Postgame Talk: Still JustSC, Short-handed UCLA Win 82-76

The Bruins got contributions throughout the lineup to beat the Trojans.

Aday Mara (Photo credit: @UCLAMBB)

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I think today’s post-game article is going to come off as me being an apologist for a close victory for UCLA over their crosstown rivals, but it also feels like the best way to approach this game.

By all rights, the Bruins should not have won this game. Their leading scorer, Tyler Bilodeau, was held out of this game as he recovers from a major ankle sprain he suffered last Friday. Speaking of, UCLA played a road game in Washington last Friday, while the Trojans have been resting since Wednesday (as usual, the Big Ten schedule makes no sense). During the game, Dylan Andrews was limited in the second half with apparent cramps. And this doesn’t even get into the wild variances of a rivalry game, such as Southern Cal shooting 40% from three-point range before the final minute when they were trying to chase points and threw up some ridiculous shots.

And yet, the Bruins persevered, surviving a furious late rally by the Trojans and showing their mettle when it mattered most to secure an 82-76 victory.

UCLA won this game in a similar manner to their victory over Washington on Friday by getting a complete team effort. The focus is going to start with Aday Mara, who got his first start of the year and finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds for his first career double-double while also throwing in five blocks. Of his performances since the Wisconsin game, I think this was his weakest game, with Southern Cal throwing a ton of different looks at Mara and not giving him easy looks near the basket, and this was the first game where the fatigue issue we’d heard about regarding Mara appeared to be a factor. Still, it was fairly obvious what a difference Mara is on both ends of the court, altering shots defensively (I personally enjoyed the amount of poor three-point attempts that were attempted over his outstretched arms) while being a solid post presence with incredible touch (he had a few passes in this game that were unreal).

With Bilodeau out, Eric Dailey Jr. did what I thought he would do on Friday and took over as UCLA’s leading scorer. Dailey hit from all levels, starting the game with a steal and dunk, hitting a three, and nailing a bevy of his now-signature turnaround midrange jumpers. Dylan Andrews was similarly cooking when he was in the game, finishing with 12 points on 4-9 shooting before sitting out the last parts of the game with an apparent leg injury. Trent Perry, in his first rivalry game playing against the program he originally committed to, hit all five of his free-throw attempts.

I think Kobe Johnson was perhaps too hyped up for this game. I get where he was coming from - I never got the impression Johnson was appreciated when he played across town, and it seemed obvious watching the game that he had some sort of chip on his shoulder regarding his exit - but it did lead to him playing to the crowd more than he probably should have. He was not his usual self on the boards, and he ended up fouling out of the game, but I think he provided enough when he was in to be a net neutral.

Sebastian Mack might be the most frustrating player on this team for me. I will fully admit that +/- is an imperfect stat, but I do not think it is surprising that he ended up with the worst +/- on the team with -5. He’s an imperfect player, who routinely plays poorly on defense and does some absolutely wild things on offense. But he’s also someone I would describe as a dog, who is more than comfortable trying to make something happen when the team needs it, and that’s exactly what happened in this one. Mack hit a ridiculous three-pointer to extend the lead to four with a minute remaining, then hit his free throws to extend the lead out for good right after. Even in this triumphant moment, he managed to nearly turn the ball over before Lazar Stefanovic saved it (and calmly hit two free throws).

One last thing I would mention before I wrap this up is the questionable choice to routinely switch Mara and William Kyle III at the end of the game in an offense-defense swap. I get the idea - Mara was clearly exhausted at this point of the game while Kyle was fresh - but Mara still felt like the best defensive option for the Bruins, who could have just called a timeout to give Mara the rest he needed late. It worked out in the end, but this felt like an example of Mick Cronin getting a false positive from the Wisconsin game and going back to the well too often.

A win over Southern Cal always feels good, especially when the deck is stacked against the Bruins. And the team now has all kinds of momentum going into their return matchup with Oregon this week.

That feels pretty good.

Go Bruins!

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