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A game of 2 halves, fortunately the 2nd half was mostly Bruins and their tenacity put them over the top. Go Bruins.

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Jan 15, 2023·edited Jan 15, 2023

So I was telling my fiancé - if ucla takes the lead, they’re not gonna relinquish it. The fact of the matter is, ucla has the talent advantage over colorado, and CO don’t have the talent to play the way they played in the first half deep into the second half…

But aside from that , I dont think ucla played poorly - they got their open shots, they got their spots - ball just didn’t go in. Once the ball started going into the basketball, ucla ran away with the game.

So the way to look at it is: ucla played great for 10 mins only tonight and beat the team that beat Tennessee!

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Yay, Bruins, Go UCLA!

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On a dreary, rain soaked day in Los Angeles, UCLA found itself struggling in the middle of the first half. Our offense stalled as our shots repeatedly bounced off the rims. I knew we would easily overcome the five points deficit after half time. Little did I know that we would instead surge ahead in such mighty fashion, capitalizing on a water tight defense a la Bobby Knight in his pre- maniacal days at Indiana that, as we speak, my ears are still ringing from the hysterical, maximum decibel cheers from fans right behind our season ticket holders section.

I am barely home but I cannot wait to tell you folks that Pauley Pavilion was indeed rocking to its foundation in utmost frenzy, delight and excitement this afternoon. Yes, and I am also going to repeat what I said earlier. UCLA will go a long way, if not all the way to the FINAL FOUR - given the way we are playing.

All I hope for is that our freshman players will step up their game - we know they got it - in the course of the season to the extent that come next season, they can replace Jacquez, Campbell and company to graduation and greener pasture beyond. These seniors are really stellar players, hard to replace at this moment.

Jacquez's performance is reminiscent of the late Dave Meyer, captain of the 1975 Championship squad. Those of you that are my contemporaries know well who he was. Today, Jacquez played like he is Meyer reincarnated, everywhere all over the court, contributing with or without the ball. His parents sat in attendance too. So did his sister. We went over and shook their hands. Some guy behind me said out loud, " Your kid will bring us the bacon ! " You should hear all the yeas and loud cheers.

Campbell's relentless hustle and shooting touch are inimitable. He flashed a wide, endearing smile at our section walking by during a timeout. I believe he heard someone screamed some delightful, admiring words at him. Then Tracy Murray, the radio analyst, reached over to shake his hand. What a wonderful athlete and a charming young man indeed.

Tonight, everything is fine and dandy in La La Land.

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Jan 15, 2023·edited Jan 15, 2023

Like these quotes from coach:

“Teams that only defend when the ball goes in are in the NIT,” Cronin said. “Real programs win when things aren’t going their way. They find a way to make it go their way.”

"Teams that defend win national championships."

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I'm not sure I remember an entire Bruins team being that cold from everywhere for that long. Shooting ~35% from the field, ~40% from the line, and missing like the first 14 3's over the first 30 minutes? Insane.

A lot of previous Bruin teams would have folded and lost in ugly fashion. But it is to this group's credit that they were still in the game, because while shooting may have a bad night, hustle and defense never have a bad night. The team's steadfast commitment to hustle and defense, even with the frustration of seemingly every shot rimming out, is what saved them until the offense finally returned. Huge credit to Bona and Jaquez especially for their dominance on the defensive end.

Big road trip this week. LFG, Bruins!!

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Enjoyed the block party that was hosted by Bona and Jaquez in their comeback victory over Colorado. Bona is a total beast--so quick, strong, and energetic. Great to see the big guy being able to switch and hound the opposing ballhandler and hustle back to block/disrupt shots or rebound misses. Bruins were fortunate that the Buffs were turnover prone. A lot of upsets in college basketball this weekend, but the Bruins' win streak continues. Hope this tough team can develop a more consistent offense to match their elite defense. As for the Chargers, watching them get ahead by as much as 27-0 and then performing a total nosedive was such an epic and embarassing failure to end their uneven season. Just like the UCLA football team, they need a new coaching staff!

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Annoying voice, juvenile comments !

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