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Men’s basketball looks forward to playing in front of crowds in upcoming matchups

Senior guard Jules Bernard drives to the hoop in No. 9 UCLA men’s basketball’s win over Cal State Bakersfield on Nov. 9. Bernard and the Bruins will travel to the mountains to take on Utah and Colorado on Thursday and Saturday, respectively. (David Rimer/Assistant Photo editor)

men's basketball


Utah
Thursday, 8 p.m.

Jon M. Huntsman Center
Fox Sports 1
Colorado
Saturday, 6 p.m.

CU Events Center
Pac-12 Network

By Jared Tay

Jan. 19, 2022 6:08 p.m.

In their last three home games, the Bruins exited the locker room in the bowels of a nearly empty Pauley Pavilion and strode through the tunnel toward the court.

The doors opened and they ran out, greeted by over 13,000 unoccupied seats.

So when No. 9 UCLA men’s basketball (11-2, 3-1 Pac-12) goes on the road to visit Utah on Thursday (8-10, 1-7) and Colorado (12-4, 4-2) on Saturday – each with no COVID-19 restrictions on fan attendance – coach Mick Cronin said his team will be excited to simply play in front of a crowd, friend or foe.

“It’s hugely demoralizing to our guys to play games in empty arenas when there’s 80,000 people at the (Los Angeles) Rams game yesterday,” Cronin said. “So our guys should be energized – I know they will when we run out in front of other people and get to play a game in front of fans.”

While UCLA has averaged a little over 165 spectators – mainly friends and family of the players – during the moratorium on fans in Westwood, Utah drew over 7,500 fans to the Jon M. Huntsman Center in the Utes’ last contest against Washington State.

Colorado saw 6,145 fans come to the CU Events Center on Jan. 9, which was the last time it played at home when it hosted Washington.

“We’re just excited to be out there playing, no matter if we have fans or not,” said senior guard Jules Bernard. “But it definitely helps get the energy up in the building.”

Cronin said the challenges of playing in an empty home stadium – along with the numerous pauses and cancellations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic this season – have all been teaching opportunities.

“Whoever came up with the term ‘Excuses are for losers’ was brilliant, and I believe in that,” Cronin said. “You either get the job done, or you die trying.”

Bruins’ Frontcourt

The altitudes of the mountain schools aren’t the only type of height that could challenge the Bruins on their road trip.

The last time UCLA faced Colorado was Dec. 1. The Buffaloes featured a lineup that included three forwards – Evan Battey, Jabari Walker and Tristan da Silva – who all stand at 6 feet, 8 inches or taller. Walker shot 7-for-11 with 22 points in the schools’ last meeting.

Utah, meanwhile, rosters a 7-foot center in Branden Carlson. The Utes’ leading scorer has missed the last three games because of appendicitis and may not be fully healthy for Thursday’s contest.

On UCLA’s end, Cronin said he’s still searching for more production out of the Bruin big men. Through four games since returning from injury, redshirt senior forward Cody Riley has logged 37 points and 11 rebounds. With the return of Riley, redshirt senior center Myles Johnson, however, has seen his playing time dip, culminating in a season-low 11 minutes against Oregon State.

“If he wants to have a basketball career, he’s got to challenge himself,” Cronin said. “He’s got to get outside cerebral Myles, and he’s just got to play with his heart and his energy.”

But while Johnson’s minutes have diminished, freshman guard/forward Peyton Watson’s have steadily increased over the past two games.

The former five-star recruit logged over 20 minutes against both Oregon and Oregon State, hauling in eight rebounds against the Ducks. He is second on the team in blocks, despite playing the second-least minutes among those who see regular game action.

“I love to produce, I love to impact winning,” Watson said. “I know there was a lot of hype behind my name, but as soon as practice started, as soon as the games started, it was all about ‘Forget all of that’ for me.”

Tipoff against Utah is Thursday at 8:00 p.m., and UCLA will face Colorado on Saturday at 6:00 p.m.

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Jared Tay | Sports senior staff
Tay is currently a Sports senior staff writer on the men's basketball beat. He was previously an assistant Sports editor for the baseball, men's soccer, men's tennis, cross country and women's tennis beats. Tay was previously a contributor on the men's tennis beat.
Tay is currently a Sports senior staff writer on the men's basketball beat. He was previously an assistant Sports editor for the baseball, men's soccer, men's tennis, cross country and women's tennis beats. Tay was previously a contributor on the men's tennis beat.
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