Despite some intriguing additions to the roster, UCLA basketball could not survive the departures of Jaime Jaquez Jr., Tyger Campbell, Jaylen Clark and Amari Bailey. Mick Cronin and the Bruins are unlikely to go dancing this March after reaching the Sweet Sixteen in consecutive NCAA Tournament trips and going on a surprise Final Four run in 2021.

But misery enjoys company. UCLA has the potential to deny another team the opportunity to relish in the madness with a strong showing in the Pac-12 Tournament. A victory over Oregon, which would have to follow a successful outcome on Wednesday versus Oregon State, would officially pop the Ducks' fragile bubble.

Though, a recent five-game losing streak threatened to send the Bruins to Las Vegas with zero momentum. Fortunately, they dug deep during their regular season finale against Arizona State on Saturday night. Trailing by nine points midway through the second half, Cronin's group scrapped its way back with good old fashioned defensive grit.

“During that run, my staff told me that we had 10 deflections,” the two-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year said after the 59-47 comeback win, per UCLA Bruins.com. “But our defensive intensity changed the game.”

UCLA basketball HC Mick Cronin calls back to his past

Sophomore forward Adem Bona led the way on both sides of the ball, recording 20 points, 12 rebounds and a whopping four steals against the Sun Devils. The team gave Pauley Pavilion a fun last home game of the season, outscoring Arizona State 25-4 in the final nine and a half minutes of action.

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Mick Cronin believes UCLA can stay on the right track by maintaining the same defensive effort. He hearkened back to one of his best players– former Cincinnati Bearcats star Sean Kilpatrick– as an example of how to overcome struggles on offense going forward.

“I used to have to tell him all the time that he was so hard on himself, that you have to get lost in the game, worry about defense, worry about rebounding, worry about sprinting up and down, don’t worry about whether the ball goes in,” Cronin said about the guard who he views as a “younger brother.” “You are a scorer. You are going to have those types of flows. That’s what I have been telling our guys all year.”

If the Bruins can unburden themselves and just stay loose on the court, they will be a tough out in the Pac-12 Tournament. They battle last-place Oregon State on Wednesday.