UCLA basketball’s top 10 moments of 2020

A look at the top 10 moments for the UCLA men’s basketball team in 2020.

1. March 12: With the Bruins surging into NCAA tournament consideration by going 11-3 to close the regular season, their season ends upon the abrupt cancellation of the Pac-12 and NCAA tournaments because of COVID-19. UCLA had already traveled to Las Vegas and was scheduled to play California in a conference tournament quarterfinal at T-Mobile Arena later in the day when the Bruins learned their season was over.

2. Feb. 29: After losing three of their first four Pac-12 games, the Bruins take over sole possession of first place in the Pac-12 standings with a 69-64 victory over Arizona that completes their first two-game sweep of the Wildcats since the 2012-13 season.

Sports

A sports year like no other: The triumphs and tragedies of 2020

Sports in 2020 was an emotional rollercoaster of the strange, sad, inspiring and jubilant. Times Sports looks at the year’s biggest moments and storylines.

Dec. 24, 2020

3. Feb. 22: The Bruins rally from nine points down in the second half to pull out a 70-63 victory over No. 18 Colorado on the road after committing zero turnovers in the second half.

4. Jan. 2: Freshman shooting guard Jake Kyman makes seven three-pointers, including one that provides a two-point lead with eight seconds left, to nudge the Bruins past Washington 66-64 on the road in their conference opener.

5. Aug. 3: Chris Smith announces he will return for his senior season rather than enter the NBA draft, commencing a bid to become the Pac-12’s most valuable player after being selected its most improved one as a junior.

6. Feb. 27: Freshman shooting guard Jake Kyman draws comparisons to NBA legend Larry Bird from Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley after making five three-pointers during the first half of the Bruins’ 75-72 victory over the Sun Devils.

7. March 7: The Bruins suffer a crushing loss to USC at Galen Center that knocks them out of first place in the Pac-12 standings after Trojans guard Jonah Mathews sinks a three-pointer at the buzzer.

Sports

Year in review: Timeline of the biggest sports moments in 2020

A timeline looking back at the triumph, tragedy and push for change in the sports world in 2020.

Dec. 22, 2020

8. Jan. 4: A late defensive breakdown cost the Bruins in a bad 79-71 overtime loss at Washington State.

9. Jan. 15: Mick Cronin unleashes a verbal tirade after a home loss to Stanford gives the Bruins a losing overall record to go with three defeats in their first four Pac-12 games. Cronin calls his player soft and selfish and says he might ask Chip Kelly, the school’s football coach, about importing some of his players to bring toughness.

10. Apr. 28: Daishen Nix, Mick Cronin’s first recruit and a projected NBA lottery pick, spurns the Bruins for a new G League academy that ends his college career before it begins.