UCLA Basketball: The Expectations for a Championship Need to Change

UCLA Basketball may have the most championships in the NCAA, but expectations need to be lowered for a team that has won only one title in 42 years.

It has been 42 years since the last John Wooden championship. In 1975, Wooden and his UCLA Basketball team captured their 10th national championship, which was followed by his retirement from coaching.

It has been 22 years since the UCLA has last won a national title. That was the year Ed O’Bannon, Tyus Edney and company won a title with the Head Coach JIm Harrick.

Interesting how it took 20 years for the most storied basketball program in college to raise another banner. The reason behind that can be read in the words of renowned author Jim Bendat in his article, One Title in 42 Years.

Despite trying to live up to Wooden, Harrick and his Bruins finally overcame the odds and hung banner #12 at Pauley Pavilion.

Since then, the Bruins closest return came in the form of three straight Final Fours under Ben Howland, but he never returned to that level of success after those three years, part of the reason he was terminated.

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And since that time, Steve Alford has gotten the Bruins to three Sweet 16s in four years. That is an incredible feat for most schools, but not at UCLA.

UCLA Basketball fans have extremely high expectations for their team, which they are entitled to… to a point. There is something special about this program and they have to continue to strive for that, but at UCLA, it is “championship or bust”.

That, unfortunately, is a huge disadvantage for any coach and player who is involved with the team between the end of the Wooden era and eternity.

Bruin fans, it’s time to let that go. Even I have had to adjust my way of thinking. I want a championship as much as the next fan, but let’s bring it down a bit.

UCLA, or any other school, will never see another Wooden, so banners will not come in droves. On top of that, the benefits of the head coaching position at UCLA are not as lucrative as other schools (blame the UC Regents). Bruin fans, a UCLA championship will eventually happen again, but not as often as desired.

It is extremely hard to win an NCAA Championship for any team, and not winning one should not define if a season is a success or not. Winning the Pac-12 regular season and/or tournament championship is also an acceptable feat, especially since UCLA has not consistently been a national championship contender.

March 1, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Steve Alford watches game action against the Washington Huskies during the first half at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

Take a look at UCLA Football, nobody is expecting them to win a national championship, but winning the conference and/or getting to the Rose Bowl would be an acceptable measure of success for those Bruins.

We should expect greatness from UCLA Basketball, but let’s work our way back up first.

For the basketball team, the conference season or tournament championship should also be the primary objective. Winning 31 games should also be a mark of success. Turning a program around from the previous season should also be a mark of success. But not at UCLA.

Steve Alford didn’t win any hardware this season, which he should be held accountable for, but the coach and the Bruins should be recognized for everything they did this season (and by the way, the future is very bright).

But now that the Bruins have come back to the land of college basketball giants, Alford is going to be expected to win a Pac-12 Championship. If he does not, his seat is going to get hot once again, but not raising a banner should not add fuel to that fire.

Next: 5 Bold Predictions for UCLA Basketball in 2017-18

Bottom line, winning a national championship should not, at least right now, be the mark of success for a team that has only won one in 42 years. You may not like what I’m writing, but it is the truth. We should expect greatness from UCLA Basketball, but let’s work our way back up first.