Go Joe Bruin
Fansided

Go Joe Bruin Bracketology – Week 1

By Jake Liker

Mar 16, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; A large banner displaying the NCAA Mens Basketball Championship bracket is on the front of the J.W. Marriott hotel in downtown Indianapolis. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 16, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; A large banner displaying the NCAA Mens Basketball Championship bracket is on the front of the J.W. Marriott hotel in downtown Indianapolis. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 5
Next
Jan 13, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Bryce Alford (3) reacts during an NCAA basketball game against the Southern California Trojans at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 13, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Bryce Alford (3) reacts during an NCAA basketball game against the Southern California Trojans at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

The UCLA Outlook

There are three big reasons as to why the Bruins currently sit on the wrong side of the bubble. The first is their win-loss record. An 11-7 record will impress no one on the selection committee, and won’t help them when being compared with other bubble teams. Here’s a deeper look at the bubble as it stands:

Bubble 1
Bubble 1 /

The Bruins’ second big issue is the steady deterioration of their strongest wins. Kentucky has fallen all the way to 18th in RPI, Arizona dropped out of the top 25 (28th), and Gonzaga is out of the top 50 (55th).

The third and biggest contributor to the Bruins’ downfall in these projections is their computer rankings. On the surface, the biggest flaw of these week’s formula appears to be that it places too much weight into the computer rankings (sorry, Vanderbilt), but that doesn’t change the fact that these metrics exist and are used by the committee. They are worse than every team projected to make the field in terms of KenPom, Sagarin, and BPI rankings.

Next: The UCLA Basketball All-Time Team

There is one surefire way to reverse all of these issues, though: win more games.