LOS ANGELES — What was that Thursday night at Pauley Pavilion? What even? This season of UCLA men’s basketball, just … what gives?
What it was, technically: a lopsided 88-65 loss to traditional rival Arizona in what will be the last regular-season Pac-12 game between the teams. Mostly, though: The least inspired, least inspiring exhibition of basketball I’ve seen … ever? And I’ve been forced, for work, to watch a good many of the Clippers’ too-early matinee clunkers.
You’d think, though, that a columnist worth her salt would have a zest for such affairs. Tee off on some zingers. Describe, maybe, Thursday’s State of the Bruin: Unspeakable.
Suggest, perhaps, that coach – and general manager, he noted Thursday – Mick Cronin resist the urge to do any recruiting in Denmark. They have enough BrickMasters on the roster now – UCLA shot 23 for 59 (39%) – they don’t need to go shopping at Lego HQ for any more.
Reflect on what a chore it is for this UCLA team to score; it wouldn’t surprise me if the players argued about it in the locker room. About who is supposed to do it this time, as if scoring were a matter of taking out the trash or doing the dishes. Or maybe cleaning the cat box. Changing a diaper?
Because, yes, they were in for a challenge against the No. 5 ranked Wildcats, but still, P.U., was that a stinker.
Everything about the night was off the mark – the intended section-by-section “stripe out” that was supposed to present a bold blue-and-white motif around the arena? A strikeout. Not enough fans (allegedly, 8,428?) showed. And those who did looked put off that being at Pauley meant they were going to miss tuning in for the start of the UCLA women’s basketball game at the Pac-12 tournament in Las Vegas.
Three times, at least, “U of A!” chants took over, with no pushback from Bruins fans in the building – where in the second half, when the Bruins fell behind by as many as 28 points, a deficit basically as…
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