This post was updated Dec. 17 at 11 p.m.

News of Mick Cronin’s summer contract extension was met with mixed reactions Sunday morning.

UCLA’s loss to Gonzaga on Saturday – which knocked Cronin’s team from the top 25 – evoked the coach’s previous March shortfalls and was yet another example of the Bruins failing to live up to their No. 12 preseason billing.

Luckily, the season is long and far from over – and public sentiment, no matter how stubborn, is always open to change.

If the Bruins are going to get their season back on track, it may have started Wednesday.

UCLA men’s basketball (8-3, 2-0 Big Ten) defeated Arizona State (9-3) in its get-right game 90-77 at Pauley Pavilion. Though a win over the Sun Devils may not move the March Madness needle – with Arizona State picked to finish last in the Big 12’s preseason poll – the Bruins came away with a victory in their last Power Four matchup before an 18-game Big Ten slate closes out the regular season.

Donovan Dent – the New Mexico transfer making a reported $3 million in Name, Image and Likeness, according to the Santa Fe New Mexican, and a large reason for UCLA’s elevated expectations this season – put up 13 points in the first half alone, eclipsing or matching the senior guard’s totals in six of the nine games he’s played.

“That (Dent’s performance Wednesday) was just coming from my teammates throughout practice this whole week,” Dent said. “Everyone’s been uplifting me. … Coach giving me confidence – it helps a lot when your team has the utmost confidence in you.” 

The Bruin point guard added that he has watched old clips and highlights during his inconsistent start to the season in order to remind himself of what he’s capable of and build confidence.

Dent also made just his second 3-pointer of the season – ending a streak of eight-straight games without a make from deep on 10 straight missed shots.
In his best performance as a Bruin, the point guard led the team with 20 points – his second-most against a Power Four opponent – on 9-for-17 shooting with four rebounds and four assists.

Senior forward Tyler Bilodeau followed his 24-point showing against the Gonzaga Bulldogs with 18 points Wednesday on 4-for-10 shooting from the field and 8-for-8 shooting from the charity stripe. Through four games in December, Bilodeau is averaging 19.3 points.

“If we (senior guard Skyy Clark and Dent) get the team going, it’ll help the offense a lot,” Clark said. “But honestly, we got so many dudes on the team who could score. Tyler had a big game for us. He’s had a bunch of big games for us.” 

Clark continued a relative offensive hot streak, recording 10-plus points for the fourth time in six games. The senior guard’s 6-for-10 3-point shooting means Clark, who averaged just 1.4-for-3.6 from deep last season, is 17-for-28 over his last four games.

“Remember last December when we were in here, and I told you guys how good a shooter he (Clark) was, and he was shooting like 17%?” Cronin said. “He’s a great shooter.” 

Fifth-year guard Jamar Brown also had a career day with his 3-for-4 shooting – all from beyond the arc – making his most made from deep this season.

While UCLA surged from the 3-point line – sinking 7-of-12 shots in the first half before finishing with a season-most 14-for-26 – Arizona State, which entered Wednesday shooting 39.2% from deep, ran dry.

The Sun Devils began the night 0-for-10 from deep before finishing the half 2-for-15 – with forward Andrija Grbović and guards Anthony Johnson and Maurice Odum each going 0-for-3 – and the game 4-for-26.

In doing most of their scoring in the paint, Arizona State relied heavily on center Massamba Diop, who ended second on the team with 15 points on 5-for-7 shooting but recorded his fourth foul at the 8:05 mark in the second half.

But the charity stripe seemed to do the most to keep the Sun Devils in the game.

Arizona State finished shooting 25-for-26 from the free-throw line thanks to 24 Bruin personal fouls – with three separate Bruins earning four, and two other Bruins each earning three.

“Some of those, we made some bad fouls,” Cronin said. “Some of those, I can’t say what I really want to say.” 

Johnson ended the affair with a season-high 20 points despite 3-for-9 shooting from the field, thanks to 14-for-14 shooting from the line.

The Sun Devils trimmed the deficit – which stood at 16 with 16:13 to go – to five with 9:39 remaining.

“We got to get better defensively,” Cronin said. “We can’t give up 36 paint points, 18 layups.”

But even with the Bruins shooting themselves in the foot – by allowing the Sun Devils to keep shooting from the line – UCLA’s firepower from deep proved enough.

Arizona State, unable to get much going from beyond the arc and vulnerable against UCLA’s attack from three, was soon back at double-digit depth, failing to ever take a lead in a contest the Bruins led until its 13-point victory.