UCLA Bruins Still Have Major Concerns After Rebound Win

The UCLA Bruins bounced back from their loss to New Mexico with a nice win over Boston, but they still have some concerns moving forward.

Nov 4, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin yells at his player during the second half against the Rider Broncs at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

The UCLA Bruins entered the 2024-25 college basketball season with significant expectations, and on opening night, it appeared that UCLA was prepared to meet them.

The Bruins hammered Rider by a score of 85-50 in their season opener, as they jumped out to a 41-23 lead at halftime and were never in danger of losing the game.

But then, UCLA suffered a major setback, falling to New Mexico, 72-64, at Las Vegas Hoopfest.

The loss bothered head coach Mick Cronin severely, and not just because his team lost. It was the way the Bruins lost.

"I didn’t like the way we competed in Vegas, I didn’t like our attitude -- in fact, I couldn’t stand it," Cronin said after the loss. "I’ve been sick to my stomach for two days, and I haven’t slept. I can’t stand not competing. I can deal with missed shots; I can’t deal with not competing physically."

Here's the silver lining: Cronin said this after UCLA righted the ship with a convincing win over Boston on Monday night, with the Bruins holding the Terriers to 40 points in a 31-point victory.

"I was most happy tonight with our attitude of humility and the fact that we dove on the floor more tonight than every scrimmage, game or exhibition game combined," Cronin said after Monday's win.

That's more like it.

While UCLA still displayed some obvious concerns in its triumph against Boston (such as shooting just 40 percent from the floor and going 5-for-22 from 3-point range), the Bruins obviously put forth a much more concerted effort.

UCLA forced Boston into 28 turnovers and registered 14 steals. The Terriers made just 30.4 percent of their field-goal attempts and only attempted nine free throws versus the Bruins' stingy defense.

The question is, can UCLA maintain that level of focus, and can it improve in its problem areas?

The Bruins are making just 27 percent of their three-pointers this season, which ranks 274th in the nation. They are also 185th in field-goal percentage as a whole.

Additionally, UCLA is 118th in rebounding.

The Bruins have some very blatant issues that need correcting, and perhaps those things will fall into place once the team gels.

The Bruins should be 6-1 win when they face the Washington Huskies on Dec. 3. Their next four games are against Lehigh, Idaho State, Cal State Fullerton and Southern Utah.

UCLA has already dropped out of the top 25 (it was previously ranked 22nd) as a result of its loss to New Mexico. It cannot afford to lose any more games to inferior opponents.

We'll see if UCLA can take care of business over the next three weeks.

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