LOS ANGELES — In UCLA basketball’s most brutal defeats last season, two distinct issues plagued the Bruins.

A 94-75 loss to Michigan on Jan. 7 was void of physicality as the Bruins were rattled in front of their fans at Pauley Pavilion, and lost the defensive rebounding battle to a towering Wolverines’ squad, 30 to 16.

An 86-70 loss to Wisconsin on Mar. 14 provided an unwelcoming introduction to the Big Ten Tournament. After earning the double-bye, the Bruins’ advantage was quickly nullified as the Badgers made 19 3-point shots to UCLA’s nine.

A deeper look shows these two facets — rebounding and perimeter shooting — were significant weaknesses throughout last season. UCLA ranked 135th in the nation in defensive rebounding rate and 73rd in offensive rebounding rate. The Bruins were 106t

See Full Page