For whatever reason, numbers and statistics hold a special
meaning in sports. Especially those that end in zeros, such as 100.
UCLA is only one away from 100 in the most important and
prestigious statistic of them all ““ total number of NCAA
Championships. Winning 100 NCAA Championships would be a huge
milestone and an accomplishment unparalleled in sports. A single
athletic department would have to support multiple dynasties. No
one team could get anywhere near 100, and 15 different UCLA sports
have won NCAA Championships. The legendary John Wooden won only 10
of UCLA’s 99 NCAA Championships. The team that has the most
NCAA titles, men’s volleyball, has won 19 ““ meaning
that even if you took Wooden and volleyball god Al Scates away from
Westwood, UCLA would still have 70 NCAA Championships ““ good
for third among all NCAA schools in terms of total championships.
There’s a good chance No. 100 can come this year, with many
strong teams still competing in the postseason. These teams likely
won’t face any extra pressure because of the prospect of
winning No. 100, but will likely get more glory if they do win it
all. So here’s a list in order of which UCLA teams have the
best chance to win No. 100:
1. Softball
Why they will win: Every softball player who
played on last year’s team that lost the championship game a
year ago is back this year, meaning they’re all used to the
postseason battles and have the experience. And the team has had a
much better, more consistent regular season than it did a year ago.
This year’s top-ranked team has lost only six games, while
last year’s Bruins lost 20. The saying is, pitching wins
championships, and Anjelica Selden pitched every inning of last
year’s postseason and has had a more dominant regular season
this year than last. Why they won’t win:
Softball is one of the collegiate sports with the most parity, and
many teams across the country have the potential to beat UCLA if
they play at their best and the Bruins play an average or bad game.
As recently as 2004, the top seed, Arizona, lost in regionals. You
never know what will happen in softball. Schedule:
Regionals at UCLA this weekend, Super Regionals May 26-27, World
Series June 1-7.
2. Women’s golf
Why they will win: Currently ranked No. 2, the
women’s golf team has won three of its last four tournaments.
Also, three of their five starters played on last year’s
second-place team at the NCAA Championships. Why they
won’t win: Golf is such a fluky sport, in that one
bad day can dramatically hurt your title hopes. There’s
always one team that comes out of nowhere and plays exceptionally
well. Also, UCLA would be facing 24 teams at once ““ not just
one opponent like in other sports. Schedule: NCAA
Championships, May 23-26 in Columbus, Ohio.
3. Women’s soccer or men’s water polo (it
doesn’t happen this spring) We’ve been
fortunate at UCLA, so it might not be obvious to everyone that
winning a championship is hard. UCLA has 13 championships in the
past four school years, but won none in the 2001-2002 academic
year. It’s not inconceivable that no spring sport will win a
championship. It’s not only conceivable ““ it’s
likely.
4. Men’s golf
Why they will win: They’re currently
ranked No. 5, and the team has won its last two tournaments.
Why they won’t win: See the explanation for
how tough it is to win in golf above. Schedule:
Regionals May 18-20, Tucson, Ariz., Championships, May 31-June 3,
Portland, Ore.
Darkhorse pick: baseball
Why they can win: Pitching depth. The UCLA
baseball team has a great No. 3 starter in Tyson Brummett (who just
threw a gem against USC) and a potentially good No. 4 starter in
Jason Novak. It’s not inconceivable that Hector Ambriz or
Dave Huff could pitch great in a postseason game and get enough run
support to make some noise in the NCAA Regionals. And the baseball
team has played one of the tougher schedules in the country, so the
team has experience playing tough teams. Why they probably
won’t win: The baseball team isn’t even a lock
to make it into the NCAA Tournament yet, with an overall record of
27-21. The Bruins would have to play their absolute best to advance
in the tournament.
E-mail Quiñonez at gquinonez@media.ucla.edu.