With the NCAA Tournament kicking into full swing this weekend, it’s an appropriate time to look back on Lonzo Ball’s time at UCLA and the run he helped lead the Bruins on.
Back in 2017, Ball and the Bruins earned a No. 3 seed after going 29-4 in the season. After a First Round win over Kent State in convincing fashion, Ball and the Bruins took on No. 6 Cincinnati in Sacramento.
Despite Cincinnati hanging its hat on stingy defense, it did little to slow down Ball on the night. The future Laker shot 7-of-10 from the field and 4-of-7 from three-point territory, scoring a game-high 18 points as UCLA moved to the Sweet 16 with a 79-67 win.
More than just scoring, Ball was his normal self, adding nine assists and seven rebounds on the night, finishing with an offensive rating of 175.
One of the most noticeable things about the video is how confident and aggressive Ball looked. While it was something he unlocked in the latter games he played in his sophomore season, Ball struggled with his confidence and only this season attacked the basket after shying away his rookie season. When he plays as he did in the video above, he’s a different player and truly a difference-maker.
The game featured a host of future NBA players including Ball. For UCLA, Aaron Holiday, TJ Leaf and Ike Anigbogu all were drafted either in 2017 or in 2018. Cincinnati, meanwhile, had both Jacob Evans and Gary Clark, wing players who declared for the 2018 NBA Draft.
The 18 points were the most in the five NCAA or Pac-12 tournament games Ball played in during his one season at UCLA. It was also only the second time all year he achieved an 18-9-7 stat line on the year, the other occurrence coming in an early-season win over Pacific in which he finished with 19 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds.
