Thursday, March 28

Conference play will be men’s basketball’s chance to improve on the season


Redshirt sophomore forward Jalen Hill leads UCLA men's basketball with 7.8 rebounds per game this season while also shooting a team-high 54.4% mark from the field. (MacKenzie Coffman/Daily Bruin senior staff)


Men's basketball


Washington
Thursday, 7 p.m.

Seattle, Washington
FS1
Washington State
Saturday, 4 p.m.

Pullman, Washington
Pac-12 Networks

The Bruins posted the same nonconference record under Mick Cronin in 2019 as they did under Steve Alford in 2018.

But unlike Alford, Cronin still has his job heading into Pac-12 play – and the Conference of Champions is in a much different position than it was last season.

UCLA men’s basketball’s (7-6) first test against the new-look Pac-12 will come on the road against Washington (10-3) on Thursday before it makes the trek out to Pullman, Washington, to challenge Washington State (9-4) on Saturday. While the Huskies fell out of the top 25 this week following a loss to Houston on Christmas Day, they are still one of four Pac-12 squads inside the AP top 30.

The Pac-12 went without a top-25 representative for the first nine weeks of conference play last season, but 2019-2020 has been different – 10 of the 12 teams posted nine or more wins in nonconference play.

Cronin said he prefers a conference full of nationally ranked, challenging opponents over one riddled with inferior programs.

“My career at the high level, I’ve had the gambit of it,” Cronin said. “‘A rising tide lifts all ships’ would be my vote – that was from my Big East days. Now, it’s brutal when (the conference) is that good … but I think it helps recruiting, I think it forces you to get better as a coach.”

The Bruins, on the other hand, are in a very similar spot as they were last year.

After starting the season 4-0, UCLA wrapped up its nonconference slate 7-6 with two home losses to non-Power Five teams in each of the last two seasons – Belmont and Liberty in 2018, and Hofstra and CSU Fullerton in 2019.

Redshirt sophomore forward Jalen Hill was limited to eight points in the loss to the Titans, bringing his points per game average to 4.5 over his last four games. Hill said the team’s ego has been too big lately, and that he and his teammates need to stop settling with losses.

“Guys come in here, UCLA, you kind of get a big head, blah, blah, blah,” Hill said. “But losing a lot really humbles you, and you’ve just got to buckle down and work on your weaknesses.”

The Bruins sit in second-to-last in the Pac-12 standings and are the 11th-ranked Pac-12 team in the NET rankings, despite the prestige that comes with the program’s 11 national championships and Hall of Fame alumni. Sophomore guard Jules Bernard said now is the time for the Bruins to give back to the school and brand that have taken them to where they are today.

“We have resources here, and it’s our job to pay back to this school what they’ve given, the opportunities they’ve given us,” Bernard said.

The Bruins’ first chance to turn things around will be in Seattle against a Husky squad that boasts four players currently averaging at least 11.5 points per game. UCLA’s leading scorer – junior guard Chris Smith – averages 11.1.

Washington’s leading scorer and rebounder is Isaiah Stewart, who is posting 19.2 points and 8.8 boards per game in his debut season. The other half of the Huskies’ freshman frontcourt duo is Jaden McDaniels, who is averaging 14.3 points and 5.5 rebounds.

Bernard said UCLA won’t be overhauling its play style despite facing more consistent and well-rounded opponents like Washington, but rather the goal is to simply turn up the intensity a few notches.

“Our approach is more exaggerated,” Bernard said. “More of a focus on the defensive end, more of a focus on playing hard every possession, communicating a lot.”

The Cougars’ scoring load is not as well-rounded as the Huskies’, but they do have forward CJ Elleby leading the charge with 20.1 points and 6.7 rebounds per game this season. Elleby shot 41.4% from 3-point range his freshman year, but he has seen that figure drop to 29.6% in his sophomore campaign – despite still hoisting up 6.2 attempts per game.

Elleby is one of two Cougars shooting sub-30% from deep on six or more attempts per game this season, contributing to Washington State’s 29.5% 3-point percentage that ranks 318th in the nation.

But, regardless of the opponents on the Bruins’ upcoming schedule, Cronin said he has made it clear to his team that humility is going to be the key to bouncing back in conference play.

“If you’re going to be here, humility is required, toughness is required,” Cronin said. “Those are just standards you have to set forth as a coach, you got to build that. … Every winning sports team builds that.”

Alumnus

Connon joined the Bruin as a freshman in 2017 and contributed until he graduated in 2021. He was the Sports editor for the 2019-2020 academic year, an assistant Sports editor for the 2018-2019 academic year and spent time on the football, men's basketball, women's basketball, baseball, men's soccer, cross country, men's golf and women's golf beats, while also contributing movie reviews for Arts & Entertainment.


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