LOS ANGELES — A mirror might as well be placed at midcourt when the UCLA and Oregon men’s basketball teams tip off Saturday. Through eight games, these two perennial contenders have fallen short in similar ways.
The Bruins and Ducks have dropped each of their crucial nonconference games. Both teams played in nail-biters to open their Big Ten schedule earlier this week. Both have dealt with injuries to their top players, preventing them from building chemistry between their returners and transfers.
The reflective struggles make Saturday’s game imperative for both sides. The mirror will be left behind at Pauley Pavilion as the winner will emerge with a respectable victory that can go a long way in helping to correct their résumé. The loser will have a more difficult path to earning a high seed in the NCAA Tournament.
While UCLA does have the better record, the stakes at hand impact both teams’ approach.
“We’re in no position to take anyone lightly,” head coach Mick Cronin said at the Bruins’ practice Friday.
UCLA guards Donovan Dent and Skyy Clark shared that the team held a “must-win” mindset heading into Wednesday’s bout with Washington. They had to think that way. The Bruins (6-2, 1-0 Big Ten) put themselves in that position after their losses to then-No. 5 Arizona and Cal, on top of the collective nonchalance they carried for much of the early-season stretch.
Now, teams want to win every game, so they should, essentially, always be in must-win mode. But that takes a certain intensity, a certain focus, which can be unrealistic to carry throughout an entire season.
“You’re way more locked in when you’re thinking about ‘it’s a must win,” Bruins center Steven Jamerson II said. “It makes you want to bring more to the table. Bring more energy.”
There’s something to be said about rising to the occasion. But a team shouldn’t rely on circumstances or wait until their backs are against the wall to find that resolve. This season, these Bruins had to experience adversity to discover their toughness.
“We were in, ‘We’re going to win anyway because we’re really good, we’re UCLA’ mode,” Cronin said. “I tried not to let them get there, but they got there. We got out of it, but we got to stay out of it because the minute you go back, you’re going to lose.”
They can start to sustain that mindset by not underestimating Oregon (4-4, 0-1) on Saturday. After their 82-77 home loss to No. 24 USC on Wednesday, the Ducks could easily be overlooked because of their slow start and injuries to their two leading scorers. Guard Jackson Shelstad and forward Nate Bittle, who were voted to the All-Big Ten third team last season, help make the Ducks more than capable of capitalizing if not respected accordingly.
The 6-foot-1 Shelstad, who broke his hand before the season, missed much of training camp and Oregon’s season opener. Since returning, he’s averaged career highs of 15.3 points and 5.1 assists. He scored in double digits in three of his four games against UCLA last season, but was held scoreless in his last trip to Pauley Pavilion as Clark, the Bruins’ defensive savant, disrupted his flow.
Bittle, who has missed the past three games because of an ankle injury, is expected to return Saturday. The 7-footer has faced UCLA only three times, despite sharing a conference for the past four years, because of injuries. A versatile big man, he could exploit similar mismatches as Washington’s Hannes Steinbach did Wednesday when the 6-foot-11 freshman went off for 29 points and 10 rebounds against the Bruins.
“He can score inside,” Cronin said of Bittle. “He can block shots. He can really shoot it.”
Apart from Shelstad, Bittle and 6-foot-10 forward Kwame Evans, Oregon’s rotation is rounded out with transfers. The injuries to Shelstad and Bittle have made it difficult for them to jell. UCLA can’t take that as an excuse to ease off the gas pedal as the Ducks are healthy and desperately need a return to the win column.
To deal with the hungry Ducks, Cronin emphasized the Bruins must focus on themselves and maintain the attitude they brought Wednesday.
“We worry about our own mission,” he said. “Just because we won at Washington doesn’t mean we’re any good. I’ve got to remind the guys of that.”
Beating any individual team isn’t going to prove that. UCLA has to stack positive moments, practices and results. The Bruins must be able to rely on their three offensive juggernauts – Dent, Clark and Tyler Bilodeau – like they did Wednesday. They need continued development and contributions like Jamerson and Jamar Brown provided. They have to have more consistency from Eric Dailey Jr. and all-around health, which could come Saturday as Trent Perry (left ankle) looked spry in practice.
Most importantly, they have to remain in must-win mode and avoid the state of arrogance they carried throughout November.
“We’re still in must-win mode if you haven’t noticed,” Cronin said. “I think you need to be there all the time.”
Oregon (4-4, 0-1) at UCLA (6-2, 1-0)
When: 3 p.m. Saturday
Where: Pauley Pavilion
TV/radio: Peacock/AM 790