UCF (20-7) (NET: 43)
5-5 (Q1), 5-2 (Q2), 3-0 (Q3), 7-0 (Q4)
When the season began, there weren’t a ton of national heads considering UCF’s role in the Big 12. While they aren’t exactly in that upper echelon of Big 12 teams, the Knights have certainly surprised this season and are in solid shape even with some stinkers in recent weeks.
UCF’s five Quad 1 wins really energize their resume, dating back to a win at Texas A&M back in November. They kicked off Big 12 play with a great win over Kansas and also knocked off Texas Tech in late January. The Knights just did themselves even more favors on Tuesday night with a dominant performance on the road against BYU.
A Valentine’s Day loss at home against West Virginia wasn’t ideal, but it’s one of just two Quad 2 losses and it’s hard to call those an anchor to the resume. The Knights were also beaten by double figures at Oklahoma State but it’s hard to argue against a 9-6 mark in this league.
Two more home games should be very winnable for the Knights and then they get a chance at revenge. Their regular season finale is currently a Quad 1 road game at West Virginia and grabbing a sixth win in that quadrant really pushes this team into the field. It’s been a year of surprises in Orlando but Johnny Dawkins is hoping they can really hit their stride in March.
UCLA (19-9) (NET: 39)
3-7 (Q1), 6-2 (Q2), 3-0 (Q3), 7-0 (Q4)
This has been another season where UCLA certainly isn’t one of the top teams or contenders in the Big Ten but are definitely making their presence felt. Mick Cronin’s squad had the preseason talent to be in great shape instead of fighting on the bubble, though their position is a bit less precarious now than in recent weeks.
UCLA may have just three Quad 1 wins but two of them were really special. They pulled off quite the home win over Purdue back during January and just upset Illinois despite a huge early deficit just last weekend. Additionally, this team has largely held their own in the Big Ten, stockpiling Quad 2 wins along the way.
The Quad 2 losses aren’t bad but are against other teams on or around the bubble, falling to California back in November and Indiana at home a few weeks ago. Aside from that, UCLA played close in losses to Arizona and Gonzaga but did get walloped by both Michigan and Michigan State earlier this month.
It’s been great showings at home and some struggles on the road and you wonder how UCLA will fare as March rolls around. Three more Quad 1 chances await in the final days of the regular season, with key road games at Minnesota and USC and an intriguing home date with Nebraska.