TUCSON, Ariz. -- The words chosen by seventh-ranked Arizona in the aftermath of Saturday night's victory over UCLA were not those normally associated with victory: Bizarre, stupid, stagnant, ugly.
The Wildcats beat the Bruins 57-47 at McKale Center, but in doing so they looked like just another team in the vast landscape of ordinary college basketball teams, survivors in a nationally televised game that threatened to set college basketball back a few years.
Arizona coach Sean Miller was in a head-shaking mode afterward.
"Can you win on that night when the ball isn't going in? Or when it just doesn't' feel right?" Miller asked. "Tonight was product of our dominant defense and our bench."
Arizona (24-3, 12-2 Pac-12) got the win, when the numbers suggested otherwise.
Stanley Johnson (1 for 9), Brandon Ashley (2 for 10) and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (1 for 6) combined to shoot 4 for 25 from the floor. Miller said it could be a lesson for down the road because it makes his players realize if they don't execute as a team, "you look stupid. And that's how we looked on offense.
"It's really almost impossible to win when three players you count on go 4 for 25. If you look at me it's really a bizarre feeling because we outscored them for a 32-minute window and they outscored us by 20 in about seven minutes."
Actually, it was about a 12-minute stretch where Arizona's offense was literally non-existent. The Wildcats were shut out for the first six minutes of the first half and then for 6:31 to start the second half. UCLA (16-12, 8-7) jumped out to a 7-0 lead to begin the game and then scored the first 17 points in the second half to turn a 32-18 deficit into a 35-32 lead.
"Our starters basically got punched in the face," Miller said. "I called three timeouts to help. It's a bizarre game."
UCLA's zone defense was a root cause of the Wildcats' befuddlement.
"It was ugl,y but a win is a win and we will take it," said Arizona's T.J. McConnell, who went as far as to say the Wildcats may have taken UCLA lightly at the beginning of each half.
Arizona's victory -- its 36th consecutive in McKale Center -- came via a strong bench, good defense, rebounding dominance and a strong and steady senior who has all but carried his team on his back over the last few weeks.
First the bench. Freshman Dusan Ristic carried Arizona in the opening half, scoring the team's first six points before finishing with 12 in the half. Junior guard Gabe York added 10 in the half, hitting two 3-pointers and keeping Arizona confident enough to get what seemed like a comfortable 32-18 halftime lead. Arizona's bench outscored UCLA's 27-0.
"That's why we are a good team, we don't rely on one player," Miller said. "It's moments like this where you hope you've prepared guys to come in moments like this and make a difference."
Still, Ristic played just one minute in the second half? Why? Miller answered his own question, calling himself "crazy" at one point.
"Down the road I feel he'll be more prepared, but right now I wasn't comfortable in playing him," Miller said. "You could say, 'Coach, he scored 12 points in 11 minutes and why didn't he play more in the second half? That's my answer. You can take it or leave it, but that's my answer."
The defense: Arizona limited UCLA to 25 percent shooting in the first half and 38 percent overall.
Rebounding: UCLA, one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the country, was limited to one. It had 23 overall, but 22 came on the defensive end. Arizona had 14 offensive rebounds and 40 rebounds overall.
And then, there was the doggedness of McConnell, who finished with 11 points, six coming in the pivotal final 74 seconds. His 15-foot jumper with 1:14 left gave Arizona what seemed like a comfortable 53-47 lead.
"I came off the screen and saw (the defender) not very high, so it gave me the opportunity to hit the jump shot," McConnell said. "I made it. Credit to Kaleb (Tarczewski) because he's the reason I'm able to get those jump shots. He's the best screener in the country. He gets us all open."
Heroics aside, McConnell admitted he didn't play "so hot." But he stayed aggressive and came through when it mattered.
"T.J. is our best player and he's our best player every day," Miller said. "He was our best player in November and he's still our best player (in February). He does it on defense; he does it on offense. He does it consistently. He always makes big plays. Always. What if those big shots don't go in? Then what happens? ...
"Of the starters I thought he had the most normal best performance of that group of five. He's playing his heart out."
Arizona's needed every last beat of it.
Follow Steve Rivera on Twitter
