On Thursday, the (5-2) UCLA Bruins will visit Palo Alto for a date with the (3-4) Stanford Cardinal at Maples Pavilion. The 21st-ranked Bruins beat Bellarmine 81-60 in their most recent game, and the Cardinal lost 56-48 to Memphis. Tip-off between these California rivals will be at 7:30 p.m. PT.
The Bruins are 5-2 but have not fared as well against elite competition, dropping games to ranked Illinois and Baylor teams. The losses came in the Main Event Tournament and will challenge UCLA to step up its game in the coming weeks, with matchups against Maryland and Kentucky looming.
In the 79-70 loss to the Fighting Illini, the Bruins shot just 37.5 percent from the floor, blowing a nine-point halftime lead with a poor second-half performance. In that second half, UCLA gave up 51 points, as Illinois forward Terrence Shannon Jr. made 8 of 9 3-pointers. The Illini hit 12 of their 25 threes and shot 52.9 percent overall.
The Bruins didn't get a break in their next game, taking on Baylor. UCLA's performance was more complete in the second game of the tourney, but it didn't shoot the ball particularly well from three-point range (26.7%). The Bears also lost their first-round game in t he Main Event to Virginia, but they earned the bounce-back win in a battle between top-ten programs.
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Let's take a look back ???? at UCLA's 81-60 win against Bellarmine on Sunday evening.#GoBruins ???? pic.twitter.com/HnhKSwTN45
— UCLA Men's Basketball (@UCLAMBB) November 28, 2022
“If you score 75 points, you're supposed to win,” UCLA coach Mick Cronin said. “We're just not there defensively. This is a long season. Who you are now is irrelevant to who you are in March. I know all these games matter for seeding, but we're going to find out what we're made of.”
This season, UCLA is averaging 83.0 points on 50.4 percent shooting, the 20th-highest shooting percentage in the nation. The Bruins are led in scoring by Jaime Jaquez Jr. (16.7 PPG) and Jaylen Clark (15.7 PPG). The defense is giving up 63.9 points on 41.6 percent shooting, including 29.6 percent from 3-point range. UCLA's offensive efficiency is ranked 8th nationally, and its defensive efficiency is 28th, per KenPom.