I’ve never actually polled our readership on this front, but I’d assume the average age of the community here at The Mighty Bruin skews on the older side, so I know there are times when I need to explain the slang of the younger generation. So let me be the first to teach you about the word mid.
mid - Used to insult or degrade an opposing opinion, labeling it as average or poor quality.
When I call the game between UCLA and Arizona State a mid-off, I am referring to the fact that both teams did not play a good game. I would go so far as to say this may have been one of the worst basketball games I’ve ever attended in person. Both teams shot under 40% from the field, with UCLA unable to hit any shots inside the arc while Arizona State could not hit anything outside of it. The Sun Devils shot a ridiculously bad 35.7% from the free throw line, earning the home crowd Fat Sal’s fries three times in a row at one point, while UCLA refused to rebound for a good amount of time. Neither team played good defense, and you could feel the crowd’s attention slowly fade away.
Luckily for UCLA, Arizona State is not very good, and while the Bruins only scored six points in the opening 10 minutes of the second half, the Sun Devils were only able to extend their halftime lead to nine points. One of the things I will say about this UCLA team is that it is very much the front-running type, and when things start to go well it can snowball, which is exactly what happened. Sebastian Mack made his first field goal on an open three that he had been passing up all night at the 9:15 mark, and from there, the floodgates opened, as UCLA finished the game on a 22-3 run over the final 8:11 of the game to win 59-47.
If this was Adem Bona’s last game in Pauley Pavilion, then he left the court on a high note. Bona was by far the best player on the court, putting up a double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds, being a highly efficient 6-8 from the field and 8-8 from the free-throw line. And outside of two quick fouls late in the first half (the second of which was the usual questionable call from our beloved Pac-12 officials) he mostly stayed out of foul trouble, which allowed him to play 33 minutes. It has often been repeated that this UCLA team was only going to go as far as Bona could take it, and this was a good reminder of that fact heading into the Pac-12 Tournament.
Also good? Getting a win, especially in a situation where the team stopped playing afraid and just played basketball. Even outside of the talent deficiencies on the roster, a lot of the past few weeks could be chalked up to a young team that was just afraid of making mistakes, and ultimately making them as a result. The last nine minutes of this game (and the brief burst in the first half where UCLA ran off 15 straight points) featured a team that finally was playing loose and simply shooting the ball when the shot was open, and they were rewarded. That’s not nothing, and while I am still of the opinion that winning the Pac-12 Tournament is a long shot at best, getting a win in this matter could be huge, as the Bruins locked up the #5 seed with a win and get Oregon State in the first round, followed by Oregon next. Those are two winnable games, and while Arizona would be lurking in the semifinals, they just lost to Southern Cal tonight and would likely play them again in the quarterfinals, so anything is possible, which is better than I was feeling after Thursday at the very least.
The rest of this UCLA squad was interesting. Lazar Stefanovic had a generally-solid game, even if his shot was not falling for a good chunk of it. Dylan Andrews had a similar problem, but he looked good and played strong defense on Frankie Collins, and you could forgive him for having a bit of a let down after doing his darndest to carry the team in recent weeks. The two spot was a huge problem for the Bruins all night, with Sebastian Mack looking disinterested in the game of basketball for most of the night and making terrible decisions repeatedly while Will McClendon continued to make a case for not seeing the court again. The four spot was similarly a problem as it has been all season, but I will say Berke Buyuktuncel had his best game in at least a month. It won’t show up on the scoreboard, and I know saying that is a low bar, but he looked engaged on the defensive end which was encouraging.
Finally, before we go, shout outs to the seniors Kenny Nwuba and Logan Cremonesi on senior night. Cremonesi got the start and played a few minutes, which continues to be a nice move by Mick Cronin, while Nwuba played his usual backup minutes for Adem Bona. Nwuba never really developed into a player who could provide good backup post minutes for the Bruins, but he’ll always hold a special place in UCLA lore for his once-a-year ability to turn into prime Hakeem Olajuwon and completely shut down an opposing big, with his play on Hunter Dickinson in the 2021 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight single-handedly ruining Dickinson’s chances of being drafted in the first round for years. Thank you to both players for what they gave to the program.
We’re officially at the point where UCLA is in win-or-go-home territory. Let’s see how this team responds, as it will have major repercussions for the offseason one way or another.
Go Bruins!
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This "mid-off" seemed more like a contest over who can play worse and LOSE the game, and the Bruins actually lost that contest! Watching the reactions of frustration and despair from both head coaches during that ugly game provided at least some entertainment. Anyway, good for the Bruins to end up with a victory on their last Pac-12 regular season game ever and to FINALLY break their long losing streak. Hope they build some momentum and avoid an embarrassing flop against the worst team in the Pac-12 on Wednesday. Go Bruins!
A minor note, but Bona has impressed me at the foul line this season. Last year, I’d cringe a bit when he took free throws. This year, he’s been money with pure swishes primarily, clean technique, consistency and confidence at the line. Clearly, this was a focus for him in the off-season and it added another element to his stellar game. Still wish he was a bit more consistent inside, but he’s getting more patient. Hope he returns, but not likely to happen. Nice to see a win in a conference season of streaks, bad to good to bad. 2 wins in confidence tourney could be in the mix, then not so sure, but hopeful. All in all, a frustrating year as a fan. Cronin did the best he could with a patchwork team redo, but did get out coached at times. The team grew and progressed, but losing so many early that could have been won and the offensive droughts for long periods during games made it very tough. We could be a contender next year if Bona returns. If not, Mara could be the wildcard impact player if he works on his shot, positioning and toughens up in the lane. The pieces are there with this young team. Just not sure how the BIG10 move works into that mix.
