The buzz of the No. 12 banner coming to Westwood was strong this past offseason.

Coming out of a Final Four, UCLA men’s basketball brought back every member of that team, plus an elite transfer big man and a five-star freshman wing. When Johnny Juzang announced he was returning, Bruin fans were all in for their team to get back to the heights they hit in March, and maybe beyond.

UCLA opened the year at No. 2 in the polls, then beat then-No. 4 Villanova at home in extra time in a packed Pauley Pavilion, further bolstering fans’ hopes of glory this season.

But then came the searing loss to Gonzaga, who had been a chance to prove his growth since the crushing Final Four loss. Even after getting back on track with a few more wins, the Bruins’ season came to a screeching halt thanks to COVID-19, and they went 26 days without playing a game.

Upon their return, UCLA looked overwhelmingly “good, not great”. Defensive lapses against Long Beach State, an upset loss to Oregon and close calls against Utah and Colorado defined the Bruins’ comeback, and they entered a decisive showdown with rival Arizona a level in below the best teams in the country.

Before the whistleblower, it was easy to feel a little discouraged by UCLA. Not to the point where fans thought they were bad, but the goals had apparently been lowered from championship aspirations to competing in a competitive Pac-12 and putting in a solid effort in March.

But once Pauley filled in — for the first time in months, in fact — and the Bruins and Wildcats got started, hopes of bringing another title to Westwood felt tangible again.

It was easy to forget that UCLA had more wins against the top five teams than anyone else in the country over the past two seasons watching the loss to Oregon or the decisive wins against Utah and Colorado. But the fact is, when it matters most, the Bruins rise to the occasion.

Tuesday was just further proof of that quality – it was a prime-time game on ESPN with Dave Pasch and Bill Walton on the call, a showdown of two top-10 teams for first place in the conference and a potential No. 1 seed in the NCAA. tournament on the line, and UCLA did more than show up.

A first set of offensive hits was entertaining, but unsustainable for the Bruins if they really wanted to win. Coach Mick Cronin knew this, and he slowed the pace by increasing the intensity of defense and having his players execute associate head coach Darren Savino’s scouting report to the end.

Bennedict Mathurin, a Pac-12 Player of the Year contender, needed 22 shots just to reach 16 points, and the UCLA defense played hard and physical enough to scare him and center Christian Koloko missing several rabbits around the edge. Kerr Kriisa, the conference leader in 3 points per game entering the contest, was 0 of 9 from deep and 0 of 12 from the field in a scoreless performance that had Bruin fans singing “MVP” in his honor. .

Almost every Arizona player had their worst game of the year, while no UCLA player had a bad night. While some may consider this unsustainable – and it almost certainly is – it just shows how well the Bruins work as a collective unit, especially when all the cards are on the table.

Juzang turned off the lights early. Jules Bernard came later. Tyger Campbell was back to his high scoring ways in the opening minutes, and he again failed to register a single turnover. Jaime Jaquez Jr. contributed in the first half without scoring once, then flipped a switch in the second and had 10 points with three blocks. Cody Riley had some nice post moves and passes the block, looking like last March’s version of himself. David Singleton fought hard for loose balls and hit a big 3 late. Myles Johnson was a plus in defense and continued his streak of improvements from a tough time earlier this month. Peyton Watson was an elite off-ball defender, entered a triple hat-trick and showed just how dangerous he could be with two massive blocks and a staring gaze.

Were there any flaws? Sure. Jaquez’s scoreless first half wasn’t ideal, and Watson had some tough turnovers and a bad miss or two, but the positives outweighed the negatives for every player who registered a minute. Tuesday evening.

A win in January doesn’t mean everything — there’s a rematch coming up in early February, and likely another in the Pac-12 tournament in March. Playoff success is the ultimate goal for both programs, and that will come with time.

Still, there was a lot to take away from the highly anticipated conference showdown, including the fact that the Bruins are very much in contention to win the Big Dance this spring. Tuesday wasn’t proof that Arizona is bad, it was proof that – for now – UCLA is better.

To be better than a bona fide elite team is quite an achievement, and that says a lot about what might come next.

The win over Villanova to start the season on a high was fun, but these Wildcats have been playing like a fringe No. 4 seed ever since. A quality and memorable victory, but nothing incredibly special. The road win over Marquette was proof the Bruins could put on a show on the road, but again, the Golden Eagles were a good team, not a great one.

The only big team UCLA had faced in its first 15 games was Gonzaga, and they lost that one easily. There was real reason to doubt the Bruins in the months that followed, and they needed to make a statement to show they were truly better than they were that night in Las Vegas in November.

That doubt is gone, at least for now, and the declaration has been made – UCLA are once again in contention to fight their way through the tournament and win for the first time in 27 years. There are no guarantees, but as things stand, the Bruins are legit, and anyone who watched Tuesday’s clinic against the Wildcats saw their hopes come true in real time.

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