UCLA Bruins Basketball: 5 Reasons They Will Beat the Texas Longhorns

After securing their second win against Pepperdine, UCLA will be put to the test against Texas on Saturday (Dec. 3), as they face the Longhorns at home. 

The Bruins (2-4) ahead at Texas (4-2), who are expected to have a mediocre year with the loss of their top three scorers. 

The Longhorns will be an evenly matched opponent for the Bruins, and UCLA has a good chance to emerge victorious. 

Here's why.

1. UCLA's Team Chemistry Has Improved

In the opening games of the season, the Bruins looked as though they had never played with each other and subsequently had no interest in being defined as a unit. 

Negative body language hampered the team's progress. However, the Bruins looked to have significantly improved their team chemistry in their most recent game against Pepperdine. 

Chemistry is a vitally important component of success in team sports. Having established team chemistry, the Bruins will be able to play better as a team. Less miscommunication will mean fewer turnovers, which is critical to a team that has been turning the ball over frequently on miscues. 

2. The Wear Twins Are Acclimated

As expected, it took a few games to get David and Travis Wear into the flow of UCLA's play—not only for them, but for the rest of the team to acclimate to their incorporation into the team. 

This isn't a statistical revelation from their most recent game against Pepperdine, but rather an observation from watching them play. Teammates now seem more accepting of the twin forwards, which seems to have made them more comfortable. 

The Wear twins' success is vital to the team's overall success, and their comfort on the team plays a significant role in their performance. 

Travis scored eight points with 10 rebounds against Pepperdine, and David scored 10 points with seven rebounds. 

3. UCLA's Defense Will Slow Down J'Covan Brown

The junior guard is Texas' leading scorer, averaging 23.2 points to go with 6.4 assists per game. He will have to resort more to his outside shooting against UCLA's newly improved help-side defense.

The Bruins will be faced with a challenge when balancing Brown with freshman forward Jonathan Holmes, but they should slow down their inside games much like they did to Thomas Robinson at intervals during their game against Kansas. 

Brown will still be a major threat to the Bruins' defense but will have to resort to shooting lower-percentage shots from the perimeter. 

4. Lazeric Jones Found His Shot

After immensely struggling with his shot, guard Lazeric Jones has finally found it. He demonstrated this in UCLA's most recent game against Pepperdine.

It's crucial to the Bruins that their guards shoot well, especially from the outside. Without the offensive weapon of outside shooting, UCLA has no spacing on offense and finds themselves sparse on opportunities. 

Jones scored 14 points and went 2-for-3 from behind the arc against Pepperdine. The most important development is that he proved that he can shoot with accuracy. Prior to his performance against Pepperdine, Jones averaged less than 25 percent from the three-point line. 

Having established his shot, Jones will be able to shoot with more confidence, which will help his performance. Every player on the court feeds off the attitude and energy of the point guard, and if Jones can continue his confident shooting he will greatly help the team. 

5. UCLA Has a New-Found Intensity

It was undoubtedly lacking in their first couple games, but UCLA showed off a fierce side in their game against Pepperdine that was absent even in their win against Chaminade. 

This intensity, passion is vital to a team's success. The Bruins are a completely different team with this new-found intensity and will win many games if they are able to maintain it. 

If they brought it against Pepperdine, you better believe they're going to bring it against Texas. It will be a great matchup between two talented basketball teams. 

It's one to watch!

Saturday, December 3rd, 1:30 p.m. PT @ Los Angeles Sports Arena