Norman Powell, Credit: Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports

With UCLA and Duke finalizing dates to play at Madison Square Garden next season, we will be treated to two powerhouse basketball programs going at it. Here’s the tweet from Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports that broke the big news.

Duke and UCLA are finalizing details for a game in late December at Madison Square Garden, per multiple sources. Date is still TBD.

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) May 8, 2013

Wow, a Duke vs. UCLA game (which is likely slated for December) will be great for both programs. It’s also a way to put Steve Alford‘s name in an even bigger spotlight in his first season. I would like to see this game played at either Pauley Pavilion or Cameron Indoor Stadium, though that seems a stretch. Just imagine the chaos at either stadium—cheering and screaming for pretty much everything in between those lines. Unfortunately, that won’t happen.

This will be a gut-check for Alford’s squad. Can UCLA win a key non-conference neutral site game? Can they play up to their hype? Can they beat a great opponent and really cement their name in tournament talks? These questions will be answered in a matter of months.

More importantly, this Bruins vs. Blue Devils matchup will be for the players to come out and prove themselves on the biggest stage in sports—Madison Square Garden. The game will obviously not come easy, as UCLA will be dealing with basketball guru Mike Krzyzewski, who always puts together a great team every single year.

For UCLA to go across the country and play Duke  in NYC will obviously be a huge and challenging task. No one is better than Coach Krzyzewski, and UCLA is inexperienced. There are a lot of questions surrounding the Bruins coming into this season. But as always, I have faith that my young Bruins can pull it out. It will be one of those games where you have to force turnovers and get out in transition to open up the perimeter shooters because UCLA has players who are capable of putting up numbers from deep.

We’ll see when the dates are officially released, but for now, it looks like we’re going to see one hell of a game at MSG!

Go Bruins!

Kyle Anderson (5), Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

When I look at this roster, there’s no doubt that the Bruins have talent. The question is, will Coach Alford use it to his advantage? UCLA lost its core leader in LDII and its steady, yet lethal, scorer in Muhammad.

A scorer can always be replaced, not to insult Shabazz, but it’s difficult to find a point guard like LDII who can successfully run an offense, keep the locker room calm and hit shots in crunch time. Alford is bringing in his son, a 6’3″ guard who can play point, so he could help there. Bryce Alford isn’t athletic like Norman Powell or LDII, but boy he can shoot the lights out.

Coach Alford will have to make a difficult decision, whether to start incoming freshman Zach LaVine at the 3 and slide Norman Powell to the bench? Or bring LaVine off the bench in a Jamal Crawford type of roll?

A lineup that could be very intriguing would be the following:

Kyle Anderson (PG)

Jordan Adams (SG)

Norman Powell (SF)

Travis Wear (PF)

Tony Parker (C)

Now, this lineup will not be the best defensively, but they’ll be fun to watch. And when they get out in transition, they’ll be very fun to watch. Kyle Anderson is going to be extremely important to the Bruins. KA is plenty capable of running an offense, and he’s great at finding the open man. Powell can finish with the best of them, so it should benefit him having a 6’9″ point-forward who can handle the ball well. Tony Parker will need to anchor the defense, clogging the lane with his size. Because he’s big and not easy to move around, he could be a defensive force. If he can also crash the boards, that will only lead to easy transition buckets and will get UCLA second chance opportunities on offense too.

And I can’t forget about my man Jordan Adams—talk about a sharpshooter. All he needs is a little room and the shot is more than likely going in. Whenever he shoots, it’s a thing of beauty. When a team is hitting its outside shots, it extends the defense and can open up lanes to drive and get to the rim. Adams will be a key piece for UCLA next season, though his recovery from injury could hamper him somewhat.

Whatever the lineup may be, there’s no doubt this will be a fun season!

Steve Alford, Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

This Go Joe Bruin contributor is rooting for Steve Alford, which means a few things to me.

