There probably aren’t many people outside of the UCLA campus who thought the Bruins would be in contention in the Pac-12 this year. In at least another year, maybe. But with a coaching change and the new coach inheriting a roster with good but hardly great talent, and likely a major change in overall style, that wasn’t the belief.
This was supposed to be a transition year at UCLA. But after sweeping the Washington schools at home, concluding with a 67-57 win over Washington on Saturday night after a big second half, the Bruins are right there in the mix.
UCLA’s head coaching search was drawn out last off-season, as was well-documented. It’s well-known that Mick Cronin wasn’t their first choice at all. But once he got the job, he got to work, and all of the drama of the coaching search didn’t matter. He had a team with talent, though no one who was seen as a future superstar, so the thought was this was a transition year. If anything, the Bruins might be part of the Pac-12 being better overall.
It certainly started out that way, as they took care of business including a win over UNLV that now looks better, before a loss to CAA leader Hofstra that doesn’t look as bad as some thought at the time. They went 1-2 in Maui, beating only Chaminade, so that wasn’t a good trip for them. Closing out non-conference with three straight losses lent further credence to the idea of what this year would be.
That sense continued early in Pac-12 play, though they opened with a win at Washington that made some took notice. It was before the Huskies lost Quade Green to academics, so they were still very much seen as being among the favorites. Three straight losses later, two of them at home, and the perception didn’t change.
It didn’t change quickly, even as the Bruins started to win. Wins over Cal and at Oregon State don’t move the needle, though the Beavers looked intriguing for a time, and a blowout loss at Oregon furthered the notion that the Bruins were certainly not an NCAA Tournament team. Beating Colorado, then winning at Arizona over a week later to start what has become a three-game winning streak, now can change things. They had to rally past the Huskies, but they did it.
UCLA is now 8-5 in Pac-12 play, tied for fifth place with cross-town rival USC just a game back of Oregon. Their next game is one where they have to take care of business as they visit 5-7 Utah, then quality win opportunities abound at Colorado, back home against the Arizona schools, then across town at USC to close it out.
With a NET barely in three digits, the Bruins have a big uphill climb for the NCAA Tournament. But as big as the bubble is this year, there’s no reason they can’t play their way at least into the conversation. The lack of a big non-conference win hurts, as do losses to Hofstra, Notre Dame, North Carolina, Cal State Fullerton and Washington State. It means they have basically no margin for error at this point, and might very well need a Pac-12 Tournament title to make it.
But who would have thought this would even remotely be a consideration back in April, or even early December?
Side Dishes
For more on the key games of Saturday, please see the Saturday Notes.
Shareef O’Neal will follow in his father’s footsteps after all, at least in one respect. The former UCLA forward is transferring to LSU, where his father starred before becoming an all-time great in the NBA. Shareef played in 13 games before opting to transfer, and he sat out last season after being diagnosed with a right anomalous coronary artery, which required open heart surgery. And in one more sign of who he was, O’Neal noted that the late Kobe Bryant used to check in on him often.
Tonight’s Menu
A lighter day of action is on tap after a busy Saturday, but there isn’t a shortage of important games on the slate.
- A Big Five matchup is on tap early on as Temple hosts Villanova (1 p.m.)
- The Big Ten has a couple of important ones on the slate early as Iowa visits Minnesota and Indiana goes to Michigan (1 p.m.)
- A full slate of MAAC action is highlighted by Manhattan visiting Siena and Fairfield going to St. Peter’s (2 p.m.)
- A good one in the American Athletic Conference comes up later as Memphis visits UConn in a battle of two teams that have had some challenges of late (3 p.m.)
- San Diego State gets another road test as they bring their undefeated record into Boise State (4 p.m.)
- An ACC game comes up later as NC State visits Boston College (6 p.m.)
- The Pac-12 closes out the day as Cal hosts Arizona State (6 p.m.) and Oregon hosts Utah (9 p.m.)
