JOHNNY JUZANG

Arizona's Bennedict Mathurin has been named The Associated Press Pac-12 player of the year after a dominating sophomore season.

Kerr Kriisa scored 16 points and hit a big 3-pointer, Dalen Terry flirted with a triple-double and No. 7 Arizona grinded out a 76-66 win over No. 3 UCLA.

Johnny Juzang and Jules Bernard scored 15 points each and seventh-ranked UCLA used gritty defense to beat No. 3 Arizona 75-59.

Yet it’s one of the challenges facing men’s and women’s basketball coaches across the country amid the growing number of postponements, cancellations and pauses. Men's teams like the Blue Devils, fifth-ranked UCLA and Florida, along with the 11th-ranked UConn women are among those searching for that balance in returns this week. We need some time for your body to get used to what you’re doing.”Then there are the challenges of getting athletes in top shape for competition, or “game shape." Coach Mick Cronin said all but three scholarship players ended up with COVID-19, along with the coach himself. Four players later tested positive for COVID-19, leaving the team unable to run 5-on-5 practice drills leading up to Sunday’s return against Creighton.

Men’s and women’s basketball coaches across the country are coping with the challenge of physical conditioning that comes with COVID-19 pauses.

Preseason All-America Basketball FILE - These are 2020 and 2021 file photos showing, from left; Illinois' Kofi Cockburn, Villanova's Collin Gillespie, Indiana's Trayce Jackson-Davis, UCLA's Johnny Juzang and Gonzaga's Drew Timme. Drew Timme of Gonzaga is the lone unanimous selection on The Associated Press preseason All-America NCAA college basketball team, announced Monday, Oct. 25, 2021. He was joined by Illinois big man Kofi Cockburn, UCLA guard Johnny Juzang, Villanova point guard Collin Gillespie and Indiana forward Trayce Jackson-Davis. There was an added benefit, too: Timme was the lone unanimous selection by a 63-person media panel on The Associated Press preseason All-America team released Monday. The 7-foot center averaged 17.7 points and 9.5 rebounds per game as a sophomore last season to earn a second-team spot on the AP All-America team.

Preseason All-America Basketball FILE - These are 2020 and 2021 file photos showing, from left; Illinois' Kofi Cockburn, Villanova's Collin Gillespie, Indiana's Trayce Jackson-Davis, UCLA's Johnny Juzang and Gonzaga's Drew Timme. Drew Timme of Gonzaga is the lone unanimous selection on The Associated Press preseason All-America NCAA college basketball team, announced Monday, Oct. 25, 2021. (AP Photo/File) (Uncredited)Drew Timme could have left for the NBA after leading Gonzaga into last season's national title game. There was an added benefit, too: Timme was the lone unanimous selection by a 63-person media panel on The Associated Press preseason All-America team released Monday. The 7-foot center averaged 17.7 points and 9.5 rebounds per game as a sophomore last season to earn a second-team spot on the AP All-America team.

Drew Timme of Gonzaga is the lone unanimous selection on The Associated Press preseason All-America team.

Gonzaga is the preseason No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 men's college basketball poll.

UCLA challenged top-seeded Gonzaga for 45 minutes and came up just short.

Gonzaga has given fans the NCAA championship game they wanted with a shot for the ages.

Johnny Juzang’s impact at UCLA has been immediate since he transferred from Kentucky, giving the Bruins the scorer and dynamic player they had been missing in recent years.

(AP Photo/Darron Cummings)It’s not easy to bury a team as good as USC, let alone in a half, no matter how easy Gonzaga made it look. He asked Few the day before their game against the high-flying Trojans whether his defense was getting lost in the shuffle. “Obviously, I think he’s the best defender in the country,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said. Then Baylor’s bout with the virus came late in the season, requiring a pause of three weeks plus. After everything else fans weathered throughout this wacky season, a few more days might finally deliver a national championship game worth the wait.

(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)INDIANAPOLIS – UCLA has made more trips to the Final Four than any program but North Carolina. AdThey were clinging to a 50-49 lead when Michigan called a timeout with 19 seconds to go, intending to set up the game's final shot. The buzzer sounded and UCLA began to celebrate, only for the officials to put a half-second back on the clock. They were 3 of 11 beyond the arc, shot 39% overall and couldn't make one at the end. UCLA won a regional semifinal in 2006 and the Bulldogs returned the favor in the 2015 regional semifinals.

Instead, they scored the first five points of the extra session, then cruised from there to an 88-78 victory that gave the No. 11 seed Bruins their first trip to the Elite Eight since 2008 — and Cronin the first of his 18-year coaching career. Singleton was fouled and made two free throws for UCLA, pushing the lead to 65-62 with 4 seconds to go. Alabama led the nation in 3-pointers attempted and made this season, so it was fitting that a 3 would send the game to overtime. UCLA has beaten Michigan in three of their four NCAA Tournament games, including the 1965 national championship in Portland, Oregon.

UCLA basketball players celebrate their win over BYU after a first-round game in the NCAA college basketball tournament at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Saturday, March 20, 2021. 11 seed Bruins rally past Michigan State in the First Four, Juzang poured in 27 points against sixth-seeded BYU on Saturday night, carrying his team to a 73-62 victory and the second round of the East Region. This is the height of college basketball,” Juzang said, “and playing for the Bruins — I'm from Los Angeles. He's scouting Abilene Christian and he told me they would win,” UCLA coach Mick Cronin said. There's a number of things we can take from this game to get better,” BYU coach Mark Pope said.

– UCLA showed plenty of fight in its overtime win over Michigan State in a First Four game in the NCAA Tournament. UCLA forced overtime on Jaime Jaquez Jr.'s three-point play with 3.3 seconds to go, then pulled away in the extra session for an 86-80 victory at Mackey Arena on Thursday night. Once overtime came around, Juzang hit the first two baskets of the extra session to give UCLA the lead. Michigan State was 16 of 18 from the foul line but missed one in overtime. They also split their four NCAA Tournament games, with UCLA winning in 1965 and 1971 and the Cougars winning in 1950 and 1981.

(AP Photo/Tony Avelar)SANTA CRUZ, Calif. – Oscar da Silva surveyed UCLA's defense and thought about hanging back to try a short jumper. Da Silva scored off an inbound pass as time expired in overtime to lift Stanford over No. Da Silva finished with 26 points, the last coming on a lay-in off a set piece with 0.8 seconds remaining. “When you grind a game out like that, it’s very rewarding when you win in the end,” da Silva said. Stanford: A gritty effort from the Cardinal, especially da Silva, who came up big with six points in overtime.