First, it means not getting caught up in creating artificial, unrealistic measuring sticks. One example of that would be tagging Alford with a demerit for not landing Rysheed Jordan. Landing Jordan would probably have been a great get in that he was the highest rated PG left on the board—a position the Bruins need a better answer for than “by committee.” That stated, Jordan was a recruit, not a commit. If he had committed to UCLA, and then bailed when Alford was hired, it’d be reasonable to criticize him (or at least his hire). However, that’s not the case, so it’s not realistic to slam Alford for a perceived miss on Jordan.

Rooting for Steve Alford also means honestly assessing his early decisions, like his choices for assistant coaches. Alford has brought in his own people to assist rather than retaining Ben Howland‘s staff. That’s not unusual. (I definitely applaud his retention of Bruins great Tyus Edney as Director of Operations.) Alford’s hires of Duane Broussard, Ed Schilling and David Grace bring an interesting mix of scouting, recruiting and connections, X’s and O’s, and coaching experience with them. It’ll be intriguing to watch how their efforts combine to, hopefully, produce the kind of basketball product fans expect at UCLA. Some have chosen already to openly attack Alford’s assistant choices, but it seems to me that doing so hints at a level of cynicism that goes beyond normal fan skepticism.

Rooting for Steve Alford certainly means moving on from his supposed past transgression in regards to his handling of the Pierre Pierce saga. Alford was recently browbeaten into apologizing for his actions in defense of his player over a decade ago at Iowa. That should be enough. He didn’t commit a crime. He was just politically incorrect in his zealous defense of his player. He formally apologized in the press. It’s time to move on.

Rooting for Alford definitely means taking a huge “chill pill” and seeing what the man can do as the UCLA head coach. Like a stock prospectus, past performance isn’t a guarantee of future results. Maybe Alford continues to underperform in the NCAA Tourney or maybe his Bruins begin a new era of tourney success. Who knows? What I do know is that attacking the man for his salary before he’s even had one season at the helm speaks of envy rather than genuine criticism.

Rooting for Steve Alford definitely means taking the healthy approach that his reign as the Bruins’ leader is a “clean slate.” He hasn’t failed to advance in the NCAA Tourney since coming to Westwood. He hasn’t had a single player transfer from UCLA. He hasn’t lost to anyone he shouldn’t have at Pauley Pavilion. So far, so good.

Finally, rooting for Steve Alford means tapping into some relentless optimism. He and his staff are respected as individual coaches with credible experience. He has retained the kids one could reasonably expect him to retain. He does bring renewed hope of locking down the California talent pool. He is perceived as a “players’ coach.” In this context, it’s patently unfair and short-sighted to spew vitriol his way when he hasn’t even coached one game and has done nothing to anyone associated with or that is a fan of the UCLA program. To the extent that some folks who call themselves fans of UCLA have gone, it is most certainly embarrassing. It sez here we should give Steve a chance.

Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports

This is great news for the Bruins. It was unclear whether Tony would stay, and there were rumors about him possibly transferring back home to Georgia. If you hover around his Twitter page, you’ll see he has tweeted some suspect things about UCLA and missing home. He even posted a picture of his suitcase on Instagram with the caption saying “packin up to get ready to go back to FakeWood.”

When seeing those things, one might think that he’s unhappy at UCLA and wants to go somewhere closer to home. I’m young, and I know what it’s like being faraway from home and being homesick. But kudos to Tony Parker for having the guts to stick around out West.

Last season, Parker got little to no burn under former head coach Ben Howland. Parker could have been a huge factor because he’s big and can clog up the lane as well. When you have a guy like that, it’s a necessity to use him to his fullest ability.

He did struggle with his weight, but that wasn’t as big of a factor as his foul issues were. But those kind of things can be managed by the right coach. This kid has so much potential, and it killed me to watch him pretty much rot on the bench while UCLA was getting manhandled in the paint.

With the Wear twins graduating at the end of next season, UCLA truly lacks a “big man” of the future. This is where Tony Parker immediately steps into the spotlight.

