Revitalized UCLA Bruins bring No. 2 ranking to Las Vegas

There’s a different feel around the UCLA campus these days.

The calls for firing coach Steve Alford after a 15-17 season seem like a distant memory.

UCLA will arrive in Las Vegas for Saturday’s CBS Sports Classic at T-Mobile Arena to play Ohio State as the No. 2 team in the country, 11-0 on the season and with a victory at Kentucky.

“When you’re 10-0 and you’re ranked second, there’s obviously a good positive buzz about it, but it’s just 10 games,” Alford said before the Bruins played UC Santa Barbara on Wednesday.

But the Bruins are showing no signs of letting up.

It’s a big difference from the last time they visited Las Vegas. The Bruins lost in the first round of the Pac-12 Conference tournament at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, falling to crosstown rival Southern California 95-71.

Entering Wednesday’s game, senior guard Isaac Hamilton led the team with 17.7 points per game, and senior guard Bryce Alford is third at 15.6. But star freshmen Lonzo Ball and T.J. Leaf have been commanding a hefty dose of attention.

Ball was the No. 4 player in the 2016 recruiting class, per ESPN.com, and Leaf No. 13.

“The expectations for them have been the same of all the other guys — just do what you do and do it the best you can,” Steve Alford said.

Ball, a dynamic point guard, has transformed the team’s offense, averaging 15.0 points and 8.8 assists. Leaf, a forward, is averaging 17.6 points and 9.3 rebounds.

“They’re obviously doing a tremendous job for us, and they’re very versatile (and) they understand how to play the game on both ends of the floor,” Steve Alford said. “They’re both very coachable.”

Steve Alford said both are able to drown out the background noise — they don’t pay attention when somebody’s patting them on the back or when someone’s kicking them.

“I think that really goes to the character of who they are. They’re grounded individuals,” Alford said. “They just do what they do, and they try to do it as well as they can.”

The Bruins have five players averaging more than 10 points per game. They are averaging 97.5 points and outscoring opponents by more than 20 a game.

Two of those victories have been against Big Ten teams, as the Bruins dispatched Nebraska 82-71 in November and then Michigan 102-84.

Steve Alford cherishes those games as a way to learn about his team entering Pac-12 Conference play.

“Getting these types of tapes to study from and learn from is huge for us going into league play,” he said. “You want to have as many different tapes and game films as you can about how people try to guard you, what they try to run against you, and playing a program and a team like Ohio State can only benefit you.”

The Bruins will be favored Saturday, but Steve Alford is quick to point out that it’s still early in the season.

“We’ve gotten off to a great start, and we’re playing some pretty good basketball for December, and we’re really trying to concentrate on growing each and every game,” Alford said. “We’re going to have to be much better against Ohio State than what we were a week ago, and we know that.

“There’s always new challenges each week.”

Contact Betsy Helfand at bhelfand@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BetsyHelfand on Twitter.