From watching numerous games on television (live or taped), my impression is that Bona could really use another year of learning from Coach Cronin. I hope that he realizes that he has great potential but needs to improve on avoiding fouls and improving his shooting near the basket. With another season, he could be a top draft pick and become a very valuable asset for the pros. The team this season has been very frustrating for all UCLA fans. UCLA still has probably the best coach in men's college basketball, and a couple of talented players could bring the team back to the top next season.
Sorry. I thought I had written one of the top coaches. I defer to other experts on Bona's potential. I have a pollicy -- I do not watch mercenaries -- only school kids. I have not watched any NBA game since I was a kid. I accept amendments from those more expert than I am.
Hold it, just hold it, guys. We are bickering with each other - venting may be a better word - over a disastrous season to no particular avail. I was in attendance for both games. The mood was quiet resignation to the fact that nothing happened on the court would even spark any reaction one way or the other among us. We were sometimes chatting to catch up with each other since we last met, talking about our travel plans this coming summer etc. How we harp on each other now makes little difference as to what will transpire during the off season nor the next season. Whatever will be , will be. Tomorrow is another day. Let's deal with it when it comes. When the final buzzer sounded, I was actually relieved that it was over and let missus do the long drive home.
To start with I'm certainly glad we don't go down in history as having lost the final Pac12 regular season football and men's basketball games in history!
That said, regarding this year's team, I said in the game post that I've never seen a team as consistently inconsistent within a game which almost certainly comes from extreme youth and a lack of player-led leadership - which does suggest that more experience for those who stay and are part of the core going forward are likely to advance - thinking here of Mack especially as well as BWill IMHO, but Andrews and Bona if he (hopefully) stays as well. Augmented by the right mix of additions and the coaching we saw that evolved a "first four" team into a #1 seed over time - the future needs not be as bleak as we fear.
This "mid-off" seemed more like a contest over who can play worse and LOSE the game, and the Bruins actually lost that contest! Watching the reactions of frustration and despair from both head coaches during that ugly game provided at least some entertainment. Anyway, good for the Bruins to end up with a victory on their last Pac-12 regular season game ever and to FINALLY break their long losing streak. Hope they build some momentum and avoid an embarrassing flop against the worst team in the Pac-12 on Wednesday. Go Bruins!
A minor note, but Bona has impressed me at the foul line this season. Last year, I’d cringe a bit when he took free throws. This year, he’s been money with pure swishes primarily, clean technique, consistency and confidence at the line. Clearly, this was a focus for him in the off-season and it added another element to his stellar game. Still wish he was a bit more consistent inside, but he’s getting more patient. Hope he returns, but not likely to happen. Nice to see a win in a conference season of streaks, bad to good to bad. 2 wins in confidence tourney could be in the mix, then not so sure, but hopeful. All in all, a frustrating year as a fan. Cronin did the best he could with a patchwork team redo, but did get out coached at times. The team grew and progressed, but losing so many early that could have been won and the offensive droughts for long periods during games made it very tough. We could be a contender next year if Bona returns. If not, Mara could be the wildcard impact player if he works on his shot, positioning and toughens up in the lane. The pieces are there with this young team. Just not sure how the BIG10 move works into that mix.
"playing afraid", well put Dmitri!
From watching numerous games on television (live or taped), my impression is that Bona could really use another year of learning from Coach Cronin. I hope that he realizes that he has great potential but needs to improve on avoiding fouls and improving his shooting near the basket. With another season, he could be a top draft pick and become a very valuable asset for the pros. The team this season has been very frustrating for all UCLA fans. UCLA still has probably the best coach in men's college basketball, and a couple of talented players could bring the team back to the top next season.
Do you guys remember Logan Cremonisi’s hair last year during March Madness? It was awesome for a bench player.
CMC Pollyannas: It's a tribute to CMC's coaching acumen that he brought this hapless group to near .500. COY!
Also CMC Pollyannas: This same group can contend next year.
Sorry. I thought I had written one of the top coaches. I defer to other experts on Bona's potential. I have a pollicy -- I do not watch mercenaries -- only school kids. I have not watched any NBA game since I was a kid. I accept amendments from those more expert than I am.
Hold it, just hold it, guys. We are bickering with each other - venting may be a better word - over a disastrous season to no particular avail. I was in attendance for both games. The mood was quiet resignation to the fact that nothing happened on the court would even spark any reaction one way or the other among us. We were sometimes chatting to catch up with each other since we last met, talking about our travel plans this coming summer etc. How we harp on each other now makes little difference as to what will transpire during the off season nor the next season. Whatever will be , will be. Tomorrow is another day. Let's deal with it when it comes. When the final buzzer sounded, I was actually relieved that it was over and let missus do the long drive home.
To start with I'm certainly glad we don't go down in history as having lost the final Pac12 regular season football and men's basketball games in history!
That said, regarding this year's team, I said in the game post that I've never seen a team as consistently inconsistent within a game which almost certainly comes from extreme youth and a lack of player-led leadership - which does suggest that more experience for those who stay and are part of the core going forward are likely to advance - thinking here of Mack especially as well as BWill IMHO, but Andrews and Bona if he (hopefully) stays as well. Augmented by the right mix of additions and the coaching we saw that evolved a "first four" team into a #1 seed over time - the future needs not be as bleak as we fear.