UCLA’s season-opening win over Arizona showed off something Mick Cronin clearly likes about this group: the Bruins can go deep, and they understand how to make it work.
Nine players saw action in the game, and Cronin came away impressed with the way his team handled that kind of rotation. Afterward, he pointed to the group’s basketball IQ and the way the players buy into doing the little things.
“We have great, great people on our team that they're smart enough to understand that the least important thing on the stat sheet is TP, total points. We got guys that understand that basketball is what you do without the ball.”
Cronin also said the tone starts with the older players, naming several veterans who have helped set that standard.
“But it starts with, you know, older guys. [Jaylen Petty] started a lot of games at Texas Tech, Trent's [Perry] been around, and Eric [Dailey] and Book [Xavier Booker].
They're about the right things. So it's not a fight for me with these guys at all.
They get it.”
Perry, the starting point guard, had his own praise ready after the win, and he made a point to single out one of the night’s quiet difference-makers.
“Shout out my guys. First off, Joe Philon and Stink [Azavier Robinson].
You know, they know their role especially. Like, you know, diving for loose balls, being aggressive on defense, but especially my guy Sergej Macura,” Perry said.
Macura logged 13 minutes with Auburn transfer forward Filip Jovic out, and he made the most of the opportunity. Perry said Macura came in with no hesitation and no fear.
“My guy Sergej, you know, he came out first half and he was fearless,” Perry said. “I mean, if you watched our first two exhibition games, he hardly ever played.
He probably came in second half, five minutes left, late. You know, no warm-up.”
“He came out here fearless, and I've been talking to him especially like, you know, keep your head up. You're a player.
You're on this team for a reason, and I'm so proud of him. He showed up…Everybody's coming here to play and everybody knows what they're capable of.”
With Jovic expected back soon, Macura’s exact role may shift. Even so, UCLA has already shown it has options in the frontcourt, and what looked like a thin area could turn into a rotation that goes three or four deep.
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UCLA Showed Its Ceiling But One Problem Still Looms
UCLA opened the season by taking down No. 5 Arizona, a result that should send the Bruins climbing in the next AP poll and immediately sharpened the conversation around what this team can become. For long stretches, they looked like a group with real upside, especially in the first half, when the pace and execution suggested they could hang with one of the nations best and maybe more.
The harder part came after halftime, when Arizona found its footing and turned the game into a test of composure rather than talent. UCLA still finished the job, but the Bruins also left the kind of reminder that good teams usually need early in the year: the ceiling is high, yet the consistency and shot-making have to improve if they want to live up to it over the long haul. [Read more 🡒]
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UCLAs Playoff Race Just Got A Lot More Complicated
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For UCLA, the path forward is now a lot less forgiving. The Bruins still have a chance to climb, but theyll need to keep stacking victories while making their case against a schedule that leaves little room for error, especially in a conference the committee views as highly competitive. Every remaining game now carries extra weight, because the margin for moving up could be slimmer than the record suggests. [Read more 🡒]