aaron Holiday providing depth and further explosiveness on the perimeter, not to mention the size that UCLA has underneath, it’s hard to imagine a team like this with six losses. Watching their defense for more than a few minutes, however, will tell the whole story.
If the Bruins want to make a run in the Pac-12, they’ll need a handful more Bryce Alford highlights to do it. Let’s see if other teams pay more attention to the film than Arizona did.
