Jan 7, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Kobe Johnson (0) dribbles the ball against Michigan Wolverines guard Nimari Burnett (4) in the second half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Turnover Struggles Starting to Bug Bruins Once Again

Originally posted on UCLA Bruins on SI | By Tom Cavanaugh | Last updated Jan 12, 2025 10:00 AM ET

The turnover struggles that the No. 22 UCLA Bruins (11-5) worked the past month and a half to fix has begun to plague them once more after allowing an ungodly amount of giveaways in an ugly loss to the Maryland Terrapins (12-4) on Friday night.

The Bruins turned the ball over 21 times against Maryland, tying their season-high from their second game of the season when they lost to New Mexico at a neutral site. UCLA worked exceptionally hard over the past 11 games to fix that issue, but has risen once again.

"[We're] just being careless with the ball, that's really all it is," said Bruins senior guard Kobe Johnson following their latest loss. "We just got to be strong with the ball. We know what type of league this is, we know how teams are going to play us, so we just got to be able to take care of the ball."

During the Bruins' three-game losing streak, they have turned the ball over a total of 42 times. In their latest loss to the Terrapins, they allowed 26 points off those 21 turnovers they committed. It is beyond difficult to win a game when so many possessions are given away before a shot goes up.

UCLA is the No. 1 defensive team in the Big Ten, allowing the least amount of points per game (62.6) and forcing the most turnovers per game (17.6). Despite the success, it is ranked fifth in the conference in turnovers given up at 11.9 per game, a number that has skyrocketed recently.

Great defense is key to victory, but it does not mean a thing if the team is not putting up enough shots to earn that win. The Bruins must find a way to start winning the turnover battle again, and the wins will quickly begin to follow.

Johnson said it best: careless ball security and putting extra emphasis on taking care of the basketball has to be their number one priority going forward. If this team wants to meet or exceed their expectations for this season, finding games with a single-digit turnover total is essential.

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This article first appeared on UCLA Bruins on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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