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Both UCLA Basketball Teams Are Heating Up Heading Into The Post-Season

By Mike Regalado

Feb 9, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Aaron Holiday (3) celebrates after the game against the Oregon Ducks at Pauley Pavilion. The UCLA Bruins won 82-79. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 9, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Aaron Holiday (3) celebrates after the game against the Oregon Ducks at Pauley Pavilion. The UCLA Bruins won 82-79. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /
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Both Men’s and Women’s UCLA Basketball teams have kicked it into high gear recently, which could translate into postseason success.

It has been an exceptionally good year for fans of UCLA Basketball and it looks like the best is yet to come.

Right now, both the men’s and women’s teams have hit a stride and it has come at the right time, especially with March Madness looming over the horizon.

After two losses on the road, the UCLA Women’s Basketball team returned home to shock #9 Washington in an 11-point beating last Friday. Not only did they get revenge for the shellacking they took up in Seattle earlier this year, but the one-two combo of Jordin Canada and Monique Billings once again pushed the Bruins to victory.

Related Story: UCLA Women's Basketball Beats #9 Washington

Two days later, they dismantled Washington State that included a 25-point rebounding performance by Billings, which tied a single-game record. After all that, the Bruins are now #15 in this week’s AP Poll.

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The men’s team is on a five-game winning streak with huge victories over Oregon and USC, two teams that gave the Bruins losses in the first half of conference play. After being jettisoned from the Top 10 at the end of January, UCLA now finds themselves as the #5 team in the nation.

Both UCLA Basketball teams have been impressive, but this week the heat gets turned up as they head into the desert.

The women finish the regular season on the road against the Arizona schools. The Bruins are three games back of the top spot in the Pac-12, and with only two games left, they are fighting to stay among the top four teams which get a bye in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament.

The men also take a trip to the desert as they have to ASU on Thursday and then head over to Arizona on Saturday.

The game against the Wildcats has major Pac-12 implications. If UCLA wins, it will dig into their 2.5-game deficit behind Arizona, but if they want to catch their Pac-12 rival, the Wildcats need to lose one additional game, but how likely is that to happen with the remaining schedule consisting of contests against USC  and ASU?

Next: UCLA Men's Basketball Rise One Spot in the AP Poll

If the Bruins bring the heat against their conference foes, it will give them good momentum going into the postseason. It is quite likely that neither may get a Pac-12 title, but a strong finish will put both teams in good standing to get a high seed in their respective NCAA tournaments. Go Bruins!