Mack Pushes for Focus and Fight Amid Bruins’ Skid
After the UCLA Bruins dropped their fourth consecutive Big Ten game with a 75-68 loss to Rutgers, sophomore guard Sebastian Mack stood at the forefront, offering an honest assessment of the team’s struggles. Despite leading the Bruins offensively with 16 points, Mack’s focus after the game wasn’t on personal achievements but on the collective effort required to turn things around.
For Mack, the key to regaining UCLA’s form lies in rediscovering their defensive identity. In December, the Bruins prided themselves on their defense, holding teams like Arizona and Gonzaga to season-low scoring totals. That effort has since eroded, and Mack emphasized the importance of returning to the basics.
“All the little things, all the little details on the defensive end,” Mack said. “We need to get involved, talk to each other, call out screens, everything. Early on, we were talking a lot, and now we fell out of it. We’re not going to be able to go for it if we don’t get back to where we were defensively.”
Mack noted that the team’s mental focus has waned during their losing streak, leading to lapses in communication and execution. Against Rutgers, those lapses were evident, with UCLA struggling to contain key players like Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper.
While defense remains the priority, Mack also pointed to the team’s offensive mindset as an area needing improvement.
“We were all thinking too much,” Mack said. “We need to listen more and try to fight on both ends of the floor. I feel like that’s our only problem.”
UCLA showed flashes of offensive potential, with Mack breaking a second-half scoring drought and sparking an 8-0 run late in the game. However, inconsistent execution and missed opportunities ultimately prevented the Bruins from closing the gap.
Mack acknowledged the mental toll of the team’s four-game losing streak but stressed the importance of resilience and unity as the season progresses.
“It’s hard, but you have to stay together,” he said. “It’s a long season, and it’s not over right now. We’ve got to go into practice and try to evaluate and fix this issue quickly before it gets out of hand.”
With the season nearing its midpoint, Mack remains optimistic about UCLA’s ability to rebound, provided they address their shortcomings. Mack also downplayed the impact of external factors, such as the wildfires in Los Angeles that have affected many in the UCLA community.
“We can’t control that,” Mack said. “We can only control what we work on on the court and in practice.”
This mindset underscores his belief that the team’s fortunes will hinge on their ability to take accountability and control the aspects of the game within their power.
The Bruins will have a chance to regroup and reset before hosting Iowa at Pauley Pavilion on Friday. For Mack, the road back to success is clear: renewed defensive effort, better communication, and a unified focus.
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