UCLA opened the season with a statement, and the Bruins had three players to thank for getting them past No. 5 Arizona, 84-75, in a physical, back-and-forth battle.
The No. 22 Bruins kept answering every Arizona push, never letting the Wildcats fully seize control. And while the win came from a team effort, Jaylen Petty, Sergej Macura and Trent Perry did the heavy lifting in the game’s biggest moments.
Petty looked every bit like the offensive spark UCLA expected from him. The Texas Tech transfer came out firing, drilling his first three attempts from deep and giving the Bruins the early punch they needed.
In the first half alone, he scored 10 of UCLA’s 43 points while also piling up 6 assists and 2 steals. He finished with 13 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists, going 4-for-6 from beyond the arc.
Macura also stepped into a bigger role and delivered when UCLA needed help on the glass and from long range. With Auburn transfer Filip Jovic out, Macura filled the gap and made his presence felt on the offensive boards. He knocked down a pair of important three-pointers in the first half and finished with 7 points and 2 rebounds on 2-for-4 shooting.
Perry didn’t have the cleanest shooting night, but he made the plays that mattered most. The starting point guard led UCLA with 21 points despite playing fewer minutes than several of the other starters, and he closed the game by going a perfect 11-for-11 at the free-throw line. That late composure helped push the Bruins over the finish line.
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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 🡒]
UCLA Just Sent An Early Message With Its Arizona Win
UCLA opened its season in Las Vegas by grabbing control early and never really letting Arizona fully settle in, even as the Wildcats made a late push. The Bruins 84-75 win was the kind of opener that can set a tone, with Trent Perry leading the way with 21 points and UCLA showing enough poise to protect its advantage when the game tightened.
Arizona got a huge night from Ivan Kharchenkov, who poured in a career-high 38 points, but it still wasnt enough to erase the hole the Wildcats dug for themselves. For UCLA, the bigger takeaway was less about the final margin than the way it handled a test from a high-profile opponent, an encouraging sign for a team that wanted to make an immediate statement. [Read more 🡒]