Connon: By Besting Arizona, UCLA Men's Basketball Shows Championship-Caliber Ceiling
The buzz of banner No. 12 coming to Westwood was strong last offseason.
Coming off a Final Four run, UCLA men's basketball was bringing back every single member of that team, plus an elite transfer big man and a five-star freshman wing. When Johnny Juzang announced he was coming back, Bruin fans were all in on their team getting back to the heights they reached in March, and possibly beyond.
UCLA opened the year at No. 2 in the polls, then beat then-No. 4 Villanova at home in overtime in a packed Pauley Pavilion, further cementing fans' hopes of glory this season.
But then came the blowout loss to Gonzaga, which had stood as a chance to prove growth since the crushing Final Four loss. Even after getting back on track with another few wins, the Bruins' season came to a screeching halt thanks to COVID-19, and they went 26 days without playing a game.
Upon their return, UCLA looked overwhelmingly "good, not great." Defensive lapses against Long Beach State, a disjointed upset loss to Oregon and close calls versus Utah and Colorado defined the Bruins' return to play, and they entered a decisive showdown with rival Arizona a tier below the top teams in the nation.
Before tipoff, it was easy to feel somewhat discouraged by UCLA. Not to the point where fans thought they were bad, but the goals had seemingly been lowered from championship aspirations to competing in a competitive Pac-12 and putting in some solid effort come March.
But once Pauley filled up – for the first time in months, as a matter of fact – and the Bruins and Wildcats got underway, the hopes of bringing another title back to Westwood felt tangible once more.
It was easy to forget that UCLA has more wins against top-five teams than anyone else in the country over the past two seasons when looking at the Oregon loss or grind-it-out wins against Utah and Colorado. But the fact of the matter is that when it matters most, the Bruins rise to the occasion.
Tuesday was only further proof of that quality – it was a primetime game on ESPN with Dave Pasch and Bill Walton on the call, a showdown of two top-10 teams with first place in the conference and a potential No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament on the line, and UCLA did more than show up.
An opening stretch of offensive blows was entertaining, but unsustainable for the Bruins if they really wanted to win. Coach Mick Cronin knew that, and he slowed the tempo down by turning up the intensity on defense and getting his players to execute associate head coach Darren Savino's scouting report to a tee.
Bennedict Mathurin, a contender for Pac-12 Player of the Year, needed 22 shots just to get to 16 points, and UCLA's defense played tough and physical enough to spook him and center Christian Koloko into missing multiple bunnies around the rim. Kerr Kriisa, the conference's leader in 3-pointers made per game entering the contest, was 0-of-9 from deep and 0-of-12 from the field in a scoreless performance that made the Bruin fans chant "M-V-P" in his honor.
Nearly every player on Arizona played their worst game of the year, while not a single UCLA player had a down night. While some may look at that as unsustainable – and it almost certainly is – it just goes to show how well the Bruins work as a collective unit, especially when all the cards are on the table.
Juzang shot the lights out early. Jules Bernard came on later. Tyger Campbell was back to his high-scoring ways in the opening minutes, and he once again didn't record a single turnover. Jaime Jaquez Jr. contributed in the first half without scoring once, then flipped a switch in the second and put up 10 points with three blocks. Cody Riley had a few beautiful post moves and passes off the block, looking like the version of himself from last March. David Singleton fought hard for loose balls and hit a big 3 late. Myles Johnson was a plus on defense and continued his run of improvement since a tough stretch earlier this month. Peyton Watson was an elite off-ball defender, stepped into a big-time triple and showed just how dangerous he could be with two massive blocks and a signature staredown.
Were there faults? Sure. Jaquez's scoreless first half wasn't ideal, and Watson had some rough turnovers and one or two bad heat check misses, but the positives outweighed the negatives for every single player who logged a minute Tuesday night.
A win in January doesn't mean everything – there's a rematch coming up in early February, and likely another in the Pac-12 tournament in March. Postseason success is the ultimate goal for both programs, and that will come in time.
Still, there was plenty to take away from the much-anticipated conference showdown, including the fact that the Bruins are very much a contender to win the Big Dance this spring. Tuesday wasn't proof that Arizona is bad, it was proof that – for now – UCLA is better.
Being better than a bona fide elite team is quite the accomplishment, and it speaks volumes for what could come next.
The win over Villanova to start the season with a bang was fun, but those Wildcats have been playing like a fringe No. 4 seed ever since. A quality win, and a memorable one, but nothing incredibly special. The road win versus Marquette was proof that the Bruins could take their show on the road, but once again, the Golden Eagles were a good team, not a great one.
The one great team UCLA had faced through its first 15 games was Gonzaga, and they lost that one handily. There was real reason to doubt the Bruins in the ensuing months, and they needed to make a statement to show they were truly better than they were that night in Las Vegas in November.
That doubt is gone, at least for now, and the statement has been made – UCLA is once again in the running to carve its way through the tournament and come out on top for the first time in 27 years. There are no guarantees, but as it stands, the Bruins are legit, and anyone who watched Tuesday's clinic against the Wildcats saw their hope come to fruition in real time.
Follow Connon on Twitter at @SamConnon
Follow All Bruins on Twitter at @SI_AllBruins
Like All Bruins on Facebook at @SI.AllBruins
Subscribe to All Bruins on YouTube
Read more UCLA stories: UCLA Bruins on Sports Illustrated
Read more UCLA men's basketball stories: UCLA Men's Basketball on Sports Illustrated