The Bruins are going to need T.P. to step up big time, and I’m fully confident that he’ll hold the fort down and protect the post. Good teams usually have a big man that’s capable of rebounding and locking down the lane. UCLA truly has a gem in the making in Tony Parker.

I’m almost completely certain that new Bruins head coach Steve Alford will put Parker in the starting lineup. That being said, the talented soon-to-be sophomore will need to work very hard this season to better his game.

But today the point remains—his return greatly improves UCLA’s chances next year.

Steve Alford, Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The hiring of Steve Alford to run the UCLA men’s basketball program has been met with mixed reactions. To those hoping for a marquee name like Stevens, Smart, Pitino or Donovan, the hiring was obviously disappointing.

The knocks on Alford, aside from the fact he isn’t any of the coaches listed above, are his lackluster results in the NCAA Tourney, his underachievement at Iowa (including controversy involving a player named Pierre Pierce), his teams’ offensive style and the fact he’s a Bob Knight disciple. Enough time has passed for us to take a rational look at these topics.

To be sure, Alford’s NCAA Tourney record is unspectacular at 5-7 overall, and 2-3 at New Mexico. His performance at Iowa was pretty pedestrian as he struggled to produce results where Lute Olson and Dr. Tom Davis had already demonstrated a coach could succeed. This a valid beef insofar as his teams’ performances in the tourney have been underwhelming. Look no further than the Lobos’ recent loss as a 3-seed to 14-seed Harvard in the 2013 Big Dance.

Still, there’s an underlying belief that Alford has gotten the maximum out of his teams, and that the cobbled together talent he puts on the floor gets exposed when March rolls around. This had better change at UCLA. He shouldn’t be fighting for scraps in regards to talent. If he can get the local talent pipeline fixed, he should have a good chance at succeeding in the tourney. Obviously a key metric, but we’re going to stipulate here that his teams’ past performances may not be prologue.

Alford’s record at Iowa was a modest 152-106. His tenure there was marked by teams that often struggled in the regular season, but flourished in the Big Ten Tourney. Alford never really found a rhythm with the Hawkeyes. He succeeded Dr. Davis who was the all-time victory leader in Iowa history. Alfords’ conservative style was substantially different from Davis’ full-court pressing, run-and gun-style, and never really caught on with the Iowa community. Alford struggled to recruit effectively due in part to his style, but also because he was perceived as an “Indiana guy.” Later in his tenure, Alford was also attacked for his handling of the Pierre Pierce situation, which also cut down on his popularity in the state. Recruiting being the life-blood of any program, Alford floundered. However, as we’ve discussed, recruiting should not be an issue for Alford at UCLA.

Alford’s biggest “error” in Iowa was in steadfastly believing in and supporting Pierce publicly. Perce was infamously accused of sexually assaulting a female Iowa student. The Hawkeye community decided that Pierce must be guilty, which he may well have been, but no proof of his guilt was ever actually realized in the case. Alford’s effort to stand by Pierce and to resolve the matter privately was roundly condemned. Pierce subsequently got into trouble again a couple of years later and was immediately kicked off the team. There was no doubt as to his guilt in that second instance, and Alford acted quickly and decidedly. Some have chosen to over blow this situation to dramatic proportions, but the reality is Alford was never found guilty of any wrong-doing.

Credit: USA Today Sports Images

Another issue is Alford’s teams’ offensive style, which has been raised as a concern since the hiring. Curiously, most of the teams in the NCAA Tourney play much the same style, though success settles questions of style for those expressing concern here. Incidentally, Alford is known as a players’ coach. It’s hard to imagine he’ll not open things up a bit for the higher-caliber athletes UCLA will most assuredly continue to attract. Alford has also shown a great sense of home-court advantage. His teams at UNM were a collective 98-16 at home, including two seasons where they went 18-1 in The Pit. It would seem that defense of Pauley Pavilion is about to be taken a lot more seriously under Alford.

