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Black History Month 2025

‘It’s a long season’: UCLA men’s basketball seeks to rebound from recent losses

Senior guard Lazar Stefanovic (left) and junior guards Dylan Andrews (middle) and Skyy Clark (right) gather as coach Mick Cronin speaks to the backcourt trio. (Michael Gallagher/Assistant Photo editor)

By Matthew Niiya

Jan. 15, 2025 11:13 a.m.

December was just last month. But it feels like an eternity ago in Westwood.

Things appeared smooth sailing for UCLA men’s basketball as the new year ushered in hopes of a conference title in the team’s maiden Big Ten voyage. Sixth-year head coach Mick Cronin steered his team in the right direction through December, toppling rivals in then-No. 12 Oregon, Arizona and then-No. 14 Gonzaga, reeling in a No. 15 ranking heading into 2025.

But just two polls later, the four letters were lost at sea, failing to register a singular vote.

And despite a fourth consecutive loss Monday night, abandoning ship is not an option – a solution must be found.

“We can get back to the team we are,” said sophomore guard/forward Eric Dailey Jr. “It can’t just be two, three people, it has to be everybody from the top down to the whole staff.”

(Michael Gallagher/Assistant Photo editor)
Clark prepares to shoot a 3-pointer from the extended elbow. (Michael Gallagher/Assistant Photo editor)

Although far from being an elite 3-point shooting team, the Bruins have demonstrated a willingness to take and knock down shots from deep at a reasonable rate.

But across their recent four-game skid, just 22.3% of shots from beyond the arc have found the bottom of the net. In an attempt to generate more offense, Cronin inserted senior guard Lazar Stefanovic into the starting lineup for junior guard Dylan Andrews against Rutgers.

“Dylan’s sick, but it was probably going to change anyway,” Cronin said. “Just trying to get some shooting, to be honest.”

Since a 21-point outing against Prairie View A&M on Dec. 17, Andrews has posted just 14 points in 123 minutes on the floor through six games.

The duo of Andrews and fellow junior guard Skyy Clark had been ineffective in the backcourt, with neither able to create a shot for themselves or others on a consistent basis – producing an assist to turnover ratio of less than one over the last four contests.

(Michael Gallagher/Assistant Photo editor)
Andrews attempts to lay the ball up against a North Carolina defender at Madison Square Garden. (Michael Gallagher/Assistant Photo editor)

In their place, Sebastian Mack has emerged as a dynamic threat off the bench, providing 10.1 points per game with his tenacity in the paint. Despite some questionable shot selection, the sophomore guard has injected pace and energy to an oft-stagnant attack.

UCLA’s long-established philosophy, however, does not rely on a high-powered offense. Instead, defense remains king.

“We don’t shoot the lights out,” Cronin said. “We got to play defense.”

A highly pressurizing defensive scheme that hounded opposing offenses was paramount to the early-season success that allowed UCLA to own the nation’s top spot in scoring defense.

While Cronin’s squad remains 19th in the nation in points allowed per game and sixth in turnovers forced per game, UCLA’s efforts have not yielded results recently.

“We just got to play a complete game of defense – a 40-minute game of straight defense and making the right plays on offense,” Dailey Jr. said. “As a team, we just got to come together, stay strong, stay tight through moments like this.”

(Michael Gallagher/Assistant Photo editor)
Sophomore guard Sebastian Mack and senior guard Kobe Johnson jump in an attempt to block North Carolina forward Jalen Washington. (Michael Gallagher/Assistant Photo editor)

After allowing opponents to score 39 or more points in five straight halves, the Bruins appeared to regain their intensity of old, holding the Scarlet Knights to just 30 first-half points.

The second half, however, echoed recent struggles.

Spearheaded by its pair of star freshman guards Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper, Rutgers ripped apart the UCLA defense, gashing it for 45 points in the latter period and surging for a comeback win.

Though the current situation in Westwood looks bleak, March is still two months away. And if anyone knows how quickly a season can turn on its head – for better or for worse – it’s the Bruins.

“It’s a long season,” Mack said. “You just got to keep going to practice and try to evaluate, fix this issue quick before it gets out of hand.”

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Matthew Niiya
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