UCLA Basketball: Bruins’ Season Ends With Let Down in the Sweet 16

The UCLA Basketball team ends their 2016-17 season with a loss to Kentucky in the Sweet 16, but now questions arise about the future of the Bruins.

It is all over. The #3 UCLA Basketball team has finished the season 31-5 as they came up very short in their Sweet 16 game agaisnt #2 Kentucky.

The Bruins, who had a fantastic turnaround from last season, are now done. Try as they might, the Bruins could not answer the onslaught of the Wildcat offense.

Despite a low scoring game in the first half, both teams were playing each other very tough. With the game just barely in Kentucky’s favor at the break, 36-33, this game was anyone’s for the taking.

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But that changed in the second half. The Bruins, who are usually a very decent second half team, seemed to have stayed in the locker room as the Wildcats came out swinging.

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The Bruins did well shooting the ball overall (52.7%), better than UK (49.2%), but the Wildcats shot the ball more (63 shots to 55) as they we’re getting a lot of second chances. Though the Bruins’ offense was hanging in there, the defense was severally lacking, especially when it came to detaining De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk who had 39 and 21 points respectively.

UCLA’s Achilles’ heel, their defense, once again did not come through for them.

So Kentucky moves onto the elite 8 to face #1 North Carolina, while questions rise about the future of UCLA.

Even before Lonzo Ball got out of the building, he had already declared of the NBA Draft. Not surprising. Though it also seems likely, TJ Leaf could also declare as he is projected to be a first-round pick, if not a lottery selection.

Aaron Holiday and Thomas Welsh have not not decided on their future, though it seems likely that they come back for another season.

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And as for Head Coach Steve Alford, with all of these rumors whirling around about him jumping to Indiana, last night he claimed that he is staying at UCLA.