UCLA Basketball Is In Jeopardy Of Missing The NCAA Tournament
After losing to USC (again), the UCLA Basketball team is two games under .500, putting their NCAA hopes in jeopardy.
Just like football? Nope, just like basketball. The USC Trojans decimated the UCLA Basketball team last night and took the season series, putting the Bruins deeper in a hole that they themselves created
Because of this, UCLA is now in danger of completely missing the NCAA Tournament and snapping that oh so precious Sweet 16 streak. As I wrote in UCLA Gets Swept In The Season Series By USC, if things do not change, the Bruins might not even make it to the Sweet 16 of the NIT. Or at least have the opportunity to.
It is that bad.
At this point, even if UCLA wins out in their last eight games (which looks to be an impoossible feat at this point), they would only finish 12-6.
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Projecting how the current top 4 teams in the Pac-12 finish, Oregon (19-4, 8-2), USC (18-5, 7-3), Washington (15-7, 7-3) or Arizona (18-5, 6-4) would have to lose 2-4 more games (depending on their place in the standings) for UCLA to have a chance to overtake them and claim a top spot in the rankings (the top 4 teams get a first round bye in the Pac-12 Tournament).
Examining the remaining schedule for these top four teams, it does not look like any of them would lose more than 2-3 games.
Still, UCLA winning out is an extreme perspective. As it looks, the Bruins will realistically go 4-4 with their remaining 8 games. That would have UCLA finish the regular season 17-14, 8-10.
The Bruins would miss the first round bye in the conference tournament, which means they will have to win four games in a row to capture the Pac-12 Tournament Championship and get the automatic bid to the Big Dance. At this point, that seems to be the only way the Bruins can get into the NCAAs.
As Go Joe Bruin writer Jake Liker discusses in his Bracketology, UCLA is at best a bubble team, though last night’s loss has them continuing to slide out of the tourney.
If things do not change, the Bruins might not even make it to the Sweet 16 of the NIT.
If it gets any worse, there is a chance that the Bruins might not even get an NIT bid. At that point, the UCLA Athletic Department will have to seriously consider what to do with Head Coach Steve Alford.
Unfortunately, no matter how bad the outcome at the end of this season, there will be no change in the head coaching position any time soon. Not only does Alford have an incredible recruiting class coming in next year, but he has an insane buyout in his contract which would realistically keep him in Westwood for at least one to two more years.
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So as it seems, UCLA fans are in for the long haul of mediocre basketball with the remainder of this season and beyond. With that I say, brace yourselves Bruin fans, as it looks, things are going to get awkward around the UCLA Basketball program… again.