UCLA Basketball: 5 things we learned from the non-conference schedule

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NEW ORLEANS, LA – DECEMBER 23: Head coach John Calipari of the Kentucky Wildcats reacts during the second half of the CBS Sports Classic against the UCLA Bruins at the Smoothie King Center on December 23, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /

5. Steve Alford owns John Calipari

This is probably the most bizarre fact out of all five of these. Nobody would come close to making a statement like this when UCLA first met Kentucky three seasons ago. If you haven’t fully blocked that memory out, you might remember that the Norman Powell-led team only scored seven points in the first half on the way to losing 83-44.

Since then, UCLA took the next three out of four games. UCLA’s first victory was in 2015 when the Bruins shocked the #1 Kentucky Wildcats at Pauley Pavilion. Last season, The Bruins got their second consecutive win over UK when the Lonzo Ball-led Bruins put up the most points against Calapari-coahced Kentucky team with a 97-92 victory.

Kentucky was finally able to once again draw blood in the 2016 NCAA tournament, ousting them in the Sweet 16.

And as you know, the Bruins just beat Kentucky to finish up their non-conference season this year. We’re not exactly sure what happened or can explain the events in that game, but with Alford winning three out of five games against Calapari, Alford has something else to hang on his hat. Now to get a championship.

Next: The Pre-PAC-12 conference power rankings

So what does this all mean for UCLA? They have clearly hit a few bumps in the road, but have had some success as well. As you can see in the Go Joe Bruin Pac-12 power rankings, other teams in the conference had their troubles, but it is wide open. If the Bruins can play consistently (watching for this theme during conference play), then they have a legitimate shot at getting Alford his first Pac-12 regular season title.