Shabazz Muhammad is one of the best offensive players in the country, but his defense still needs work.

"In high school, I never worried about playing defense at all, to be honest," said Muhammad. "So it was all new to me. It's still not natural. I have to think about it all the time, about staying in my stance, all of the little things you have to do."

UCLA has improved as the season has progressed on the defensive end.

The Bruins currently ranked 23rd in scoring offense and 232nd in scoring defense.

James McAdoo is still learning how to be North Carolina's go-to guy.

McAdoo went from playing behind three NBA first-round picks as a freshman to the top of the scouting report this season.

"The defense was never aimed at him — we still had Harrison Barnes, Tyler Zeller, John Henson and those guys," Tar Heels coach Roy Williams said. "It's a lot easier when the defense is not aimed to stop you. And now who do they talk about? They talk about James Michael and Reggie (Bullock). It's hard to handle that."

McAdoo has attempted at least 15 shots just five times all season.

"He wants to be one of the guys," McAdoo’s high school coach, Michael Allen, said. "He wants to show up and do his job and go home. That's just his personality. You're not going to change it. Part of you wishes he was just a little meaner ... but at the same time that's just his makeup. It is what it is. I don't consider it a weakness. That's just the way God made him."

Khem Birch has been effective in short bursts, using his length and athleticism to change the rhythm of games.

Birch scored 13 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked four shots in 24 minutes off the bench Thursday to help UNLV beat Chicago State.

"I actually like coming off the bench," Birch said. "I can see what's going on and then come with that energy like I did (Thursday)."

Birch is averaging 10.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in just 21.8 minutes per game since making his season debut on Dec. 17.

"I'm starting to get comfortable," said Birch, whose 12 rebounds against Chicago State were a career high. "My conditioning is better. I'm just now getting into (basketball) shape."

Shabazz Muhammad credits his competitive temperament for pushing him to create high standards while at UCLA.

"I've always had a killer instinct," Muhammad says, "and that's what separated me."

Muhammad’s coaches and teammates laud his effort in practice and his drive to stay late at the gym.

"He's a really fierce competitor, with everything we do, everywhere," said freshman teammate Kyle Anderson.

Las Vegas Bishop Gorman coach Grant Rice raves about how Muhammad raised the intensity level of his teammates.

"If they didn't go 100%, they were going to get an elbow to the face or dunked on," Rice says.

Kentucky head coach John Calipari has every member of his team practicing with a body monitoring device that measures their exertion rate, sport zones, caloric expenditure and heart rate.

"Everybody perceives his exertion level differently," writes Calipari on his blog. "Some feel they are working extremely hard and they’re not, and others perceive that they’re not working very hard when they really are. My hope is to get everybody in that second category. I want them to realize what their exertion level is in games compared to what it is in practice, and this device helps us do that."