UCLA went into their opening game as an almost 30-point favorite at home at Pauley Pavilion. Eastern Washington was down their leading scorer from last year in Andrew Cook due to injury. Many thought this would be an easy tuneup game for UCLA. It turned out to be everything but that and the defense really struggled.
Mick Cronin: “There’s so many mistakes, I’d like to fire myself.” pic.twitter.com/jDSMK9qHLf
— Aaron Heisen (@aaron_heisen) November 4, 2025
Yes, UCLA did get the win 80-74. There was a lot of growth on offense throughout the game. But Eastern Washington continued to stay in the game. Ultimately, forcing Mick Cronin to play many players more than he wanted. All the way until the final buzzer. Not the ideal start you want for a team with March Madness deep run aspirations.
Whether it was zone or man-to-man. UCLA struggled to contain on defense. Too many players were left open for shots and even with a size advantage UCLA struggled in the paint. You cannot allow a team the caliber of Eastern Washington without their top scorer to shoot 54% in your home building. Things must be fixed, and they need to do it now before the schedule tightens up.
No. 12 UCLA beats Eastern Washington, 80-74, but it wasn't impressive. Donovan Dent led the way with 21 points and nine assists and Tyler Bilodeau added 19 points. Bruins allowed the Huskies to shoot 53.7%.
— Ben Bolch (@latbbolch) November 4, 2025
UCLA will stay at home on Friday to play Pepperdine. Another game that they will be highly favored in and a chance to make a statement. Do not come out too confident, knowing that you are better than an inferior school. That is when slip ups happen. These are colleges that recruit players for a reason, anything can happen on any given night.
Cronin will emphasize on film that these mistakes need to be left in that game. Moving forward, there cannot be this many players left open or the paint left without someone down low. Because if you can continue to do the Big Ten teams will be ready to feast and take advantage of it.