Five takeaways from No. 22 UCLA stunning victory over No. 5 Arizona

The No. 22 UCLA Bruins defeated the No. 5 Arizona Wildcats 84-75 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. to open the season on Monday.

The Bruins will likely jump up the rankings as they appeared to more physical team in a matchup that looked more like a game during March than the season opener. UCLA head coach Mick Cronin will undoubtedly have plenty of areas for the team to improve upon based on their performance, but here were five takeaways from the impressive win that Cronin and his group accomplished to open the season.

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Getting gritty

The Bruins played tough, physical basketball from start to finish and they have the fouls to prove it. UCLA did everything they could to knock Arizona out of rhythm and that started with limiting the Wildcats senior center Motiejus Krivas to just eight points as he played with a cut on his chin he received from the start of the game. Any time Arizona tried to come back into the game, UCLA pushed back and if they keep this energy over the course of the season, then it’s hard to imagine them not making it far in March.

Defensive stands

Cronin should be happy with what he saw for the most part on defense, but he will likely do his best to find something UCLA can improve upon. The Bruins were plastered on to Wildcat jerseys and ripped away five steals and seven blocks as well as 29 defensive rebounds. Nothing came easy for Arizona and that was by design. The Bruins limiting Arizona to 37 percent from the field and 23 percent from beyond the arc was a recipe for success and it could have been even better if Arizona sophomore forward Ivan Kharchenkov didn’t have a career night with 38-points.

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Perry calm performance

Junior point guard Trent Perry was the calming presence on the court when they needed him the most. Perry saw limited action in the first half of the game after he racked up two personal fouls, but he was essential in stabilizing the Bruins on the court in the second half as Arizona constantly attempted their…

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Publish date : 2026-11-03 06:52:00

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