UCLA Bruins: Down, but not out

Even after the devastating loss to the Arizona State on Wednesday the UCLA Bruins are still in a great position to make the NCAA tournament.

“Southern California sports” is a culture that is defined with either hardcore fandom or cold indifference. Much like their east coast counterparts in New York or Boston, Southern California can be the best place to play…as long as you are winning. Lose, or even perform at a mediocre level, and you’ll find yourself with the same relevance of D-list celebrity manufacturing an addiction problem for attention; yes, you get recognized, but you are forgotten just as quickly as you appeared in the headlines.

More from Pac-12

Such is the fate of the UCLA Bruins who have managed an above .500-record, yet have had trouble getting any sort of attention outside of the hallowed Pauley Pavilion. Fans greet every win or loss with a reaction that ranges from a bemused thumbs-up to a nonchalant shrug because they are not lighting up the Pac-12 conference with the force of 1000 suns.

Many have become resigned to the fate that they will miss the NCAA tournament entirely and have already moved on to midterms and making late night runs to (wait in line for) Diddy Riese. However, UCLA is still in a great position to make their claim for an NCAA tournament bid with a soft schedule ahead of them.

In a great article written by Busting Brackets’ Alex Furrier, he explains that UCLA’s stock is rising and it is not hard to see why. Aside from this weekend’s tilt against conference leading Arizona, the Bruins will face off against Washington, Washington State, and USC: three teams that inhabit the proverbial basement of the Pac-12 conference.

UCLA Bruins /

UCLA Bruins

The three teams represent universities that have given up the most points in the Pac-12 per game, which should help UCLA’s struggling offense that is eighth in the conference in scoring at 67.2 points per game. According to Kenpom, all three teams fall below 113^th in terms of the over Pythagorean Rating. In layman’s terms, UCLA (43^rd in the Kenpom ratings) should run wild against bottom barrel teams.

Even if UCLA falls to Arizona tomorrow, they still have a great chance to go 11-7 in conference play, which would have them in a great position to finish third or fourth in the Pac-12 since Oregon has tough games against Utah, at Stanford and at Oregon State, and Stanford plays at Arizona and at Arizona State. If they make a deal with some higher power and manage to win against Arizona, it will almost assure their place in the NCAA tournament barring a magnificent collapse.

Although UCLA Bruins fans are shrugging their way through an unspectacular season, they may find themselves in a frenzy come march when their team gets a decent seed in the Pac-12 tournament and fights their way to the Big Dance. So is the cycle of Southern California sports.

Next: Previewing Saturday's big SEC schedule

More from Busting Brackets

Home/Pac-12