LAS VEGAS - UCLA didn’t wait long to find out what it had in its season opener, and the answer came in a hurry against one of the sport’s biggest names.
In a Hall of Fame Classic matchup at T-Mobile Arena, No. 22 UCLA outlasted No.
5 Arizona 84-75 on Monday night, turning a game that looked like a measuring stick into an early statement. The Bruins and Wildcats, longtime Pac-12 rivals now in separate conferences, met in a nonconference setting and played with the same edge that used to define their league battles.
Trent Perry led UCLA with 21 points, shaking off early foul trouble and pouring in 16 after halftime. Ivan Kharchenkov carried Arizona with a career-high 38 points in the Wildcats’ first game since their Final Four run last spring.
The whistle was a constant presence all night, with the teams combining for 45 fouls. That stop-start rhythm never really let either side settle in, but UCLA handled the chaos better when it mattered.
Perry’s early foul trouble opened the door for Jaylen Petty, who sparked the Bruins with three first-half 3-pointers and a slick alley-oop feed to Joe Philon III as UCLA ripped off 14 straight points to build a 14-point cushion. Arizona answered when Caleb Holt went coast-to-coast for an and-one, trimming the lead to six, but UCLA steadied itself before halftime. Eric Dailey Jr., after missing his first seven shots, closed the half by scoring the final six points for the Bruins.
Perry took over after the break. He knocked down a 3-pointer to rescue a shaky possession and was perfect on all 11 of his free throws. Arizona kept coming, though, with Kharchenkov drilling two 3-pointers and Derek Dixon adding two more to pull the Wildcats back within six.
Philon answered with a 3-pointer to push UCLA back into control, but Arizona refused to go away. Kharchenkov scored off a backcourt turnover, Dixon hit his fourth 3-pointer of the half, and after two Kharchenkov free throws, the Wildcats were down just one with 3:11 left.
That was the stretch where UCLA finally slammed the door. Xavier Booker buried a 3-pointer, then came up with a rim protection play against Mo Krivas. After that, the Bruins broke Arizona’s press and found Dailey for the game-sealing touchdown.
UCLA did it without a clean night from several key pieces. Perry spent time in foul trouble, Dailey struggled early, Booker was often overmatched and Filip Jovic was out. Still, the Bruins found a way to hold up against a top-five opponent in the opener.
Freshman Nikola Kusturica also got a taste of what college basketball can throw at a newcomer, with multiple “Welcome to college basketball moments,” challenging Motiejus Krivas.
Mick Cronin said before the game that this kind of matchup would tell his team something real.
“You’re not going to be who you’re going to be later in the year,” Cronin said Friday. “But it’s good to figure out the truth. These games give you the truth.”
UCLA got that truth on night one, and it came with a win.
In Other News...
UCLA Just Got An Early Reason To Believe Again
UCLA opened the season with a win over Arizona, and the early signs were encouraging in a way the Bruins have been hoping to see. The victory came with real contributions from across the lineup, including Jaylen Pettys all-around effort and Sergej Macuras steady minutes, giving the Bruins a little more than just an opening-night result to point to as they settle into the year.
Trent Perry was the one who gave the performance its late-game edge, finishing with 21 points and handling the pressure at the line when it mattered most. For a team trying to establish confidence right away, the way UCLA closed out an 84-75 win offered a useful glimpse of what this group can be when its young pieces start to click. [Read more 🡒]
UCLAs Playoff Push Faces A Minnesota Test That Could Get Ugly
UCLAs unbeaten run has put the Bruins squarely in the College Football Playoff conversation, but the next hurdle looks like the kind that can expose any flaw. At 8-0 and ranked No. 5 nationally, the Bruins have earned the right to think bigger, yet Minnesota arrives with the kind of defense that has made life difficult for ranked opponents and can turn a Saturday into a slog if an offense gets out of rhythm.
Ty Dieffenbach and the UCLA offense will have to be sharp from the start, because the Bruins cannot afford a sloppy performance against a team built to squeeze possessions and force mistakes. Minnesotas recent success against top competition has made this a real test of whether UCLA can keep its momentum intact, and if the Bruins want to stay perfect, they may need one of their cleaner offensive outings of the season. [Read more 🡒]
UCLAs Opener Showed Why Mick Cronin Fans Should Be Encouraged
UCLAs season-opening win over Arizona offered an early reminder of what Mick Cronin teams are supposed to look like when the shots are not falling. The Bruins still found a way to handle a dangerous opponent, leaning on physical defense and work on the glass to come away with an 84-75 victory even while shooting below 40 percent overall.
Arizonas Ivan Kharchenkov made sure it was anything but comfortable, pouring in 38 points and keeping the game close deep into the night. But UCLAs effort level never dipped, and that kind of response in a tight opener is the sort of sign Cronin fans have been waiting to see as the Bruins start to settle into the season. [Read more 🡒]