The Bruins had no doubts about whether they deserved an NCAA tournament bid following their loss to the Arizona Wildcats in the Pac-12 tournament semifinal.
“I don’t think there’s any question,” said coach Steve Alford.
Freshman forward Kevon Looney echoed his coach’s sentiment.
“The second half of the season, since the conference started, we’ve been playing really well,” Looney said. “I think we got better; I think we’re one of the best teams, and I think we should get in.”
Apparently, the NCAA tournament selection committee had no doubts about UCLA either; they put the Bruins safely in the tournament at a No. 11 seed, not even in a play-in game, as many pundits suspected the Bruins’ sole hope was.
As shocked as the pundits were at UCLA’s selection – CBS Sports’ Doug Gottlieb called it “a joke” and that it made “no sense” – and as angry as the fans of snubbed teams were – Twitter was abuzz with jabs that UCLA made it on name-brand alone – the Bruins still have a reasonable argument that their inclusion in the tournament was deserved.
Think about it. Would you rather watch a team that racked up easy wins against a weaker conference or a team that finally figured things out near the end of the season and is clicking?
UCLA’s resume may not have the win totals of Colorado State (27-6), Temple (23-10) or Murray State (27-5), who were all snubbed, but in terms of pure talent, UCLA has to have the advantage there.
That’s what March Madness is about. The best players and the best teams in the nation duking it out against each other. It’s not about who had the best season; It’s about who is the best right now. Otherwise, we’d give the trophy to Kentucky and save ourselves a month of staring at the TV nonstop.
Sure, UCLA took a beating against Kentucky earlier this season that soured the Bruins in the eyes of the nation. But after leading Arizona, a No. 2 seed, for large portions of the second half in both games against the Wildcats, the Bruins proved by the end of the year they were capable of hanging with elite competition.
Sure, the Bruins went through a five-game losing streak midway through the year in which they failed to top 20 points by halftime three times. But look at how they ended the season. UCLA went 9-4 in its last 13 games, losing two games by just two points on the road. The other two losses were tightly contested battles against Arizona.
It’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish. That’s the cliché every athlete will tell you, but it’s true.
UCLA struggled early in the season as it figured out how to play with four new starters, an essentially nonexistent bench and a completely new identity, all while facing one of the tougher non-conference schedules in the nation.
Looking back on it, some of those losses feel more like growing pains than a death certificate for UCLA’s tournament hopes.
Given the way the Bruins closed out their season, there’s no doubt this team is among the top 68 in the nation. Now it’s up to them to prove it.
Well said – Great article!