Just like the giveaway bobblehead that only vaguely resembled John Wooden, there had been something off about this team over the season’s first 2½ months.

The jersey read UCLA. The product wasn’t worthy of those four letters.

Then came a rollicking night like Tuesday, when that old Bruin magic could be felt inside Pauley Pavilion again.

UCLA’s Bruins celebrate after defeating Purdue in an NCAA college basketball game in Los Angeles, Tuesday. AP

Donovan Dent of the UCLA Bruins reacts to his score during a 69-67 Bruins win over the Purdue Boilermakers. Getty Images

This is what this team was supposed to look like.

Active defense fueling easy offense. Energy and effort. A star point guard leading the way.

There was suddenly euphoria amid what had been shaping up as a ho-hum season, fans storming the court in celebration of the Bruins’ 69-67 upset of No. 4 Purdue that drastically recast the team’s prospects.

Donovan Dent resembled the point guard UCLA thought it was getting out of the transfer portal, throwing lobs, pulling up for mid-range jumpers, driving on anyone who tried to stand in his way.

“That’s why they recruited me here,” said Dent, who finished with 23 points and a season-high 13 assists, including the pass to Tyler Bilodeau for the go-ahead three-pointer with eight seconds left. “That’s how I should be.”

Dent’s resurgence — which also included three blocks, one steal and only two turnovers — came courtesy of conversation with coach Mick Cronin, never one to hold back.

The California Post is coming soon. Sign up for updates.

Get in early. Be the first to know about launch and home delivery.

Thanks for signing up!

“Actually,” Cronin said, “I had a little talk, he listened. You know, you’ve got to perform, man. You can’t stand around when your team needs you. You’ve got to get in there and throw punches. Who sits there and lets their career end?”

Cronin had a similar message for center Xavier Booker, who responded with nine points, four rebounds and three blocks in 35 minutes – more playing time than he had logged in his last four games combined amid one uninspired effort after another.

“Just foul somebody,” Cronin said, relaying what he had told the big man. “Miss a shot. Push somebody on the ground, bro. Do something to show your teammates you care. That’s it.”

UCLA forward Tyler Bilodeau fires up the crowd after the team defeated Purdue in an NCAA college basketball game in Los Angeles, Tuesday. AP

Cronin said he delivered those harangues in front of the entire team, something the targeted players suggested they appreciated.

“He says the same thing to the media that he says to us,” Dent said. “So it’s not anything different than what we hear. So it’s like, when we hear it on the media, we really already heard it in person. So I think we’re all kind of like, we’re used to, like in a way, like we’re just going to respond the way we want to respond.”

Added forward Eric Dailey Jr., who contributed 12 points and seven rebounds: “It’s mental toughness. Honestly, he’s not doing it to drag us. He’s doing it to challenge us. And when you’re challenged like that publicly, you know you gotta respond publicly.”

UCLA forward Eric Dailey Jr. goes up for a basket against Purdue guard Omer Mayer during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game. AP

The Bruins (13-6 overall, 5-3 Big Ten) did just that, fighting back from 12 points down in the first half and six points down with less than two minutes in the game, Dent fearlessly burying a three-pointer and Dailey turning teammate Trent Perry’s steal into a layup before Bilodeau added the biggest shot. C.J. Cox missed a three-pointer that could have won the game for the Boilermakers (17-2, 7-1).

And so on a night intended to honor Wooden’s alma mater as well as the school he later guided to 10 national championships, a showcase game turned into what might be the start of salvation for the Bruins, whose NCAA tournament resume previously lacked a signature victory.

At halftime, former UCLA star Jamaal Wilkes told the crowd about Wooden being hard on players in practice, recalling the coach’s use of the phrase “Goodness gracious sakes alive.”

It was a phrase that was worth repeating about an hour later.

Goodness gracious sakes alive. The Bruins just might be back.