Just when we were ready to believe again in UCLA, the high definition camera focused on the Bruins, the lights went on and predictably every flaw, every wart and every blemish were exposed for everyone to see in a 76-67 loss to No. 21 Oregon on Saturday at Pauley Pavilion.

Just like that, UCLA's 10-game winning streak came to an end.

So did a brief stay atop the Pac-12 standings.

As far as the Bruins' first week in the national rankings since early in the season, by Monday we'll learn of its one-and-done nature.

The Bruins came in ranked 24th in the country. They'll take a significant fall after this loss, and considering a brutal two-game trip through Arizona next week it might be a little while before we see them that high again this season.

If at all.

And when it comes to our faith in UCLA (15-5, 5-1), consider it shaken after the bigger, deeper and more physical Ducks imposed their will in the second half, most notably the final three minutes when Oregon put the Bruins away with a 14-8 run.

The final minutes epitomized the Bruins' greatest flaws, ones they have no easy solutions for.

Ultimately those weaknesses will define their season.

Their lack of size resulted in a beatdown on the glass, the Ducks out-rebounding them 40-31 overall and 13-7 on the offensive end.

It's one thing to be smaller than your opponent, but when you don't compensate with proper technique or worse, a lack of hustle, the problem broadens considerably.

During one sequence Oregon had five offensive rebounds, two of which came against a short-handed UCLA team.
"We had two guys standing at half court," Bruins coach Ben Howland lamented.

Even when everyone was on the right side of the court, UCLA did too much watching rather than attacking.
That's hardly the mindset a team with a serious lack of size needs.

"It's all about toughness and being physical and doing the little things to cover it up," UCLA guard Norman Powell said.

The Bruins did little of that Saturday and it cost them.

"It's something we have to get better at, myself, personally, as well," UCLA forward Travis Wear said.

Meanwhile, the Bruins' lack of depth resulted in a depleted energy tank in crunch time - evident in the Ducks' big push to put them away and UCLA's inability to answer.

The Bruins essentially played a seven-man rotation - not counting the three minutes Tony Parker played.
Oregon went nine deep.

You do the math.

"Fatigue was not the factor," Powell countered.

But of course he would say that.

Bottom line: numbers don't lie.

Oregon outscored UCLA by 12 in the second half. After shooting 55.2 percent from the field in the first half the Bruins fell to 37.9 percent in the second.

Yes, Oregon deserves credit for its defensive pressure and intensity. But the Bruins missed plenty of wide-open shots, too. And that is where fatigue comes into play.

All the more curious then, that Parker barely got off the bench despite contributing two rebounds and a blocked shot in his three minutes.

"I probably should have played Tony more," Howland said.

He's been saying the same thing for awhile now, though.

But he still insisted on going just seven deep in his rotation.

Depth and size may not be an issue against the weaker Pac-12 opponents, but the upper echelon will feed off it as Oregon did Saturday.

It also didn't help that UCLA star freshman Shabazz Muhammad went AWOL in the second half. He failed to score a point after scoring 10 in the first half.

Muhammad was benched to start the game after arriving late to practice Friday - the result of an afternoon nap following an early morning class and then learning his car had been towed.

He spent a few hours trying to get his car out of lockdown, then put his head on his dorm pillow only to wake up, look at the clock and realize he was late for practice.

"He was tired; fell asleep in his dorm," Howland said. "It was no big deal."

But big enough for Muhammad to get benched to start the game. He ignited a late surge to end the first half with eight consecutive points but was nowhere to be found in the second.

Then again, neither were the Bruins.

And just like that, their 10-game winning streak ended and some of our confidence shaken.

Now comes the biggest test of all, a swing through Arizona to play two of the better teams in the conference.

Coming off a defining loss in which the Bruins' major faults were exposed, it makes you wonder what team we'll see when it hits the desert.

"If anything I think we're going to be more motivated," Wear said. "We hate this feeling. We have two good Arizona teams so we have to bring it this week in practice and come out ready to get top wins."

Easier said than done.

Especially with some of the weaknesses we saw Saturday.


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