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UCLA Basketball: The 10 best games of the Steve Alford era

By Mike Regalado

MEMPHIS, TN - MARCH 24: Head coach Steve Alford of the UCLA Bruins looks on in the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats during the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament South Regional at FedExForum on March 24, 2017 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
MEMPHIS, TN - MARCH 24: Head coach Steve Alford of the UCLA Bruins looks on in the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats during the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament South Regional at FedExForum on March 24, 2017 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 03: Jaylen Hands #4 and Aaron Holiday #3 of the UCLA Bruins high five after a basket in the second half against the USC Trojans at Pauley Pavilion on February 3, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 03: Jaylen Hands #4 and Aaron Holiday #3 of the UCLA Bruins high five after a basket in the second half against the USC Trojans at Pauley Pavilion on February 3, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

UCLA basketball head coach Steve Alford has come under fire lately for underperfomring during his tenure, but there have been some highlight games. Go Joe Bruin looks at ten of his best.

The UCLA basketball team went through a wholesale change with the transition from Ben Howland to Steve Alford. They went from a slower-paced defensive minded team to an uptempo, heavy shooting squad.

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Alford’s style has brought the best out of many offense-oriented players and has been the catalyst for several contests where the Bruins were clearly the dominant team. There were others that were flat out fantastic efforts that made for memorable victories. Here are the 10 best…

10. March 3, 2018 at USC, 83-72

Let us start off with one of the more recent ones. This past season, UCLA had some pretty good achievements, unfortunately they were overshadowed by the lack of achievement in an inconsistent season. Still there were a handful of games that Steve Alford could hang his hat on and beating USC on their home floor was an achievement as the Bruins swept the Trojans this past season.

UCLA was ending the regular season with a three-game road trip, one that could have got them close to capturing a Pac-12 title. Unfortunately, losses at Utah and Colorado killed that dream, but the Bruins could end on a good note.

With UCLA taking the first game in the season, USC was looking for some payback. The Trojans held the lead for extended lengths of time in both the first and second half, but with eight minutes left in the game, the Bruins tied it at 60 and continued on a 23-12 run, eventually beating their crosstown rivalry. Though it didn’t get them a championship, it once again gave them bragging rights.