This post was updated Nov. 19 at 12:12 a.m.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.

So coach Mick Cronin switched things up.

In the squad’s first game since falling to then-No. 5 Arizona on Friday, No. 19 UCLA men’s basketball (4-1) walked over Sacramento State (3-3) 79-48 Tuesday night at Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins’ starting five featured four different starters from the Intuit Dome affair against Arizona, with junior guard/forward Eric Dailey Jr. remaining as the sole returner.

Despite the Bruins boasting a seemingly healthy lineup, their usual starting backcourt – seniors Skyy Clark and Donovan Dent – along with senior forward Tyler Bilodeau and junior forward/center Xavier Booker, all began the game on the Bruins’ pine.

“The guys that started the game set the tone, and it’s what they didn’t practice yesterday, when they won by 20,” Cronin said. “They set the tone today, so I gave the other guys a chance, because they need to practice coming out of the locker room with more energy, and they didn’t get the job done.”

The UCLA head honcho doubled down on his lineup decision, emphasizing that there was no reason behind it other than starting the five best players.

“They pay me to win games, and I thought that was the lineup that was ready to play tonight,” Cronin said. “I don’t believe in messages. I don’t believe in doghouses.”

And the guard duo of fifth-year Jamar Brown and sophomore Trent Perry illustrated why they deserved to be in the rotation. The tandem combined for 21 points on 7-for-12 shooting from the field and a 60% shooting percentage from beyond the arc.

In Friday’s ranked showdown against Arizona, Perry and Brown combined for just three points and 25 minutes of play, with the former taking the sole shot attempt between the two guards.

And in the three games prior, Perry had yet to play less than 20 minutes, logging a career-high 37 minutes against West Georgia on Nov. 10, where he dropped 17 points alongside nine assists to two turnovers.

“Just go out there and give him my all and be confident,” Perry said. “I felt like I let my team down – our last game against Arizona, I wasn’t too aggressive. I could have done better defensively, getting more rebounds and stuff like that, so I wanted to pick myself up and pick the team up and come out with a lot of intensity and defense.”

Similarly, Brown had yet to play less than 10 minutes before logging just seven against Arizona and played more than 20 minutes, including a season-high 30 against Eastern Washington on Nov. 3, in two of his other three appearances.

But after a contest where the Wildcats’ bench outscored the Bruins’ by 25 points, Cronin emphasized that he needed greater contributions from his depth.

“We did some things well, and we got to get a lot better and more production off our bench. Their bench destroyed ours,” Cronin said after UCLA’s 69-65 loss to Arizona on Friday.

So the UCLA head honcho did just that. Brown, Perry and redshirt senior forward/center Steven Jamerson II combined for 56 minutes against Sacramento State after combining for just 34 Friday.

Cronin also criticized his team’s collective defensive effort, particularly in the dying embers of Friday night’s loss.

And his entourage responded with a stifling performance Tuesday night, holding the Hornets to 24% from the field and 13% from beyond the arc. 

While Sacramento State’s leading scorer forward Jeremiah Cherry exited the game in the first half with a lower body injury, the second- and third-leading scorers – guards Mikey Williams and Prophet Johnson, who both averaged 16.4 points per game this season entering the contest – combined for just 22 points on 6-for-25 shooting at Pauley Pavilion.

Dent – the reigning Mountain West Player of the Year and AP All-American honorable mention – produced a second consecutive underwhelming performance, notching just five points through 24 minutes played – his lowest offensive output since March 16, 2024.

But while Dent may not have impacted the scoreboard directly, he found his teammates to light up the UCLA statsheet, racking up seven assists to zero turnovers and illustrating what Dailey said to him after a shooting slump against Arizona.

“I just told him to lead, and it doesn’t have to be offensively all the time,” Dailey said. “He can lead by just talking and defensively. Some nights, you aren’t going to be on offense, and that’s okay as long as your effort and mind stay focused on defense – then you will be able to get out of that slump.”

Dailey continued to show his consistency on the hardwood, logging a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, utilizing his pure strength and athleticism to create open looks underneath the basket. Clark also showed improved efficiency, garnering nine points on a 75% shooting percentage.

In the previous two contests, Clark went 6-for-19 from the field, racking up just 17 points. But while Clark blossomed, Bilodeau flatlined, fouling out partway through the second half and finishing with just six points.

Regardless of Bilodeau’s production, Dailey said getting other players minutes was imperative to the team’s cohesion and longevity.

“First off, (redshirt sophomore guard/forward) Brandon Williams hasn’t played. He didn’t play last year. He hasn’t played really since his freshman year, and for him to start tonight, that’s really a big moment for his confidence because we’re going to need him,” Dailey said. “Trent, obviously, you all have seen Trent his first time he started, and tonight he’s definitely carrying over what he’s supposed to do as a point guard.”

But Cronin took a different stance after Tuesday night’s affair.

“We’ll see how guys practice. Right now we’re in a mode of trying to learn how to play hard enough to earn the jersey that they wear,” Cronin said. “I have great respect for the jersey, …  and I try to demand that my players play with that kind of effort and show that same respect.”