MADISON, Wis. — Can a crew be in disaster only a handful of video games into convention play?
UCLA is testing that risk given what occurred right here Tuesday night time as half of a bigger downward development.
Missing one in all their high gamers with guard Skyy Clark sidelined by a hamstring harm, the Bruins additionally had been poor in lots of different areas.
Protection. Coronary heart. Toughness. Cohesion. Intelligence.
In a recreation that the Bruins wanted to win to get their season again on monitor and have any reasonable probability at an elite end within the Huge Ten, they fell flat as soon as extra.
One other horrible first half led to a different failed comeback for UCLA throughout an 80-72 loss to Wisconsin on Tuesday night time on the Kohl Middle, leaving the Bruins seeking solutions that appear elusive.
“We’ve nonetheless not realized the right way to give ourselves an opportunity in an enormous recreation like this on the street,” UCLA coach Mick Cronin mentioned, alluding to repeated failures in hostile environments.
The Bruins had been out of kinds offensively and continued to endure inexcusable breakdowns on protection, notably early within the recreation whereas falling right into a 20-point gap for the second time in 4 days.
“You possibly can’t win” in that state of affairs, Cronin mentioned. “Like, it’s actually like saying, ‘All proper, Wisconsin’s up 20. Now let’s tip it off and attempt to beat them.’ ”
One of many few instances the Bruins confirmed battle got here throughout a dustup with 10 seconds left. Eric Dailey Jr. pushed Wisconsin’s Nolan Winter after absorbing a tough foul, forcing a scrum of gamers to congregate alongside the baseline. Winter was assessed a flagrant-1 foul and Dailey a technical foul that was offset by a technical foul on Badgers guard Nick Boyd.
About the one factor to rejoice for the Bruins was not giving up.
Because of a flurry of baskets from Dailey and a three-pointer from Trent Perry that broke his crew’s 0-for-14 begin from lengthy vary, UCLA pulled to inside 63-56 halfway via the second half. Making the Bruins’ rally all of the extra unbelievable was that a lot of it got here with main scorer Tyler Bilodeau on the bench with 4 fouls.
However Wisconsin countered with 5 consecutive factors and the Bruins (10-5 general, 2-2 Huge Ten) by no means mounted one other menace on the best way to a second consecutive loss.
“Our offensive struggles had been so dangerous,” Cronin mentioned, “that it had our heads tousled on the opposite finish” of the court docket.
Dailey scored 18 factors however missed all 5 of his three-pointers, becoming for a crew that made simply one in all 17 pictures (5.9%) from lengthy vary. Bilodeau added 16 factors and Perry had 15 after taking part in the second half with a bandage on his chin after taking a tough fall whereas diving for a free ball within the first half.
“Whenever you rating that many factors on the street,” Dailey mentioned, “you undoubtedly ought to win the sport.”
What occurred on the opposite finish of the court docket dictated a unique final result.
UCLA’s lack of ability to maintain Boyd out of the lane helped him rating 20 factors to steer the Badgers (10-5, 2-2), who received largely by their quantity of three-pointers, making 10 of 30 makes an attempt (33.3%) from past the arc.
Cronin mentioned his crew wanted to do a greater job of following the scouting report and studying the right way to keep in entrance of the ball defensively.
“The primary half,” Cronin mentioned, “we didn’t comprise the ball, so it was layup or kick-out three as a result of they’ve us on the run as a result of we had been getting beat off the dribble — the identical factor at Iowa. That’s the No. 1 factor. That has to alter.”
Unveiling a turnover-choked, defensively challenged efficiency, UCLA performed as if it had been making an attempt to high its terrible first-half displaying in opposition to Iowa from three days earlier.
It didn’t assist that the Bruins had been shorthanded from tipoff.
With Clark unavailable, Cronin turned to Perry and pivoted to a smaller lineup that includes ahead Brandon Williams alongside Bilodeau as the large males. Cronin mentioned Williams earned the beginning primarily based on his having been the perfect participant in observe Monday. However a case of the abdomen flu pressured him to ask out of the sport early and he wasn’t a lot of a consider his 17 minutes.
For the opening 10 minutes, it felt like a repeat of Wisconsin’s blowout victory over UCLA in the course of the Huge Ten match final March. The Badgers made seven of 11 three-pointers on the best way to constructing a 20-point lead halfway via the primary half as Cronin frequently tinkered together with his lineup, looking for a profitable mixture.
It by no means got here.
He tried backup middle Steven Jamerson II for somewhat greater than a minute earlier than yanking him after Jamerson dedicated a foul. He put in backup guard Jamar Brown and took him out after Brown gave up a basket and fumbled a cross out of bounds for a turnover. Backup guard Eric Freeny acquired his probability as properly and airballed a three-pointer.
Wisconsin surged forward with an early 13-0 run and almost matched it with a separate 11-0 push. The Bruins then misplaced Perry for the remainder of the primary half after he hit his chin whereas diving for a free ball, pounding the court docket in frustration with a balled fist earlier than holding a towel firmly in opposition to his injured chin throughout a timeout.
Simply when it appeared as if issues couldn’t worsen, they did. Williams limped off the court docket with cramps late within the first half and the Bruins didn’t field out Wisconsin’s Andrew Rohde on two possessions, resulting in a putback and two free throws after he was fouled on one other putback try.
UCLA virtually appeared lucky to be down solely 45-31 by the sport’s midpoint, although being on tempo to surrender 90 factors couldn’t have happy a coach identified for protection.
“Defensively,” Cronin mentioned, “it’s onerous to win should you surrender 80 [points] and 45 within the first half.”
One other comeback that got here up brief didn’t make issues any higher.
“We’ve acquired to dig deep inside ourselves,” Perry mentioned. “Cronin’s been telling us since Day 1 what to do and typically it’s simply not clicking for all of us as a collective unit, and we’ve simply acquired to take this as a studying lesson. … On the finish of the day, it’s simply protection. We’ve to lock in and lock down, that must be our motto, 100%.”
So does this qualify as a disaster? How’s the gamers’ mindset amid their first dropping streak of the season?
“We’re good,” Perry mentioned. “We all know it’s a protracted season, now we have numerous different video games to play, we’ve nonetheless acquired not less than two extra months to play, you already know? I imply, it’s like coach Cronin mentioned — it’s just like the NBA and the Huge Ten — you win some, you lose some, however on the finish of the day, how are you going to battle again?”
The solutions will come quickly sufficient, a fast reversal wanted to keep away from a season on the sink.
