You let yourself believe, didn’t you?
You thought this team could pull out this win, that the six-game
losing streak was a thing of the past, and that this was the
turning point en route to the postseason?
The solid shooting, good defensive effort and pretty clean
all-around play lasted for the first 39 minutes of
yesterday’s game.
But the Bruins once again showed they lack a killer instinct,
that extra push down the stretch that shows, when your opponents
rise up that final time, you have the mental strength to shove them
back to the ground.
And in terms of the season, well, there go the postseason
hopes.
Oh, to be sure, no one on the team will admit it, but what
postseason committee will pick a team that actually gets better at
losing as the season wears on?
You didn’t think anything could top UCLA’s loss of
an 11-point lead in under two minutes up in Seattle several weeks
ago?
Try losing a seven-point lead in under one minute.
Worst of all, this wasn’t Washington, who is actually
starting to play well. This was Arizona State, dead last in the
Pac-10 and by all signs, dead in the water.
How did UCLA even reach that point?
For one, they lost all semblance of defense. Instead of playing
the Ben Howland style of defense by staying in front of the
shooter, the Bruins gambled, going for steals, which you just
don’t do with a six-point lead with under a minute to go. The
Sun Devils simply converted the open three-pointers.
Ryan Hollins and Dijon Thompson missed a combined three free
throws down the stretch, which proved to be the difference,
although I’m not surprised as they have always been a problem
with this team.
Cedric Bozeman’s layup attempt for the win? Well, it was
meek, not aggressive; weak, not strong; and missed, not made.
The overtime was just a continuation of the end of regulation,
as Arizona State dominated. But it’s not as if UCLA
didn’t help.
The Sun Devils pitched a shutout in overtime by keeping UCLA
0-of-11 from the field. Each clang off the rim could be heard quite
clearly, given that Wells Fargo Arena was virtually empty. And that
was the story of the overtime: the Bruin offense, or lack
thereof.
T.J. Cummings’ fouling out early in the extra stanza took
away a key offensive threat. The Bruins allowed Arizona State to
take it easy on defense by shooting three-pointer after
three-pointer. Remember, these are the same Bruins who rank last in
the Pac-10 in three-point shooting percentage. When UCLA did get
good shots, it couldn’t convert. Dijon Thompson had his
chances at layups but blew them time and time again.
Simply put, UCLA should have won this game and had a legitimate
shot at winning.
And I can’t say I’m surprised either. History keeps
repeating itself, over and over again.
Say what you will about the past and Steve Lavin and next year
and the recruits, but as for now, things are getting worse, and no
one knows if they will get better.
And really, there can be only one explanation: This team has the
classic loser’s mentality. The lowered expectations, the
all-out collapse the moment things start to go wrong, and the
thoroughly undisciplined play in the most crucial situations are
all symptoms of a losing mind-set.
And so, a thoroughly demoralized and beaten UCLA team takes off
from Tempe to head for Tucson. It’s possible the team could
bounce back with an upset win against Arizona.
But I certainly wouldn’t bet on it.
For a while, Tran believed. But he doesn’t anymore.
Comfort him at btran@media.ucla.edu.