The last time the UCLA men’s basketball team left Los Angeles to play a pair of ranked teams, the Bruins were served humbling reminders of how much more they have to improve to run with some of the best teams in the country.

Almost a full month later, the 16th-ranked Bruins (8-2) have employed more of a full-court defensive look and freshmen Amari Bailey and Dylan Andrews have improved significantly leading up to this week’s games at No. 20 Maryland (Wednesday) and on a neutral floor against No. 13 Kentucky (Saturday) at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

UCLA fifth-year senior David Singleton still needs one essential item before making an East Coast trip in December, however: a winter coat.

“I know what it’s like out there, but I’ve never experienced it firsthand,” Singleton said, adding that he’ll look to teammate and New York native Mac Etienne for tips on purchasing a coat.

The Bruins, winners of five in a row, are looking to make up for mid-November Top 25 losses to Illinois and Baylor as part of a multi-team event in Las Vegas.

Against the Fighting Illini, UCLA squandered a 15-point second-half lead and never recovered the rest of the trip.

Reflecting on the losses prior to Monday’s practice, Singleton said the team learned it cannot “compound the mistakes.”

“We can’t play a perfect game, no one ever has,” Singleton said, “but if you make one mistake, you can’t compound it by making another mistake or the snowball effect will happen.”