Regarding Alford as a Bob Knight disciple, where does it say that’s a bad thing? Knight was a very successful college basketball coach who led the last perfect college team, won three national championships and set the pattern for motion offense and intelligent help man defense that many adhere to today. Knight is considered a great basketball mind. We’re not sure how being a disciple of that is bad. Knight was certainly tough on, and in some cases abusive of, his players. While Alford does have a record of being tough as a coach, there has been zero record of him being abusive. Knight, a fan of Pete Newell, is often cited as being dismissive of Coach Wooden’s legacy. Believe it or not, Coach Wooden had many detractors. What’s relevant here is that Steve Alford has not been among them. Alford is his own man.

The bottom line is this: Steve Alford is the new head coach at UCLA. There is enough grist in his past and pedigree for zealous hand-wringers to get their collective panties in a bunch, but the reality is he has some makings of being the right coach at the right time. What’s needed by fans at this point is maturity, patience and just a little bit of faith.

Steve Alford, Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Since taking the head coaching position at UCLA last week, Steve Alford has had plenty of business to attend to. From his awkward introductory press conference to a late push on the recruiting trail, the Bruins’ new leader has been busy at work in Westwood.

But one thing Alford won’t have to worry about is his inherited team, which has begun to take shape as returning players reaffirm their commitments to UCLA.

After the Bruins fizzled out of March Madness and Ben Howland was shown the door, speculation ran rampant about the fate of the current roster. It’s generally accepted that Shabazz Muhammad has played his last game at Pauley Pavilion, but the decisions of Kyle Anderson, Tony Parker, Norman Powell and even Jordan Adams were all left up for debate.

Best case scenario, Alford has a squad loaded with depth and future NBA talent. And worst case, he’s scrambling for JUCO transfers just to fill out the bench. For obvious reasons, one of his top priorities was to solidify the status of UCLA’s 2012-2013 roster.

To the surprise of many, Anderson was actually the first domino to fall—and he made up his mind before Alford was even announced as Howland’s successor. The freshman from Fairview, N.J. had reportedly been considering skipping town for the NBA, but a projected second-round pick wasn’t a high enough ceiling to warrant it. Instead, Anderson will return to Westwood for his sophomore season, refine his game and (more likely than not) head to the pros next year.

The news was enormous for UCLA, as Anderson was the team’s leading rebounder, but it was only a piece of the puzzle. In order for Alford to have a chance at immediate success, the Bruins would need to band together. Thankfully for Alford, they’ve chosen to  do just that.

Shortly after Alford was inked, several current players and some of Howland’s 2013 recruits re-upped their pledges to UCLA. Adams and Powell both clarified their intentions at Alford’s presser, while signees Noah Allen, Zach LaVine and Allerik Freeman all solidified their standings after speaking with the new coach.

Here’s the scoop on the three UCLA signees from Edward Lewis of Bruin Sports Report (Rivals):

Three-star #UCLA signee Noah Allen texted me saying he just spoke to Steve Alford and he’s “looking forward to playing for him” at UCLA.

— Edward Lewis (@EdwardLewisBSR) March 30, 2013

#UCLA four-star SG signee Zach LaVine texted me saying he just got off the phone with Steve Alford. He’s all in with the Bruins.

— Edward Lewis (@EdwardLewisBSR) March 31, 2013

Spoke with four-star #UCLA signee Allerik Freeman today. He reaffirmed to me that he’s 100 percent Bruin after Steve Alford’s hiring.

— Edward Lewis (@EdwardLewisBSR) April 4, 2013

The reaffirmation of those six players provides Alford with some stability as he prepares for his first season. There are certainly still roster deficiencies to cope with, primarily at center and point guard, but there’s at least some semblance of star power to work with in Adams and Anderson.

However, plenty of work is still left undone. A number of Bruins, including projected NBA lottery pick Muhammad, have yet to divulge their destinations. And while Shabazz seems a long shot to return to UCLA, the decision of fellow freshman Tony Parker has the potential to be huge for Alford and the Bruins.

