It looks like it’s going to be a game that North Florida would like to forget. The Bruins absolutely annihilated the Ospreys, 114-63, to pick up their second win of the season. The Bruins proved once again that they are very legitimate, with these three major takeaways from the win.
Nikola Kusturica is a Superstar
If there’s one takeaway from this UCLA domination, it’s Nikola Kusturica. The Serbian phenom freshman went ballistic in the first half against North Florida, scoring 26 points in 15 minutes, with 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 steal, while shooting 100% from the field, going 9-for-9, with 4 threes and zero turnovers.
We knew Kusturica would be good for UCLA this season, but there’s a legitimate case that he is the best player in the entire country. His length and size allow him to be a threat anywhere on the floor, on both ends of the court. Offensively, he’s a threat around the rim and as a potentially elite shooter. When he’s on, like he was in the first half against North Florida, this UCLA team could be extremely difficult to beat.
He may have cooled off a bit in the second half, but he still ended with 29 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 steal, while shooting 83.3% from the field.
This Team is Deep
UCLA has no shortage of players who can be impactful for this team. With so many unique skill sets, the Bruins have players who dominate in various areas of the game.
UCLA’s offense is so elite because of the number of capable scorers they have both in the starting lineup and on the bench. Players like Joe Philon, Brandon Williams, and Sergej Macura have the talent to come off the bench and provide UCLA with a competitive offense at any given moment.
When you combine that with this high-scoring talent in the starting lineup, such as Nikola Kusturica and Jaylen Petty, it makes UCLA a nightmare to defend against.
Defense Looks Comfortable As Well
UCLA’s offense may have scored X points, but their defense was just as impressive. After being down at one point in the first half, UCLA’s defense stepped up and allowed UCLA to go on a 35-2 run in the last 9 minutes and 44 seconds of the first half.
If UCLA’s offense can consistently perform at the rate we saw, in addition to UCLA’s defense being so dominant, this team can be one of the best in the country.
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