UCLA looked the part in its first exhibition, but Mick Cronin still left the gym with a list.
The Bruins rolled past Cal Baptist 100-53 on Wednesday night, taking control early and never letting it get close. On the surface, it was the kind of night that checks every box: dominant margin, strong all-around play, a box score that mostly glowed. But Cronin was quick to point out the piece that bothered him most.
“We had some shot selection I thought we got to improve on. You know, 45% here in this game is going to equate to about 37% against Arizona,” Cronin said.
He wasn’t done there. “It's the hardest thing.
It's like the final frontier in coaching is getting guys to get to the next advantage and hunt for layups and open shots. Don't settle.
You're just helping the other team. You take tough shots against Arizona opening night, we're going to be in deep trouble.”
That’s the standard UCLA is already measuring itself against, with Arizona waiting on opening night as a top-10 opponent. And while the Bruins put 100 on the board against Cal Baptist, Cronin’s point was backed up by some uneven shooting from several key pieces.
Texas Tech transfer Jaylen Petty took 15 shots, but only made five. He went 2-for-10 from three-point range.
Nikola Kusturica, after a strong defensive showing, finished 3-for-11 from the field and 0-for-6 from deep. Starting point guard Trent Perry struggled as well, going 1-for-7 overall and 1-for-4 from three.
Still, UCLA didn’t need every player to be locked in offensively to bury the Lancers. Eric Dailey Jr. provided the cleanest answer on the night, going 9-for-13 overall and 7-for-9 from behind the arc. His efficiency helped cover for the spots where the Bruins were less crisp.
Cronin’s reaction makes clear that the win did not change the urgency. UCLA has room to sharpen its shot selection before the schedule tightens immediately, and the Bruins will need a far cleaner offensive night if they want to be ready for Arizona.
In Other News...
UCLA's 7-0 Start Has Fans Asking One Huge Playoff Question
UCLAs unbeaten start rolled on Saturday with a 28-10 win over Michigan State, pushing the Bruins to 7-0 and keeping the conversation around their season pointed well beyond the usual October milestones. The defense again set the tone, with Donavyn Pellot, Sammy Omosigho and Jalen Woods turning in notable performances, while the running backs powered the offense with 245 rushing yards and multiple touchdowns. Ty Dieffenbach also did his part, completing 18 of 31 passes for 198 yards and a touchdown.
What makes the Bruins more than just an early-season surprise is how complete they have looked while the schedule gets tougher and the attention gets louder. Fans are already asking the obvious question about College Football Playoff legitimacy, and UCLA has given them enough evidence to make the debate real rather than hypothetical. The next stretch will go a long way toward showing whether this start is simply impressive or something much bigger. [Read more 🡒]
UCLAs Win Over Michigan State Looks Different Under Film Review
UCLAs 28-10 win over Michigan State looked pretty clean on the scoreboard, but the postgame picture gets a little more layered once Pro Football Focus gets hold of the film. The review process goes snap by snap and is designed to strip out the usual noise, giving the Bruins a more objective read on how individual players actually performed rather than how the game felt in real time.
PFF uses a 1-100 scale, with 85 or higher tagged as NFL-caliber, so those numbers can reshape how a strong win is viewed inside the program. The grades assigned after this game are not necessarily final, either, since they can still be adjusted later in the week, which leaves some room for the story of UCLAs performance to keep evolving even after the final whistle. [Read more 🡒]
UCLA Proved Its Backfield Can Survive One Scary Wayne Knight Moment
Wayne Knight has been the engine of UCLAs ground game this season, leading the Big Ten with 12 rushing touchdowns and stacking up three 100-yard performances along the way. So when he left last weeks game against Michigan State with an injury, it had the look of a potentially costly moment for a backfield that has leaned so heavily on his production.
Instead, the Bruins found enough balance to keep rolling in a 28-10 win, with Anthony Woods and Jaivian Thomas both helping shoulder the load when the offense needed it most. Bob Chesney said Knights injury is not serious, and he pointed to the way the backs handled the situation as another sign that UCLAs rushing game is built on more than one runner. [Read more 🡒]