There have been several comments lately about how UCLA point guards hold the ball a long time once they're in the front court, with Andrews being singled out as a particularly egregious offender.
That didn't seem right to me based on what I've seen in the games, so I decided to count the possessions in the first half against CSUF: who was the PG bringing the ball up the floor, when they crossed half-court, and when they made the first pass to initiate the offense.
I counted 28 possesions in the first half last night (more or less). On average, the ball crossed the half-court line at the 26 second mark, and the first pass was made with 22 seconds remaing on the clock.
The longest it took to get the ball into the front-court was with 23 seconds on the clock, and the longest it took to make the first pass was with 8 seconds on the clock. That was at the end of the half, when UCLA was playing for the last shot. If we don't count that possession, the longest time for the first pass was with 17 seconds left.
Andrews had the ball on 9 possessions. He crossed the half-court line with 25 seconds left on average, the latest being 23 seconds. He passed the ball with 21 seconds left, on average, if we don't count the last possession. The latest he passed the ball was with 18 seconds left.
Clark had the ball on 10 possessions, crossing half-court with 26 seconds left on average, and 23 seconds being the latest. He passed the ball with 22 seconds left on average, but once held it until the 17 second mark.
Johnson was the 3rd guard to handle the ball. He brought it up on 8 possessions. On average, he crossed the half-court line at the 28 second mark, with 26 being the longest. The average time when he gave up the ball was 28 seconds, with the latest being at the 26 second mark.
Obervations & Explanations
Andrews almost always received the inbounds pass after a made basket (except when he was on the bench). That somewhat accounts for the "extra" time it took him to cross half-court and make his first pass, compared to Clark and Johnson, who got the ball more often after turnovers.
The two times when Andrews and Clark "held on to the ball", for 18 and 17 seconds respectively, they drove toward the key or side of the court, couldn't make anything happen, and then dribbled back to the top to initiate the offense.
Johnson almost always was bringing the ball up after a turnover, which accounts for how quickly he got the ball upcourt. He also frequently passed the ball off as soon as he was in the front court, and twice passed it just as he was crossing the line. Two other times, he didn't pass the ball at all, just going straight to the basket himself.
The popular conceit that Cronin guards just hold the ball above the key for 15 seconds, particulary Andrews, was nowhere to be seen, at least in this game. Indeed, UCLA's average possession length this season is 16.5 seconds, the shortest of the Cronin era.
Thanks for reading this far.