The Arizona Wildcats reinvented themselves over the weekend at McKale Center β to such an extreme that even their creator did a double-take.
βI look at that score,β UA coach Tommy Lloyd said Saturday, βand I wonder if they stopped the game at halftime.β
The final score was Arizona 58, UCLA 52. No joke.
Yes, the team that started the season with a 117-point effort against Nicholls State β a team that ran the most efficient offense in Division I until hitting a New Yearβs slump β pulled out the biggest win of its season mostly by playing good, old-fashioned, hard-nosed defense.
No. 11 Arizona, which also beat USC 81-66 on Thursday while holding the Trojans to just 36.9% shooting, this time kept the fifth-ranked Bruins to a season-low 31.3% from the field. It was similar to the way the Wildcats relied more on defense in pulling out a 76-66 homecourt win over UCLA last season at McKale but, again, a more extreme version.
βWe donβt have many games in the 50s, so to be able to win a game in the 50s against a team like UCLA says something about our guys,β Lloyd said.
Before Saturday, the Wildcats had scored under 60 points only once under Lloyd, a 75-59 loss at UCLA last season. Since Lloyd took over in April 2021, the Wildcats had put up an average 84.0 points last season and until Saturday were averaging 84.6 points this season.
βI think we proved that we can win low-scoring games,β UA guard Kerr Kriisa said. βEveryone keeps talking about offense and offense and offense, but nobody really talks about how good our defense is. I think today we really proved we were gritty.β
Even during the slower-paced Sean Miller era, 50s-ish games werenβt all that common for the Wildcats. They hadnβt won a game while scoring under 60 points in seven years, since beating β guess who? β UCLA 57-47 at McKale Center during the 2014-15 season.
But that 2014-15 team, which went on to win the Pac-12 and reach the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight for the second straight season, ranked No. 3 in Kenpomβs adjusted defensive efficiency. They were used to stopping people.
These Wildcats were not always that way. Their defensive efficiency rated in the 50s and 60s until their performances this weekend moved them up to 44.
βI think you put the two games together, and it was our best defensive weekend,β Lloyd said.
Lloyd said he thought the Wildcats had βreal, real defensive potential,β but it didnβt come out fully until this week β after Arizona had played poorly in three of its first four games in 2023, including a home loss to Washington State on Jan. 7 and an 87-68 loss at Oregon a week later.
While Lloyd said the Wildcats have simply been more βattentiveβ defensively, he also said part of the difference might have had to do with a lineup change Thursday, when he swapped Cedric Henderson for Pelle Larsson at small forward.
That move paid off on the offensive end Thursday against USC, when both Larsson (15 points) and Henderson (11) scored in double figures. But Lloyd saw a defensive benefit on Saturday.
βWhen youβre bringing Pelle off the bench, youβre arguably bringing one of your better defenders off the bench, who is very versatile,β Lloyd said. βHe can guard fours. He can guard point guards. He can guard centers. And Cedric has been playing with great defensive energy as well in that starting role.β
Then thereβs the production of guard Courtney Ramey on both sides of the ball. Not only has Ramey snapped out of a New Yearβs shooting slump, but he also helped made life difficult for the well-regarded point guards who entered McKale this week.
USCβs Boogie Ellis shot just 2 of 11 from the field while scoring 11 points on Thursday, while UCLAβs Tyger Campbell was just 5 for 18 while scoring 13 points on Saturday.
βI donβt know what his stats were, but his impact on the game was significant,β Lloyd said of Ramey. βHe hit some dagger 3s, and his defense was outstanding in both games.β
Of the rest of the Bruins, only reserve wing Will McClendon (2 for 4) and center Adem Bona (5 for 6) shot over 40% from the field. Jaylen Clark and Jaime Jaquez had to work hard to reach double figure scoring. Clark had a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds but shot 4 for 13, while Jaquez shot 5 for 17 overall and just 1 of 6 from 3-point range.
