3 Takeaways from Bruins Upset Loss To New Mexico

The No. 22 UCLA Bruins suffered their first loss of the season against New Mexico on Friday night. There are a few takeaways that led to the disappointing defeat.

Mar 13, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Dylan Andrews (2) is congratulated by Bruins head coach Mick Cronin after the Bruins defeated the Oregon State Beavers 67-57 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The No. 22 UCLA Bruins have several adjustments to make on both sides of the ball after they fell to New Mexico, 72-64, on Friday night in Henderson, Nev. It marks the first loss of the season for the Bruins. There are three key takeaways to draw from the loss.

Too Many Turnovers

The Bruins turned the ball over a total of 21 times in the game. They forced 24 but required more possessions to win the ballgame, failing to do that with so many giveaways. There were four Bruins with three or more turnovers in the game.

"It's hard to beat division two teams with 21 turnovers." Head coach Mick Cronin said postgame. He is exactly correct due to the fact that the Lobos capitalized by scoring 21 points off those turnovers. Going forward, that number must be significantly lower if they want to compete in the Big Ten.

Scoring Must Be Contagious

The only solid showing offensively came from transfer junior forward Tyler Bilodeau. The former Oregon State Beaver posted 23 points and 15 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. He was just three points away from tying his career high.

Other than Bilodeau, not one Bruin scored in double figures. The next closest in the score sheet was freshman guard Trent Perry with eight points. The Bruins do a great job of facilitating the basketball and looking for the best shot, but executing and finishing buckets evenly throughout the group is key.

Rebounding Must Improve

The Bruins were -6 in rebounds against the Lobos (26-20). They had more offensive rebounds (14), but less overall. Besides Bilodeau's seven offensive boards, the rest of the team chipped in with the other seven.

There were too many possessions with just one shot, and the importance of being physical on the glass showed its teeth on Friday night. On both backboards, the rebounding must improve to give these guys more chances to score and take away extra shots from their upcoming opponents.

The Bruins are going to face several Big Ten teams that prioritize rebounding and getting extra shots. They will need to match in the coming weeks to prepare for conference play where every possession is beyond valuable.

Flushing the loss, the Bruins will regroup for next week's matchup at home against Boston University on Monday, Nov. 8th. There is a very good chance all three of these keys will be improved as Cronin will not let them go unaddressed. Expect a much better showing the rest of the year in those aspects.

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