According to reports, Parker has had mixed emotions regarding his future in Westwood and is still torn on the matter. Throughout the season, the 6’9″ center from Atlanta was stuck in Howland’s infamous doghouse, which left him disinterested on the bench and ineffective on the court. In January, Parker was asked whether or not he regretted coming to UCLA, to which he replied with a confounding “no comment.” Needless to say, no one would be surprised if Parker ends up transferring out, likely to a school closer to his home in Georgia.

I’m not here to pass judgment or make uninformed predictions about their choices, but Parker (and to a lesser extent Muhammad) could benefit from coming back to UCLA. Shabazz will be a high draft pick if he goes, but just the fact that he hasn’t officially declared yet is interesting. It wouldn’t kill him to take another year to develop his defense and display his toughness, which could in turn help his draft stock long term. For Parker, sticking with the Bruins would likely mean an increased role on the floor and in the huddle, as well as an opportunity to develop his skills under the brightest lights.

But even if Muhammad and Parker both take their leave, Alford has to be pleased with the group of players he is starting with at UCLA. Not only will he return three of the Bruins’ starters from this season, but he also adds a trio of freshmen eager to get on campus and compete for time. If he can lock up a couple more key additions or retentions, UCLA has a chance to contend for the Pac-12 in Alford’s first year.

Tony Parker (23), Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

When UCLA announced the hiring of new head coach Steve Alford on Saturday, the rumor mill went into full-power production.

Most of the buzz centered around whether or not the former New Mexico coach could retain Kyle Anderson, Shabazz Muhammad and the recruits in the Bruins’ current class. And while those are all important points to consider, the biggest decision left unmade could be that of rising sophomore Tony Parker.

The 6’9″, 275-pound center from Atlanta had a disappointing debut season with UCLA, and his strained relationship with former head coach Ben Howland was a major factor in his underperformance. Parker averaged an insignificant 6.3 minutes per game, in which he tallied just 2.4 PPG, 1.2 RPG and 0.3 BPG. Needless to say, that’s not what the McDonald’s All-American was expecting when he chose to leave home for his college hoops.

As a result, many think Parker is destined to transfer out of UCLA in favor of playing closer to home, perhaps for the in-state Georgia Bulldogs. In fact, some UGA fans have gotten so punch-drunk on the idea they’ve begun to generate “sources” out of thin air.

But with Howland out the door and a new coach coming in, should Parker still bail out of his Bruin career?

When you look at the UCLA roster next season, it’s pretty glaring how empty the cupboards are in the frontcourt. There were only four non-guards on scholarship at the Bruins’ disposal in 2013, and that includes Muhammad, who is listed as a G/F at 6’6″ and 225 pounds.

Assuming that Muhammad does indeed declare for the NBA Draft (which is thought to be inevitable), UCLA would be left with Parker and the Wear twins as its only big men. There’s also incoming freshman Noah Allen, but the 3-star small forward measures in at just 6’6″ and 185 pounds, so he doesn’t bring much size to the table.

Couple that with the fact that David and Travis Wear will be seniors next year, and Coach Alford could be in a tight spot after his first season in Westwood. He will obviously do what he can in the world of recruiting to stock the pantry with bigs, but getting Parker to stick with UCLA would be a huge victory.

Tony Parker (23), Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports

Instead of scrambling for size with a roster full of guards, Alford would be able to hone in on the development of Parker, who still has potential through the roof. Howland, who was often criticized for nepotism and a begrudging attitude, never took the time to train Parker. And, to no one’s surprise, the No. 26 overall prospect from the Class of 2012 appeared to check-out and resign himself to mediocrity.

However, with Alford taking the reins, Parker has a chance at redemption. If he recommits himself to the Bruins, Parker has a legitimate shot to earn himself a starting role next season. I highly doubt Alford will give D. Wear the kind of minutes he saw last season, especially if Parker is showing a propensity for progress.

