UCLA Bruins Insider Podcast: Season Turnaround, Mara Continuous Success and More

In this episode of the UCLA Bruins Insider Podcast, UCLA Bruins On SI beat writer Tom Cavanaugh takes a look at the Bruins' recent success, the impressive play of their sophomore center Aday Mara, and dissects a few different player comments from Friday's road win over Washington.

You can watch the episode below:

The UCLA Bruins (14-6, 5-4) looked like their season was headed for the gutter when Big Ten play resumed on Jan. 4th. as they lost four-straight ballgame to open up the new year. After starting 2-0 in Big Ten play, they fell to 2-4 with no hope in sight. That quickly changed over the past few weeks.

Since their fourth-straight loss to Rutgers nearly two weeks ago, the Bruins have ripped off three-straight wins to completely revive their season. With just 12 regular season games remaining, it has been must-win mode for this group and could not be executing at a better clip.

One of their three recent wins came against No. 18 Wisconsin (15-4, 5-3), the third ranked team that UCLA has defeated this season. They have a knack for shining when the lights are brightest and have shown serious resiliency after their struggles to start 2025.

There is one player that has played a massive role in their last two victories for the Bruins. Sophomore center Aday Mara has completely broken out of his shell and has recently been playing the best basketball of his career.

Mara poured in a career-high 22 points against the Badgers earlier in the week and many wondered if it was going to be a one-off performance considering he had only scored in double figures two other times this season.

The 7-0 sophomore immediately responded with another star performance, earning 12 points, seven rebounds, and five blocks in 30 minutes of action in their most recent win over the Washington Huskies (10-10, 1-8). His success was not a fluke with Mara coming into his own.

"What he's doing in these last couple games is what he does every day in practice," said junior guard Dylan Andrews following the Washington win. "Aday [Mara] is a monster and I'm glad people are starting to see that."

Mara spoke following the win as well and provided context on what he has been feeling while playing his best basketball at the most ideal time. It really has been fun to watch the growth of the young star over the course of this season. He has been a pleasant surprise for a recently thriving UCLA team.

"I feel good for the team because I was able to help the team on the court [in] both of these games," Mara said. "Also, it feels good for me because I get some confidence when I get in the game, but just happy to be able to help the team."

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