UCLA had its chances in its Pac-12 Conference opener at Stanford. Instead, the Bruins failed to take the lead once in the second half, despite numerous opportunities to do so.

It ended when senior point guard Lazeric Jones was blocked on UCLA's last possession, and the Cardinal held onto a 60-59 win.

We've been asking questions all season - but with the Pac-12 underway, we'll share some theories on what the Bruins will need moving forward.

"Blanket Statements"

* UCLA should spend most of its time in a 2-3 zone defense. Coach Ben Howland couldn't like what he saw early, when Stanford used a 15-2 run against the Bruins' man-to-man defense to take an early lead it wouldn't relinquish.

* UCLA should use its hot-hand as a decoy late in the game. Last night, the Bruins couldn't run a clean offensive set with the game on the line because the Cardinal played great defense - and because the Bruins were so obvious. Nobody doubted for a minute that Jones would get the ball, and sure enough, Stanford was all over him and blocked his final attempt. UCLA is at its best when it has multiple scorers, which means that's how the Bruins should approach their most important possessions.

* David and Travis Wear need to make an impact every game for the Bruins to win the Pac-12. A combined 2-for-9 shooting performance isn't going to cut it. David did have a team-high eight rebounds but Stanford outrebounded UCLA, 38-34, overall. If the Wear twins can make sure they're scoring and rebounding every game, the Bruins will look back on this loss to Stanford as an important part of their maturation process.