LOS ANGELES — In a battle of perennial powers, the UCLA men’s basketball team struggled on offense and defense and suffered an 88-65 loss in its penultimate Pac-12 home game against fifth-ranked Arizona on Thursday night at Pauley Pavilion.
“(All I can do) is coach and watch film, teach, coach, watch film,” UCLA men’s basketball coach Mick Cronin said. “I can’t play.”
The Bruins, who were outrebounded by a 41-29 margin, had won five in a row at home against Arizona, but the Wildcats took over after the game was tied three times in the opening minutes. UCLA, drowned out by “U of A” chants, trailed 44-27 by halftime.
“Good teams get fouled, bad teams foul and that’s just the facts,” Cronin continued.
UCLA did not fair much better in the second half of the nationally televised game. Arizona picked up where it left off, opening with a 15-6 run, including six points by Oumar Ballo, who dunked twice. Pelle Larsson and Ballo hit back-to-back 3-pointers in extending the lead to 59-33. Arizona (24-6 overall, 15-4 Pac-12) led by as much as 28 on its way to clinching its final Pac-12 regular-season title.
“Look, they’re just better than us,” Cronin explained. “They’re just better than us at all three phases.”
The Wildcats got some help in the Pacific Northwest, where Washington defeated second-place Washington State, 74-68. Arizona is headed to the Big 12 next season, while the Bruins are bound for the Big Ten.
UCLA (14-16, 9-10) is on a season-worst five-game losing streak and could finish below .500 for the first time since 2010. The Bruins, who shot 39% from the field over 40 minutes, only finished with seven assists against Arizona, need to beat Arizona State on Saturday to head into the Pac-12 tournament with even a modicum of momentum. They’ll have to play a first-round game in Las Vegas next week, regardless.
“We have one more game at home, it’s senior night,” said UCLA junior guard Lazar Stefanovic, who scored…
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