Mick Cronin’s UCLA team opened the 2026-27 season with a statement in Las Vegas, knocking off No. 5 Arizona 84-75 and showing plenty of poise while the Wildcats kept making pushes.
The No. 22 Bruins jumped on Arizona early, ripping off a 14-0 run on the way to a 27-13 lead and never giving back the advantage. Nikola Kusturica got the first-half surge rolling with a layup, and Sergej Macura - in the rotation because Filip Jovic was out with an ankle injury - buried back-to-back 3-pointers to put UCLA firmly in control.
Arizona made things uncomfortable late, trimming the margin to 71-70 and again to 78-75, but UCLA answered with a smart inbounds play from Cronin that turned into an Eric Dailey Jr. dunk, followed by an Xavier Booker block to help close it out.
Trent Perry paced the Bruins with 21 points, while Dailey and Jaylen Petty added 13 apiece. On the other side, Arizona forward Ivan Kharchenkov delivered a career-high 38 points in defeat.
This was a team win in the truest sense for UCLA. The Bruins shot 38 percent from the field, but they limited Arizona to 37 percent and won the rebounding battle 45-44 against seven-footer Motiejus Krivas and the Wildcats. Krivas, the preseason Big 12 Player of the Year, didn’t make a field goal in the first half and finished with eight points.
UCLA carried a 43-29 lead into halftime and leaned on its 3-point shooting when Arizona started to chip away after the break. The Wildcats opened the second half with a 7-0 run to cut it to 48-40, but Perry answered with a right baseline 3-pointer after Dailey grabbed an offensive rebound.
Later, Petty hit a left wing 3 with 9:25 left to push the lead back to 62-50. Joe Philon followed with a 3-pointer at the 5:03 mark to make it 71-60, and Booker’s big triple with 2:59 remaining restored UCLA’s cushion at 74-70 after Arizona had ripped off a 10-0 run.
The Bruins head back to Los Angeles with momentum and will be back in action Friday night against North Florida at Pauley Pavilion.
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 🡒]