Physical UCLA is the next test for Kentucky

Oscar Tshiebwe will get a lot of attention from the physical UCLA defense Saturday. (Vicky Graff Photo)

Kentucky coach John Calipari has watched a lot of tape of UCLA, the team UK will play Saturday in New York in the CBS Sports Classic.

The Bruins (9-2) enter the game at Madison Square Garden with six straight victories and gave Calipari plenty to look at Wednesday in an 87-60  romp over No. 20 Maryland in a game that was never close.

“They are really good. They are really physical. Defensively, they are really physical and they are coming,” Calipari said. “They are fighting screens, fighting the post, fighting pick and rolls.

“If you don’t fight, you have no chance this game. You have to negate that part of it. Really hard to do. Not many people have been able to do it.”

No chance? Those are not exactly comforting words considering Calipari has questioned his team’s toughness at times in games this season.

UCLA coach Mick Cronin said after Wednesday’s win that he wasn’t going to get carried away by what his No. 16 Bruins did in one game.

“I don’t get caught up in that. I try not to get ahead of myself,” Cronin said. “You guys asked me my first year if I was ready to just worry about rebuilding, then we won seven in a row and lost the Pac-12 title at the buzzer.

“It’s one game. You lose five in a row in February, (Wednesday is) not going to matter. I don’t get ahead of myself. Injuries happen, pandemics happen.”

Calipari said the Bruins, who have lost only to Baylor and Illinois, are good but come special when they shoot like they did against Maryland. UCLA had a 30-point lead in the first half when Jaylen Clark scored 16 of his 19 points. David Singleton made his first seven shots to finish with a season-high 18 points. Jaime Jaquez Jr. and former UK recruiting target Adem Bona each had 14 points for UCLA, which shot 55.6 percent from the floor (35 of 63) and enjoyed a 16-4 advantage in turnovers.

Bona, a 6-10 freshman, played “by far” his best game according to Cronin.

“We have to get him the ball more, he’s starting to get confident in his offense. We’ve really worked hard on our passing. We got him a lot of lobs tonight, got him the ball more tonight. Again, for him and Amari (Bailey), it’s hard. ‘Well I’m a top-10 guy, I’m going to walk into college and just dominate,’ it takes some time,” Cronin said after the Maryland game.

“Your rate of improvement depends on your attitude and your effort, and he’s A+. So is Amari, all our freshmen are, that’s why their rate of improvement is going to help us get to where we hope we can get to in March.”

Cronin just wants his team to continue to focus on defense.

“If we take care of the ball, we have plenty of guys who can score. Talent isn’t an issue for us; all we have to do is not turn it over,” Cronin said.  “(On Wednesday), our mind was on defense for the first time in a long time. It’s the hardest thing, to keep things grounded.”

Calipari said UCLA is like his team, which has won four straight games since losing 88-72 at Gonzaga, and could be top five nationally if it had not let a potential win slip away.

“They are one of those teams when I watch, they have a little of everything. Jacquez is like a first round draft pick. He can go get baskets and is really good,” Calipari said.

Kentucky also has a “really good” player in reigning national player of the year Oscar Tshiebwe. He had his fifth double-double of the season Saturday against Yale when he had 28 points, including 22 in the second half, and 12 rebounds.

“We have an advantage, and the kid’s name is Oscar Tshiebwe. You got to throw it to him,” Calipari said after the game. “If you’re driving and he’s open, don’t shoot it, throw it to him. The crazy thing is if he can’t shoot it, he’ll throw it back to you, which he does.”

Tshiebwe is excited about playing at Madison Square Garden, a place where he has never won.

“(The Bruins) are a good team, and we are a good team too and I respect them, but I have no fear of them. We are going to go fight, and whoever fights the most is the team who is going to win,” Tshiebwe said.