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Okay, how bad is the UCLA Bruins basketball team right now after last night’s third loss in a row to the Arizona State Sun Devils, 73-84?
UCLA hasn't broken 50 percent from the FT line in THREE games, and 40 percent on 3-pointers in TWELVE games.
— Hanson Wang (@hansondwang) January 25, 2019
UCLA led by one at half but as Interim Coach Bartow said after the game:
In the second half, we take 31 shots and make 10. We take 15 free throws and make six of them. Then we get out-rebounded on the glass.
UCLA started out the game on a run and shot well from three in the first half. But, the reality was UCLA was slaughtered after the fast start:
Arizona State is up 70-59 and has outscored UCLA 70-48 since that slow start. Bruins looked stunned milling about before heading to the timeout huddle. There's 11:24 left but it may not matter.
— Ben Bolch (@latbbolch) January 25, 2019
Now, at times, UCLA looked good. There is potential there. There are moments like this one that Markybcool put in his post-game wrap-up:
You wanna see Jaylen Hands dunk?
— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) January 25, 2019
...
You wanna see him do it again?
FS1 pic.twitter.com/p7ZhdONSom
And, some things are definitely better under Bartow. As Ben Bolch pointed out:
UCLA's bench energy is definitely much higher under Murry Bartow.
— Ben Bolch (@latbbolch) January 25, 2019
Bartow can genuinely say the kids are playing hard at times. But this may be the quote that sums up the team:
I wish everyone could be at practices, these guys work hard, the spirit’s great, energy’s great. We just have to play a little bit better. This league is wide open, and we’re smart enough to know that anyone can beat us if we don’t play better.
It seems like winning the Pac-12 and/or even getting a protected seed in the Pac-12 Tournament may be tough at this point. That said, this team is deep and could make a run in the Pac-12 Tournament or they could just as likely lose the first game. There’s so much talent, but—CLANG! There’s another missed free throw.
Go Bruins! (But we may have to wait til next year and the new coach,)