It would be an absolute delight to see Parker, who was genuinely excited to come to UCLA last year, break out of his shell and become the dominant force we all thought he could be. With Parker, UCLA could be in a position to do great things in Year 1 of the Alford era. But without him, the Bruins will likely be far too undersized to compete with college basketball’s big boys.

Obviously, there are a myriad of factors that will weigh into his decision, but I truly hope he decides to stay with UCLA. And if my humble opinion means anything at all, I think it would be the right choice for him to return to Westwood.

New Mexico head coach Steve Alford after MWC Tourney, Credit: US Presswire

The UCLA basketball coaching search has officially come to a close after athletic director Dan Guerrero announced the hiring of former New Mexico head coach Steve Alford on Saturday morning.

The selection has to be characterized as surprising, especially since Alford signed a 10-year contract extension with the Lobos just 10 days ago. But in the rough-and-tumble world of big time college athletics, anything is possible. Guerrero played his cards right and was able to land a coach completely off the national radar, despite missing on bigger targets in his first few tries.

However, before we can really get an idea for how this hire grades out, it’s important to take a step back and look at Alford’s entire body of work. To facilitate the discussion, here’s a breakdown of the Bruins’ new head coach by the numbers.

18

Alford has been a Division I men’s basketball coach for 18 seasons, starting out at Southwest Missouri State for four years before heading to Iowa. After eight seasons leading the Hawkeyes, Alford made the switch from Iowa City to Albuquerque, where he coached the UNM Lobos for six seasons. Now, as he prepares for his 19th season, Alford will have to prepare for a whole new set of challenges in the belly of the beast (i.e., the Los Angeles sports media). If Alford can help build UCLA back to a fraction of its former glory, he’s in a position to walk the hills of Westwood for quite some time.

.663

This is Alford’s all-time winning percentage as a major college basketball coach, thanks to his 463-235 record to date. After posting a .619 mark with Southwest Missouri State, Alford struggled to stay afloat in the Big Ten Conference, guiding Iowa to a 152-106 record (.589) overall and 61-67 in conference. With New Mexico, Alford undoubtedly had the most success of his career, winning nearly 75 percent of the time (155-52). In six years with the Lobos, his team finished below .687 (11-5) in Mountain West action just once.

6

Through 18 seasons as a D-I coach, Alford has led his teams to the NCAA Tournament on six different occassions. That’s an unspectacular 1-in-3 record of success, though Alford has made March Madness in four of the past seven seasons. He took Southwest Missouri State once, Iowa twice and New Mexico three times, which would leave the Bruins with four trips if the trend continues. Compared to former Bruins coach Ben Howland, who has 10 tourney teams to his credit (after 19 seasons), Alford’s resume is definitely less impressive. However, at a program with the prestige of UCLA, it’s entirely possible he will have the talent and resource boost necessary to take the next step forward.

1

This is the number of times that an Alford coached team made it past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. In the 1999 Big Dance, the Bears of Southwest Missouri State (known now as simply Missouri State) made it to the Sweet Sixteen as a No. 12 seed. Alford and the Bears opened play in the Tourney with an 11-point win over No. 5-seed Wisconsin (some things never change), before absolutely blasting the No. 4-seed Tennessee Volunteers, 81-51. And though they would fall to No. 1-seed and eventual national runner-up Duke in the next round, it was a great run for the upstart Bears.

14

That is the seeding of the Harvard Crimson (20-10) when they upset No. 3-seed New Mexico in the Round of 64 in the 2013 NCAA Tourney. The Lobos (29-6) were a trendy Final Four pick this year after winning the MWC regular season and conference tournament titles, but they flamed out with an uninspired performance in Salt Lake City. The Crimson, despite owning bad losses to the likes of Penn (9-22) and Columbia (12-16), came into the game with no fear and walked away with a 68-62 win. Under most circumstances, this would be a warning flag to steer clear of Alford. But given Howland’s 20-point loss to No. 11-seed Minnesota in the very same tournament, anything outside the status quo is refreshing for the Bruin faithful.

