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.
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.
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 comebacks. Although Perry made just 4-of-12 from the field, he put up 21-points thanks to his perfect 11-points from the line. The young star has continued to improve from his time on the court last season and should continue to improve as the season goes on.
Knocking down threes
UCLA did what they needed to on offense as they powered their way to the rim and forced the Wildcats to defend every inch of the court. The Bruins had 16 offensive rebounds, which proved fruitful in them extending their lead over the course of the game with their leading three-point shooter being sophomore guard Jaylen Petty, who made 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. As productive as the Bruins were on offense, UCLA shot 34 percent from downtown, but there were some errant attempts with freshman forward Nikola Kusturica and senior forward Eric Dailey Jr. both shooting and missing all five of their attempts.
Making a statement
The Bruins made a statement win as they powered through the No. 5 ranked team in the preseason polls with a mix of new and old players being productive. Perry lead the team in offense with 21-points, but Petty's and sophomore forward Segej Macura's shooting opened up the floor for other players to make plays. Senior center Xavier Booker and Dailey Jr. both showed veteran savvy throughout the game to stabilize some of the erratic errors made by their young teammates. Of course, Kusturica also showed why he was one of the highest regarded additions to the team as he made plays on both sides of the ball and showed that he was talented enough to develop into a star for the Bruins.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: Five takeaways from No. 22 UCLA stunning victory over No. 5 Arizona
