The No. 5 UCLA men’s basketball team can’t seem to avoid the trainer’s room.

In the second half of the 82-60 lopsided victory over Arizona on Saturday, forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute went down with a sprained ankle and remained on the ground for some time.

Mbah a Moute was evaluated Monday morning by men’s basketball trainer Carrie Rubertino, when it was determined that Mbah a Moute will miss at least seven days.

The injury comes at a bad time for the Bruins as they prepare for a tough road trip to the Northwest. The forward will not be available for Thursday’s road game at No. 17 Washington State or Sunday’s game at Washington.

The junior has been a major factor so far this season for UCLA, starting 20 of 22 games, but he has had bad luck with injuries. The only two games he missed so far were due to the concussion he sustained against USC that kept him out of the games at Oregon and Oregon State.

While UCLA managed to pull out both wins, Mbah a Moute’s teammates noted how they missed his strong defensive presence on the court.

“I think (with) both Oregon (and) Oregon State, he would have made such a difference,” freshman Kevin Love said. “Whether it’s guarding Malik (Hairston) or guarding a couple of Tarver brothers or Lathen Wallace, who had a career game against us. He adds so much from the defensive standpoint.”

Most recently against Arizona, the Cameroon native played lockdown defense on Arizona’s Chase Budinger, contributing to UCLA’s ability to control the flow of play.

NO PAUSE FOR CELEBRATION: With Darren Collison back to full strength and the offense hitting on all cylinders, Ben Howland’s team is looking the strongest it has all season. After faltering against USC at home, UCLA has rattled off four consecutive wins, including a tough road game at Oregon and two commanding wins against the Arizona schools. On Monday, the Bruins climbed to No. 5 in the AP poll.

“I just think we’re maturing, getting better as a team,” Howland said. “I think our teams, at least the last couple years, have improved throughout the season, and that’s what you want to do. And we’re improving right now.”

Despite all of the success the Bruins have had so far this season, no one is satisfied in the locker room. Even after going 8-1 through the first half of conference play and sitting in first place, the eyes are looking forward.

“I mean, we’re pretty happy that we came out with the two wins this weekend, but we know that it’s a good game next game,” Love said. “Thursday (at Washington State) is going to be another test for us, and so is Saturday (at Washington). ... We’ve got the whole second half, and when it comes crunch time, that’s when you see every true team’s colors.”

For the veterans on the team who have made it to back-to-back Final Fours, it is mile 10 of a marathon. For them, it’s the finish that counts.

“It doesn’t matter how good we are right now,” junior Josh Shipp said. “It only matters how good we are in March.”