Credit: Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports

What was supposed to be a year of explosive resurgence for UCLA basketball ended with a fizzle as the Bruins were blown out of the water by Minnesota in the second round of the 2013 NCAA Tournament.

Despite earning a 6-seed, UCLA (25-10) was listed as an underdog against the 11-seed Golden Gophers, much to the chagrin of the Bruins. But once Minnesota (21-12) took the floor on Friday, it became obvious rather quickly that the oddsmakers in Vegas knew what they were doing.

The Gophers, who haven’t been heralded as a lethal scoring team, shot a blistering 50.8 percent from the field, including a back-breaking 9-of-16 from behind the arc. Sophomore guard Andre Hollins was absolutely unstoppable for Minnesota, racking up 28 points, nine rebounds and five assists. As expected, senior forward Trevor Mbakwe cleaned up on the glass, tallying 12 rebounds to go with his nine points (4-of-7 shooting).

By halftime, Hollins and the Gophers built a 10-point cushion, thanks to a combination of their hot shooting and the Bruins’ shockingly poor performance. To sum it up, consider this: the first made bucket by a UCLA starter didn’t come until the 9:53 mark of the first half.

The Bruins’ starting five went 1-for-19 to begin the game, including 0-of-7 from star freshman Shabazz Muhammad. In all, UCLA shot just 31.7 percent from the field, and an ugly 4-for-22 from 3-point range. The scoring woes, coupled with an inability to stop Minnesota on defense, proved insurmountable for the paper-thin Bruins roster.

The 83-63 loss could have been the last game of Muhammad’s UCLA career, as the lefty sharpshooter is a projected lottery pick despite his season-long struggles. It also may have been head coach Ben Howland‘s last game at the helm for the Bruins, though all hot seat rumors are completely unsubstantiated at this point. Athletic director Dan Guerrero was quoted saying the following in regards to Howland’s job status after the loss.

We’ll take stock in the next couple of days, and talk like we always do with all coaches.

Credit: Jim Cowsert-USA TODAY Sports

Guerrero was being intentionally vague, hoping to avoid chumming the water for the media sharks at the UCLA press conference. But it’s safe to say there is pressure from outside the athletic department pushing for Howland’s head, and Guerrero will have to take that into consideration. His words hardly inspire confidence in Howland’s future, so few would be surprised if there’s a new coach in Westwood next season.

Considering the insane hype in the preseason, UCLA’s Round of 64 bow-out has to be called a major disappointment. Winning the Pac-12 regular season title was nice, but the Bruins are expected to contend for national championships. It’s that simple.

With the top-ranked recruiting class and a core cast of returning players, Howland was supposed to get a lot more out of his team in 2013. Unfortunately, the pieces never quite came together, and one crippling injury marked the end.

The Bruin faithful are used to being let down; it comes with the territory of cheering for UCLA. But to have such a talented roster waffle in mediocrity for months is too much to handle. Get the torches and pitchforks ready, it’s going to be a long offseason for the mighty Bruins.

If Kyle Anderson chooses to return, and Tony Parker doesn’t transfer out, UCLA could have a good season in 2014. Whether or not Howland is in charge remains to be seen, but no matter who’s holding the clipboard, the True Blue fans will be there.

Andre Hollins (1) and Austin Hollins (20), Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

UCLA (25-9) will meet Minnesota (20-12) on the hardwood tonight at 6:57 pm PST in Austin, Texas in the “second” round of the NCAA Tournament. Both squads have had up-and-down seasons, though the Bruins’ culminated in a regular season Pac-12 title. The winner of the pairing will likely face 3-seed Florida in the Round of 32, assuming the Gators can get past Northwestern State.

To help you get psyched up for the marquee March Madness matchup, Go Joe Bruin caught up with Frank Bi, the lead editor of FanSided’s Minnesota site, Gold and Gopher. Frank was kind of enough to offer up some knowledge about Minny, and I returned the favor for UCLA. Here are Frank’s answers from his exclusive Q&A with GJB. My responses can be found in an article on his site.