Should UCLA Have Dropped Out of the Top 25?
The latest AP Top 25 poll has just come out and the UCLA Basketball team has once again disappeared from the rankings after a loss to North Carolina, but is this a fair considering the resume they have built?
The UCLA Basketball (8-4) team has lost to Monmouth, they lost to Kansas (pretty badly), they lost to Wake Forest (but could have won that game) and most recently lost to North Carolina. They are now out of the AP Top 25.
Now a 4-loss team is most likely not the best candidate for a spot in the college basketball rankings at this point, but considering what they have done in between those losses should warrant at least a ranking between 20-25.
Related Story: Bruins Get Bounced in Brooklyn
The biggest reason to keep them in the rankings has to be the 87-77 victory over the #1 Kentucky Wildcats.
More from Go Joe Bruin
- UCLA Football: It’s time for the nation to meet Dante Moore
- UCLA Football: Where are they ranked heading into week 4
- UCLA Football: Position battle breakdown for Utah showdown
- UCLA vs. Utah: Location, time, prediction, and more
- UCLA Football: Highlights from Chip Kelly’s appearance on the Jim Rome Show
Now it may not be a “blow out” but considering the teams Kentucky has produced lately, this was a blowout by Wildcat standards, especially considering what UK did to UCLA did last season.
The second reason the Bruins should be in the rankings has to do with the biggest road win in the Steve Alford era when the Bruins went up to Spokane, Washington and took out the #20 Gonzaga Bulldogs. Though the Zags are not currently ranked either, it was a huge win as the Bruins were able to shut down the Bulldogs late in the game and finish with a victory.
On top of that, the Bruins had a five-game win streak coming back from Hawai’i, so they are showing signs of a team that is coming together and finally playing as one. Sure, they had a few lapses in those games (cough*cough*Long Beach State*cough*cough), but the important thing is that they got the “W”.
Now I understand the polls are a representation of where teams are now, but looking into the future, UCLA Basketball has a lot of upside. Now the polls should not gauge potential, but if it did, the Bruins would surely be a Top 25 selection. Top 20, maybe.
Next: The UCLA Basketball All-Time Team
Still, right now the Bruins need to find a way to bounce back and learn from the mistakes they made in the North Carolina game. They have a chance to do that on Tuesday when they face McNeese State before a nine-day break which leads right into Pac-12 play.
Go Bruins!