UCLA’S growing confidence faces test at No. 12 Arizona
From Staff Reports
The UCLA men’s basketball team brings a two-game Pac-12 winning streak into today’s 1 p.m. game against No. 12 Arizona in Tucson.
On Wednesday night, the Bruins overcame a 15-point deficit early in the second half to pull out a confidence-building 68-66 win at Arizona State.
“(Coach Mick Cronin) is giving us confidence,” UCLA freshman guard Sebastian Mack said after Wednesday’s win in Tempe. “He’s talking to us, if it’s in a group or one by one, he always lets us know that he still believes in us and that he thinks we can still do it.”
Against ASU, junior guard Lazar Stefanovic had a team-high 18 points, including seven of eight at the free-throw line. Sophomore forward Adem Bona had a career-high seven blocks and five assists, to go along with his nine points and six.
“I have to help keep them getting better and if you do the right things you get a chance to win,” Cronin said.
UCLA (8-10, 3-4) went 1-2 against Arizona last season, losing at Arizona
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during the regular season and in the championship game of the Pac12 tournament in Las Vegas.
“Saturday is going to be another brutal test,” Cronin said. “I’m trying to make it about the guys on the team, not about me.”
Arizona (13-4, 4-2) beat USC on Wednesday, 82-67. Senior guard Caleb Love had a game-high 20 points, including five three-pointers. Arizona outrebounded the Trojans, 4738, and forced 19 turnovers. Former Centennial High guard Kylan Boswell had 11 points in that win. Boswell, averaging 10.5 points, leads the Wildcats in assists and steals.
UCLA’S Bona and 7-foot Arizona senior center Oumar Ballo is a matchup to watch. Ballo is averaging 12.4 points, and 8.9 rebounds per game on 58.4% shooting from the field. Bona is UCLA’S most impactful post player, so how he fares against Ballo will likely have a huge impact.
Short-handed USC faces ASU
The void beckons, and its tendrils are firmly implanted in this USC team, slowly dragging them into a pit that coach Andy Enfield hasn’t seen the likes of since taking over the program.
After wins over Stanford and Cal seemed to signal a turning point for a struggling squad, the Trojans (810, 2-5) have dropped three in a row, most recently handled 82-67 by national-power Arizona on Wednesday.
The Trojans have been competitive in both recent losses to Colorado and Arizona; they’re just at a severe talent and depth deficiency, missing their two leading scorers in guards Isaiah Collier and Boogie Ellis with injury. If Ellis returns against Arizona State, it would help lift the pressure from freshman Bronny James and sophomore Oziyah Sellers, suddenly tasked as lead ball-handlers despite neither quite being a true point guard.
ASU (10-7, 4-2) started 4-0 before losing by 15 to Washington and blowing that 15-point lead against UCLA.
— Luca Evans