ESPN college basketball analyst Joe Lunardi has taken heat for his seeding of UCLA Basketball in his Bracketology. He fired back.
If you have been watching the UCLA Basketball team this season, then you are aware that the Bruins are on an eight-game win streak, are the top scoring and field-goal percentage team in the nation and the #3 team according to the AP Top 25.
You also probably know that ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has stood firm in his belief that the Bruins are only deserving of a #3-seed in his Bracketology, which is suppose to be a signifier of what the NCAA Tournament should look like.
Because of this, UCLA Basketball fans — which he calls “sensitive” — have been vocal about the lack of respect Lunardi is giving their Bruins. Lunardi noticed and he fired back.
Not only did he give his reasons for why the Bruins are a 3-seed, he got after UCLA fans in a recent rant he used to defend his seeding of the Bruins.
Lunardi made sure to use the word “facts” to explain his reasons. He goes on about UCLA’s weak strength of schedule and the fact that they do not play defense. “Apparently, if it says UCLA across the jersey, facts don’t matter. But they do matter in Bracketology. So I’ll move the Bruins up when the facts and precedent support such a move.”
Well here are a couple of facts for Lunardi. UCLA has vastly improved in the last eight games and here are some facts to support that:
Alternative Facts: UCLA’s Season Averages vs Last 8 Games
| Averages | Points Per Game | Points Allowed | Scoring Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season | 91.6 | 75.6 | +16.0 |
| Last 8 | 90.8 | 70.9 | +19.9 |
Related Story: The UCLA Basketball All-Time Team
The Bruins have scored less in the last eight games (and are still the best scoring team in the nation), but they have also allowed nearly five fewer points (defense, clap, clap!). On top of that, the Bruins are winning by nearly 20 points per game. 20!
Here is another fact, UCLA came form 19-down to defeat Oregon and smacked around Arizona in Tucson during this recent streak, two teams that are ahead of the Bruins in Lunardi’s Bracketology.
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Now facts are all well and good and help come to a decision, but observation is a big key. Let me put it to you this way with a few examples. The best team in the nation, whether they have a weak schedule or not, is still the best team in the nation. Not all #1 seeds win the NCAA Tournament. And finally, Late season surges count for a lot.
Let me go outside of the sport of basketball to give an example UCLA fans will cringe at (forgive me Bruins). The USC Football team that won the Rose Bowl was not the same team they were at the start of the season when they got waxed by Alabama. It could be argued that USC would have had a better chance against the Tide at the end of the seaosn. USC improved and were rightly given a shot to win the Rose Bowl and a #3 ranking in the Final AP Poll.
The same goes for UCLA Basketball. This team was in a bit of a downward spiral after the Arizona and USC losses, but Head Coach Steve Alford changed his philosophy and now the Bruins are playing some of the best basketball in the nation. You think I’m playing’?
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Mr. Lunardi may not agree with UCLA Basketball fans in their assessment of the team, but like those same fans know, there are more than just facts and figures to prove a point. The point is, UCLA is one of the best teams in the nation, #3-seed or not.