A night out in Sin City usually means gambling and making bets.

Perhaps for the Bruins, it was betting on themselves and gambling on loose balls and contests.

Despite committing sins of its own – logging 26 fouls Monday night, including 14 in the first half – No. 22 UCLA men’s basketball (1-0) hit the jackpot by upsetting No. 5 Arizona (0-1) 84-75 in Las Vegas at T-Mobile Arena in both squads’ season openers. The Bruins battled through a physical game, with each team fighting for loose balls and not shying away from getting contact and contests – combining for 45 total fouls on the night.

“Our team just doesn’t quit,” said sophomore guard Jaylen Petty. “We all have great attitudes. We all want to win and come together. That’s what we’re going to do. When we huddle up, the game’s not over. We got to keep working hard. We got to keep playing hard.”

Just before the game, sophomore forward/center Filip Jović was ruled out with a left ankle sprain sustained Friday during practice. Consequently, after senior forward/center Xavier Booker was pulled out of the match less than two minutes into the game – without being subbed back in until halfway through the first period – the Bruins turned to a deep center rotation off the bench.

In Booker’s place, senior guard/forward Brandon Williams and junior forward Sergej Macura were the de facto fives, manning a majority of the first half. That decision would pay dividends, as Macura drilled consecutive 3-pointers in the first half, including an and-one, that helped spark a 14-0 run that more than doubled the Wildcats’ score at 27-13.

“He (Macura) came out in the first half, and he was fearless,” said junior guard Trent Perry. “If you watched our first two exhibition games, he hardly ever played. He probably came in the second half, five minutes left, late. No warm-up, and he came out here fearless. … I’m so proud of him.”

Arizona’s significantly taller rotation, helmed by 7-foot-2 Motiejus Krivas, was seemingly challenged by a faster and lankier small-ball rotation, and the Wildcat center was routinely trapped by multiple defenders early on rolls. Krivas finished the night with just eight points on four shot attempts after not getting a single field goal in the first frame.

When Krivas found open shooters, his teammates routinely shied away from shooting or missed entirely. After shooting 36% from deep as a unit last season, Arizona nailed just one 3-pointer on 13 attempts in the first half and seven to finish the night.

For the Wildcats, it was a one-man show from Ivan Kharchenkov, who led the game with 38 points, including a 12-for-16 clip from the line. The forward’s ability to routinely wield driving lanes and power through contact on either side of the rim was on full display, and he went 10-for-14 on 2-pointers with his soft touch.

“He’s (Kharchenkov is) as good as getting to the lane as you’ll see,” said coach Mick Cronin. “Just a really tough kid.”

But early foul trouble helped keep UCLA’s lead manageable, with Arizona drilling 24 total free throws. The second half was more of the same after the Wildcats entered the bonus with over 14 minutes remaining in the match.

While offensively lackluster, Krivas’ daunting interior presence was made known on the other hand. Averaging 1.9 blocks per game last year, the Šiauliai, Lithuania, local blocked six shots on Monday. When he was not getting denials, his sheer low-block existence routinely halted UCLA drives, forcing the Bruins to take ill-advised floaters and mid-range attempts.

Although expected to be the two main veteran offensive engines coming into the year, Perry and senior guard/forward Eric Dailey Jr. experienced the brunt of that struggle, both combining for just 11 points on a 5-for-15 clip from the field in the first period.

Perry’s early foul trouble – he collected two within the first five minutes – saw him sit most of the first half. Finishing with 21 points on the night, Perry was largely contained by Kharchenkov and guard Caleb Holt – the No. 3 recruit in the 2026 class – with most of his impact coming from the charity stripe, where he made all 11 of his attempts.

But despite UCLA’s consistent lead, the rowdy Wildcat faithful made the Las Vegas arena seem like anything but a neutral site. With “U-of-A” chants echoing through T-Mobile Arena, the Bruins had to withstand several momentous Wildcat runs, including back-to-back Kharchenkov 3-pointers – just Arizona’s second and third – that made it a seven-point game in the second half after an initial 15-point lead at halftime.

“I prepared my guys for that,” Perry said. “For the past week, I said, ‘Hey, Arizona fans, they travel. No matter where it’s at, neutral sites, even in Florida. They’re going to travel a lot, and they’re going to pack their stadium out.’”

The Wildcats came up big once again with 8:30 left in the game after another pair of triples from guard Derek Dixon brought the team to within six. Dixon found the bottom of the net once more late in the game after a UCLA miscommunication left him wide open at the top of the key. So when the North Carolina transfer got a fourth deep make, all the chips were on the table for both teams.

Nevertheless, in response to a 10-second violation and a full-court press against which the Bruins could barely move the ball, freshman guard/forward Nikola Kusturica rolled the dice out of a timeout and heaved it up the court to find Dailey for a two-handed slam.

And as Booker got the final block of the night, the Bruins cashed out, securing the upset victory to open the season 1-0.