Also critical for Arizona: UCLAβs best 3-point shooter, David Singleton, missed all three 3s he took and was 0 for 5 overall.
While it might have looked like the Bruins just missed some good looks at the basket along the way, UCLA coach Mick Cronin suggested it was more than that.
βWhen you struggle offensively, something with the other teamβs defense caused it,β Cronin said. βEven if itβs open shots, theyβve got you sped up just enough, rattled just enough. I think you have to give the other team credit.β
Cronin appeared more disappointed in the Bruinsβ defense, even though Arizona shot only 38.8% itself, relying heavily once again on big men Oumar Ballo (16 points and eight rebounds) and Azuolas Tubelis (11 points and 10 rebounds).
Cronin said the Bruins βdidnβt play hard until the game was over,β though UCLA actually led most of the first half before Arizona took double-digit leads in the second.
Cronin also took little consolation in the success of a late-game press that helped the Bruins go on an 8-0 run and cut Arizonaβs lead to just 56-52 with 26 seconds left.
βIt shows you what youβre capable of when you play with your heart and intestinal fortitude,β Cronin said. βIf you only play with your mind, your mind is on your missed shots instead of your effort.β
Arizona led 56-44 entering the final two minutes, but two turnovers from Larsson led to UCLA baskets that cut the lead to 56-50. Then, two more UA turnovers led to a layup from Bona, and the Bruins had cut it to four.
With 26 seconds left, Kriisa and the Wildcatsβ offense were under pressure again to at least hang on. They wound up getting the ball to Tubelis under the basket.
βI mean, we had three turnovers earlier,β Kriisa said. βSo one time it has to work, right?β
Jaquez, however, blocked Tubelis. Larsson rebounded the shot and initially was given credit for a basket via a goaltending call. But officials reviewed and reversed the call. That left the game still at 56-52.
But then the Bruins missed again. Neither Campbell nor Jaquez could make inside desperation shots on UCLAβs final possession. Larsson was fouled and hit two free throws for the Wildcatsβ final points.
That is, points No. 57 and 58. Just enough to snap UCLAβs 14-game winning streak and move Arizona to 17-3 overall and 6-3 in the Pac-12, where the Wildcats are now two games behind the Bruins (17-3, 8-1).
Thanks to their defense, the Wildcats had just enough to win the game, just enough to stay in the conference race and just enough to learn a lesson that could help them climb even higher.
βAt the end of the game, we should have punched them out,β Kriisa said. βWe were a little bit shaky with the press, even though we knew it was coming. We have a lot of things to clean up, but Iβm really excited.β
Photos: Arizona Wildcats grind out a 58-52 win over UCLA
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UpdatedNo. 11 Arizona 58, No. 5 UCLA 52
UCLA (17-3)
Bona 5-6 1-2 11, Campbell 5-18 1-2 13, Clark 4-13 3-4 12, Singleton 0-5 0-0 0, Jaquez 5-17 1-3 12, Nwuba 0-0 0-0 0, McClendon 2-4 0-0 4, Andrews 0-4 0-0 0, Etienne 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-67 6-11 52.
ARIZONA (17-3)
A.Tubelis 5-15 4-6 14, Ballo 4-8 8-11 16, Kriisa 2-9 1-1 7, Ramey 4-6 0-0 11, Henderson 0-1 0-0 0, Larsson 3-7 2-2 8, Boswell 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 19-49 15-20 58.
Halftime: Arizona 26-23. 3-Point Goals: UCLA 4-20 (Campbell 2-4, Clark 1-3, Jaquez 1-6, Andrews 0-2, McClendon 0-2, Singleton 0-3), Arizona 5-18 (Ramey 3-5, Kriisa 2-8, Henderson 0-1, Boswell 0-2, Larsson 0-2). Rebounds: UCLA 36 (Jaquez 11), Arizona 35 (A.Tubelis 10). Assists: UCLA 13 (Campbell 7), Arizona 13 (Larsson 3). Total Fouls: UCLA 16, Arizona 13. A: 14,688 (14,644).