UCLA men’s basketball secures seven-game win streak, continues to work to improve
Coach Mick Cronin coaches from the sideline. No. 13 UCLA men’s basketball rose three spots in the AP poll after picking up back-to-back ranked wins. (Megan Cai/Assistant Photo editor)
By Francis Moon
Dec. 20, 2022 4:33 p.m.
The Bruins left Las Vegas empty-handed a month ago, sparking some questions about their spot among the top teams in the country.
Then-No. 8 UCLA men’s basketball dropped over 10 spots in the AP Top 25 following back-to-back losses to then-top-20 teams, despite holding a second-half lead both times.
The blue and gold entered last week with another chance to face two ranked teams in a row and quiet those worries, flying east to take on then-No. 20 Maryland in hostile territory Wednesday before a meeting with then-No. 13 Kentucky on Saturday in Madison Square Garden.
This time, the Bruins proved they belong in the conversation.
“It just put an edge on our shoulder, we had a lot to prove this trip,” said senior guard/forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. “We were just on a mission to get better every single day and prepare for this, and just show the world what we can do.”
Now-No. 13 UCLA rose three spots in the rankings Monday and sit at No. 3 in KenPom rating after leaving the East Coast with two double-digit wins. The blue and gold gave up 79 points and lost a 15-point lead against then-No. 19 Illinois before allowing 80 points to then-No. 5 Baylor in Las Vegas a month ago. It has since held each of its opponents to under 67 points during its seven-game winning streak.
“The Illinois game was the best thing to happen to us. It’s made us grow, just the embarrassment factor,” said junior guard Jaylen Clark. “They walked into the West Coast and just took it over, so for March Madness reasons we knew we couldn’t come out here and afford to lose any games.”
Coach Mick Cronin said it was never a question about ability or talent with his team, but rather the Bruins’ ability to buy into a defense-first mindset.
“Early on when we went to Vegas, (we might have thought) we’re going to win because we’ve got these players. We pass the ball, and we’re unselfish,” Cronin said. “You’ve got to be able to defend the other team.”
Jaquez was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week on Monday after averaging 16.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, two assists and four steals across the two wins. Clark, who now ranks 11th in the country in steals, also continued his hot start to the season, compiling 34 points, 14 boards and eight steals last week.
Redshirt senior guard Tyger Campbell followed up a relatively quiet performance against the Terrapins with 15 points against the Wildcats on Saturday. Fifth-year guard David Singleton, who ranks among the country’s leaders in 3-point percentage at 51.9%, shot 6-of-7 from deep across the two games.
Singleton said he was simply a beneficiary of the team’s improved ball movement while being able to limit mistakes on both ends.
“It’s a team sport. Just move the ball, and if the shots come, they come,” Singleton said. “That was the key emphasis: Taking care of the ball and moving the ball. All of our guys are great scorers, and I just so happened to take advantage of my opportunities.”
But despite the seven-game winning streak and rise in the rankings, the Bruins still have much room for growth and are making the improvement of their younger players a point of emphasis, according to Cronin.
Cronin said freshman forward Adem Bona had the best game of his career against the Terps with 14 points, seven rebounds and a block. Bona’s struggles with foul trouble continued, however, as he compiled four fouls in both contests last week, limiting himself to a season-low 12 minutes while not attempting a shot against Kentucky.
After a four-game stretch in which he put up 16 points per game following a total of six points in Las Vegas, freshman guard Amari Bailey has averaged under four points per game over his last three, shooting just 22.7% from the field.
“We’ve got a chance to get better,” Cronin said. “They’re (the freshmen are) going to get better, they’re all talented kids. … For him (Bona) and Amari, it’s hard. It’s hard, you think, ‘I’m a top-10 guy, I’m going to walk into college and just dominate.’ It’s just not that easy, it takes some time.”
The Bruin coach of four years added that the team as a whole has to continue to do the dirty work in order to get to where it wants to be by March.
“Certain programs win because they’re committed to the things it takes to win, and they’re uncomfortable,” Cronin said. “You’ve got to eat your vegetables.”
