Back in January, UCLA played arguably its best game of the regular season. Yet, it wasn’t enough to upset then-undefeated Arizona, as the Bruins fell 75-71 at Pauley Pavilion.

The close call left UCLA itching for a rematch, especially since the Bruins wouldn’t get another chance until the Pac-12 Tournament. When they finally met the Wildcats again in Saturday night’s title game, they came through with an identical scoring margin — only tilted towards the other way.

“We felt like we let one slip away in Pauley,” shooting guard Norman Powell said. “But I feel like we’re a much better team than we were two months ago. That taste in our mouth was still there from facing them.”