UCLA Basketball: Bruins Junior Guard Reveals How Utah Loss Affected Team
The UCLA Bruins rebounded with a big win against the Washington Huskies last night, ending their four-game losing skid with a dominant win. The final score of 73-61 was impressive, but it does not erase what happened to the team in their last game.
The Bruins were dominated and embarrassed on January 11, when they lost 90-44 against Utah. It is the second-largest loss in program history.
A loss like that stays with a team. It is likely that loss that fueled the team to get better. There is no excuse for losing by double, and junior guard Lazar Stefanovic reveals what the loss did in changing the team.
"What happened the other night is something that no one wants to see happen ever again. It affected us a lot, we had meetings about it, we talked about it, obviously, we showed some reaction on the court. We played with a lot more attitude and effort. We talked players only, we talked coaches, we scouted the game, we watched what we could’ve, should’ve done better. Mentally just trying to get the guys in the right place to play in this game. Stuff happened, it’s in the past, and we can’t let it affect our next games.”
It's very self-aware to know that a loss such as the one against Utah is something that should not happen or be replicated. It sounds like the Bruins took the time to having their own meetings on how they would approach not letting it occur again.
Watching the film is definitely the move of a mature team. Head coach Mick Cronin often talks about the inexperience of the team, but the Utah loss could have been the catalyst that they needed to make them realize they need to tighten their game.
We will see if the Bruins have truly matured in a way they can put together more than one win in a row. They are set to face off against Arizona State on January 17.
