LEXINGTON, Ky. — Given all the similarities in defense and toughness, the prevailing narrative about UCLA facing Tennessee was that it would be like looking in the mirror.
Except the Bruins kept stumbling into the thing, shattering any chance they had of beating a team possessing far more ammunition in what was supposed to be a rock fight of a basketball game.
Sloppy stretches to close the first half and open the second doomed UCLA in its upset bid Saturday night at Rupp Arena, the seventh-seeded Bruins falling, 67-58, to second-seeded Tennessee in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
Point guard Dylan Andrews was an especially egregious culprit, throwing a bounce pass out of bounds along the baseline and losing his dribble and then the ball after it got wedged between his feet for a pair of unforced errors.
Those were just two of Andrews’ five turnovers, leading to his extended benching early in the second half during a forgettable performance in which he went scoreless, missing both of his shots and logging two assists.
Given the importance of Andrews’ position and his nearly seasonlong struggles, it’s fair to wonder if the Bruins will go looking for another point guard in the transfer portal that opens Monday. They will almost certainly add a veteran wing player and could also use another 7-footer.
After a locked-in start over the game’s first 15 minutes, UCLA (23-11) faltered badly as a result of a turnover spree. Tennessee used a 22-6 push starting with the final eight points of the first half to pull away.
Two days after the Bruins shut down Utah State’s leading scorer in a runaway victory, they did not enjoy the same fate against Tennessee’s Chaz Lanier. Scoring in a variety of ways, the gritty guard scored 20 points. Zakai Zeigler had 15 points and Jordan Gainey added 13 points.
UCLA could not find enough counters. Foul-plagued guard Skyy Clark scored 18 points and forward Tyler Bilodeau added 12 as the only Bruins to reach double figures. Center Aday Mara wore down after a strong start, finishing with seven points, five rebounds and three assists in 20 minutes.
Despite the wide gap in seeding, UCLA had beaten plenty of opponents roughly of Tennessee’s caliber. Victories over Michigan State, Wisconsin, Arizona, Oregon (twice) and Gonzaga showed the Bruins’ potential to win this game.
But their spotty guard play had made them a high-variance team capable of long offensive lulls and often put them at a disadvantage against elite counterparts. That was certainly the case again Saturday.
Tennessee (29-7) will play third-seeded Kentucky or sixth-seeded Illinois in a regional semifinal on Friday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
UCLA coach Mick Cronin had warned his team that everything it did in this game would be hard.
“Catching the ball will be hard,” Cronin said on the eve of the game, “passing the ball will be hard. You have to do everything with strength and conviction or you’ll be running your offense at halfcourt.”
One of the big questions facing the Bruins: Could they match the Volunteers’ intensity?
They did to start the game, Kobe Johnson reaching in to force a jump ball before the first point had been scored. UCLA was sharp defensively but found itself in early foul trouble. Forward Eric Dailey Jr. (two points on one-for-five shooting) picked up two fouls in a little more than two minutes and Clark soon joined him on the bench.
Dailey’s absence allowed additional minutes for Mara, who was superb for much of the first half. Mara blocked two shots, collected two assists and made a turnaround baseline jumper to give the Bruins a 25-24 lead.
Everything else the rest of the first half went the Volunteers’ way as the Bruins badly faltered over the final few minutes. Guard Trent Perry played too far off Gainey, leading to an open corner three-pointer. Andrews committed an offensive foul. Johnson threw a lazy pass that was stolen, leading to a Lanier layup in which he was fouled.
Practically before the Bruins could say letdown, Tennessee had rolled off eight consecutive points to surge into a 32-25 halftime lead. Volunteer fans who had been quiet for much of the first half were on their feet and roaring.
Tennessee had lost only one home game all season, and this might as well have qualified considering the amount of orange in the stands and the rise in decibels every time the Volunteers did something remotely encouraging.
Cronin had joked that he was going to recruit local Kentucky fans to come and root against their fellow Southeastern Conference team.
“Last time I checked,” Cronin said, “Tennessee is their rival.”
After proving itself to be a worthy foil for almost a half, UCLA could not keep up. Not even close.
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