No. 22 UCLA beat No. 5 Arizona. That should be the most important takeaway for the Bruins.

However, it was not a perfect win. Wildcats forward Ivan Kharchenkov torched UCLA for a game-best 38 points and 10 rebounds in 38 minutes. On paper, that should be a five-alarm fire for the Bruins' interior defense. Or perhaps not.

12 of Kharchenkov's points came from free throws. Sometimes, aggressive giants like Kharchenkov are going to be frequent fliers to the charity stripe. UCLA can live with that, even in a Big Ten conference full of even more European mutants in the frontcourt.

Xavier Booker and Eric Dailey Jr. only had three fouls each. Freshman forward Nikola Kusturica was called for four, but this was the first regular-season game of his collegiate career. It is certainly far too early to label him a foul magnet.

Overall, the interior war was not some blowout like Kharchenkov's stat line suggests. UCLA actually won the rebounding battle 45-44, with a key advantage off the offensive glass.

Another win for the Bruins is that they held star center Motiejus Krivas to just eight points (2-4 shooting) in 31 minutes of play. Booker, Dailey, and Kusturica arguably won the interior battle considering the advantage in rebounding, field goal percentage, and Krivas' quiet day.

Without the load of free throws, Kharchenkov's would probably have been a footnote in this game.

UCLA is especially fine because this was just the first game of the year, against the No. 5 team in the country. The Bruins are about to play their next six games against mid-major plankton before the schedule gets serious again in December.

And even when Big Ten play does heat up, UCLA is going to be one of the biggest fish in the pond, perhaps only behind Illinois and Michigan State. The Bruins' win over the Wildcats is going to be worth its weight in gold when the next AP Poll comes out.

UCLA, already ranked No. 22, could possibly skyrocket up to just outside the top 10 (or even within it).

So long as the Bruins maintain their level of play from Monday evening, this could turn into a special year in Westwood. Elsewhere on the roster, Trent Perry and Jaylen Petty look like a star duo at guard. They combined for 34 points against Arizona.

As Kusturica continues to develop, Coach Mick Cronin has a team that could be staying at hotels for multiple weekends during the NCAA Tournament.