The UCLA basketball team has shown the common characteristics of a young team so far this season. It's clear that the Bruins have talent, but there have been some inconsistencies throughout the first month of the season as well. That rings true for freshman center Aday Mara who is adjusting to college basketball at UCLA. He has had some nice performances for the Bruins, but he has a ways to go.

UCLA basketball had a close one on Saturday on the road against Villanova basketball. The Wildcats and Bruins traded blows throughout the game, but Villanova came out on top with a 65-56 win. Aday Mara has struggled a little bit this season, but he had a nice game against the Wildcats as he finished with eight points and five rebounds. He's still adjusting, and UCLA head coach Mick Cronin knows that.

“It’s a huge adjustment for him, the style and physicality of college basketball,” Mick Cronin said in regards to Mara, according to an article from the LA Times. “But his attitude is great, he’s getting better and lcu fighting through it and he’s got a huge ceiling, he’s got a chance to be a great player. You know, these games, these are wars that’s all new for him.”

So far on the season, UCLA basketball is 5-3 with losses against Marquette, Gonzaga and Villanova. Both Marquette and Gonzaga are ranked very highly, and the Bruins lost by a combined six points to them. Had they won both of those games or just one, we could the talking about this team very differently. Instead, they came up short, and the Bruins look to be struggling because of it.

For a team with young players getting significant minutes, those types of losses are expected. UCLA has the talent to hang around with just about any team, but when it gets into the final stretch, the team with the most experience in those situations typically finds a way to get the job done. The Bruins don't have a ton of experience in games like that, or college games in general for some players. As the season goes on, they will begin to gel better, and they will also be able to find more consistency.