While I’m sure many eyes in the UCLA universe were gazing at Wasserman Center tonight (and trust me, we will have something regardless of how that latest dumpster fire shakes out), the team in neighboring Pauley Pavilion was busy reminding everyone that the Mick Cronin Late Season Surge is, in fact, a real thing, as the Bruins continued their run of solid play en route to a 71-63 victory over Oregon State.
UCLA did not deviate much from their newfound formula for success in this game. In the first half, a heavy diet of Adem Bona led to plenty of easy offense for the Bruins, while the second half saw the Bruins continue their improved shooting from outside to slowly pull away from the Beavers. The wrinkle tonight was Bona getting into foul trouble, as his four fouls really limited his second-half minutes and forced Mick Cronin to call upon his bench.
Fortunately for Cronin, one Aday Mara was more than willing to rise to the occasion and have the best game of his collegiate career. No, it was not a stat-stuffing performance, but his 2/2/1 slash line in eight minutes of play was indicative of a player who showed an improved on-court awareness. More importantly, Mara’s defense was solid, with one block on the night and a defensive rating that graded out to be the best among the Bruins on the night. Given that Kenny Nwuba continued to struggle in this game, the level of play we saw from Mara was a huge boon and the Pauley faithful continually gave him his flowers.
Was the UCLA offense perfect in this game? Not really. Sebastian Mack reportedly missed a lot of practice this week and looked out of sorts for most of the game, finishing with only five points, while Berke Buyuktuncel showed off some rust as he also returns from an injury. But the improved confidence of this team was apparent in the play of Lazar Stefanovic and Dylan Andrews. Stefanovic continued his run of excellent play with a solid performance, finishing with 15 points on 6-14 shooting, including 3-8 from three. Dylan Andrews was even better, tying Bona with a team-high 18 points on 6-12 shooting (2-3 from three) to go along with three assists. Throw in Will McClendon scoring eight points, including two big shots from deep, and that was more than enough for the Bruins.
I also felt the defense was generally good in this one, and that the Beavers simply hit some tough shots. There were a good amount of moments where a Bruin defender played a situation perfectly only to have the Oregon State player hit their shot anyways. It happens. I think it’s still a good sign that the players were in the right spot in the first place, and that more often than not those shots won’t fall at this level, but tip your cap to the Beavers for their shotmaking.
If the Late Season Mick Cronin Surge was going to prove to be real, this was a game the Bruins could not afford to drop, and for the most part this team showed off a level of composure that belies their youth. Oregon State is not a truly good team, fair, but we’ve already seen this team lose to worse teams at home so the progress has to be noted. An even-bigger test comes Saturday when the Oregon Ducks come to town, but at this point I feel like UCLA is ready to meet that moment.
Go Bruins!!!
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Glad to see the Bruins continue to trend in the right direction after the Utah embarassment. Look forward to a better game against the ugly Ducklings at Pauley on Saturday. Go Bruins!
Not sure that any amount of "hopium" will work for the Bruin football program, though. If Chip Alford is able to land that Washington Commanders' OC position, then the Bruins must rely upon Martin Guerrero and a search committee to hire a suitable replacement. But if Chip Alford strikes out on escaping to the NFL, then the Bruins remain stuck with a mediocre ("offensive genius") coach who has become even less interested and motivated to succeed at the collegiate level. What a dumpster fire situation indeed...
Wow, someone who also noted his defense! 2 games in a row where Andrews defended well against good players, Pope and Boogie. Don’t get addicted to the hopium. It could turn bad at any moment.
Glad to see the Bruins continue to trend in the right direction after the Utah embarassment. Look forward to a better game against the ugly Ducklings at Pauley on Saturday. Go Bruins!
Not sure that any amount of "hopium" will work for the Bruin football program, though. If Chip Alford is able to land that Washington Commanders' OC position, then the Bruins must rely upon Martin Guerrero and a search committee to hire a suitable replacement. But if Chip Alford strikes out on escaping to the NFL, then the Bruins remain stuck with a mediocre ("offensive genius") coach who has become even less interested and motivated to succeed at the collegiate level. What a dumpster fire situation indeed...
Dylan Andrews defense on pope was pretty frigging good. Looks like there weren’t a lot in attendance??
Wow, someone who also noted his defense! 2 games in a row where Andrews defended well against good players, Pope and Boogie. Don’t get addicted to the hopium. It could turn bad at any moment.
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Rainy night fans