UCLA Basketball: Utah More Than Doubles Bruins’ Score In Worst Loss Of Season

The UCLA Bruins are quite simply not a good team right now. The young team has dealt with struggles all season, and last night they showcased that they are nowhere near being able to compete with the Pac-12. 

It was bad enough that the team was on a three-game losing streak, but they historically lost to Utah. The final score of 90-44 is the second-biggest loss in program history. 

Losing this badly is never easy to stomach, but the team seems to be devolving. Their 31.5% shooting last night is inexcusable. 

The issue began early on in the 1st half. 

Head coach Mick Cronin has been pestering the team about protecting the ball, but it appears that was not going to happen. 

The crowd also immediately turned on Lazar Stefanovic.

Dylan Andrews began to find his groove, getting the Bruins within reach by the first media timeout. Utah led 15-11, which made the game feel as though it was not out of the control for UCLA.

The hope for a win was soon over, as Utah began to ramp up toward the waning minutes of the 1st half. 

Despite trying to hang on in the 1st, the Bruins were shooting wildly and making nothing. The choice to go with a bigger player lineup began to fail miserably. 

The 2nd half would only get worse, as Utah began to run away with the score. The Bruins were starting to fold, and the defensive stand all but faded away completely. 

Whatever Coach Cronin was attempting to instill in his team through their losing streak, it appeared to not have been taken to heart at all. 

By the end of the game, the Bruins were sitting at a paltry 31.5 FG% and 17.6 3PT%. It was a historically awful game, and the question now is where the team goes from here. 

The final score of 90-44 should be a wake-up call for the team. They will now go down in history as the second-biggest losing team in Bruins history. 

The Bruins will face Washington on Sunday. The hope is they can muster some sort of confidence to get a win. At the very least losing by less than 15 points will be a welcome change.