In mid-January the Bruins held a record of 8-9 with shocking losses to Hofstra and Cal State Fullerton and no thought of a March Madness Tournament bid.
After Saturday’s defeat of the Arizona Wildcats 69-64, UCLA sits alone in first place of the Pac-12 with a 12-5 conference record and 19-11 overall record capping off seven straight victories on Senior Night.
“We’ve come a long way, obviously,” said UCLA Head Coach Mick Cronin following the victory. “Like I told the guys this afternoon, we’re an underdog tonight. A lot of people still don’t believe in us and we’ve got to continue to play one-game tournaments. We cannot change our mentality.”
From the jump ball both teams looked sloppy and unsure of themselves. The Bruins shot themselves in the foot shooting 23% in the first half while the Wildcats lack of depth crippled themselves early, outscored by 13 in bench points to the Bruins after the first half.
The intensity and ramifications of the game could be felt throughout Pauley Pavilion and certainly in the body language of Arizona Head Coach Sean Miller who received a technical foul after feeling the referees missed a foul call on Freshman guard Nico Mannion.
Arizona Freshman forward Zeke Nnaji pushed the Wildcats out to a 33-27 halftime lead over the Bruins tallying 12 first half points.
#Arizona leads #UCLA 33-27 at half. The Bruins are shooting 23% but their 13 made free throws are keeping them within striking distance#Pac12Hoops
— Jonathan Bassey (@Jonathan_Bassey) March 1, 2020
UCLA outscored Arizona 42-31 in the second half sparked by a surge led by Junior forward Chris Smith. Smith finished the game with 17 points scoring 14 in the second half.
“Just worrying about the next play. That’s all it is,” said Smith on his second half turnaround. “You can’t be worried about the last play or the last half, whatever it is. Just looking forward to the next play and just trying to be there for my teammates is all it was.”
Arizona Assistant Coach Jack Murphy took over coaching duties when Sean Miller was ejected after receiving his second technical foul of the game from arguing a call with the referees.
Wow. #Arizona Head Coach Sean Miller is ejected after receiving his second technical
— Jonathan Bassey (@Jonathan_Bassey) March 1, 2020
UCLA outscored Arizona 42-31 in the second half sparked by a surge led by Junior forward Chris Smith. Smith finished the game with 17 points scoring 14 in the second half.
“Just worrying about the next play. That’s all it is,” said Smith on his second half turnaround. “You can’t be worried about the last play or the last half, whatever it is. Just looking forward to the next play and just trying to be there for my teammates is all it was.”
Arizona Assistant Coach Jack Murphy took over coaching duties when Sean Miller was ejected after receiving his second technical foul of the game from arguing a call with the referees.
#UCLA defeat #Arizona 69-64 thanks to this late Tyger Campbell layup. The Bruins outscored the Wildcats 42-31 in the 2nd half, making 15 more free throws in the half despite having the lead for only 3 mins all game. Big win!#Pac12Hoops pic.twitter.com/icgn0nB54x
— Jonathan Bassey (@Jonathan_Bassey) March 1, 2020
The Bruins led the game for roughly three minutes. That’s all that was needed to defeat Arizona in a thrilling environment at Pauley Pavilion.
UCLA will attempt to extend their winning streak to eight games when they head to USC to take on the Trojans in the regular season finale Saturday March 7th.
