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UCLA Basketball: Is it possible to right the ship or is this season lost?

By Mike Regalado

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 05: Moses Brown #1 of the UCLA Bruins goes up for a dunk against the California Golden Bears during the second half at Pauley Pavilion on January 05, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 05: Moses Brown #1 of the UCLA Bruins goes up for a dunk against the California Golden Bears during the second half at Pauley Pavilion on January 05, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images) /
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The UCLA basketball team has one of the most talented rosters in the Pac-12, but the way they have been playing lately has them aiming for mediocrity.

It is not over until the final buzzer sounds. With that being said, the UCLA basketball team still has a lot to fight, fight, fight for. The only question is, will they?

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After Steve Alford was fired just before the New Year, the Bruins looked like they found some new life under Murry Bartow. In their first two games of the Pac-12 schedule, UCLA destroyed Stanford and Cal. The fun hard returned, but it would quickly vanish.

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Things looked like they had gone back to the ways of Alford the following week when the Bruins played 39 minutes of bad basketball against Oregon, only to save themselves in the final minute to force overtime after being down by double-digits and eventually get the win.

The Bruins weren’t so lucky (inspired?) in their next two games. Three days after their win in Eugene, the Bruins were throttled by an up-and-coming veteran-led Oregon State team. Starting the season 3-1 is not bad, but it is not good either, considering UCLA has the more talented squad. Still, the Bruins could have made up for it in their next game against USC at the Galen Center, a place where the Bruins had an 8-4 record against their crosstown rival.

That did not happen as UCLA got thoroughly embarrassed. The Bruins might have lost 80-67, but it was more of a blowout than that. For a good portion of the second half, USC was up by more than 20 points. USC was also not at full strength, playing with only eight scholarship players and was without their best player. What does that say about UCLA?

A lot.

The Bruins are not playing the way a team of their caliber should be playing. They have height, they have speed and they are dominating with rebounds. So why can they not play like a Top 25 team?

Though it is easy to default to the way Alford led the team, he is not here anymore. It is just Bartow and the Bruins so blame is to be laid on those that remain. If the players do not pick up their game, then it has to be said that they are not doing enough to try and get wins.

Unless they win the Pac-12 Tournament, they are not getting to the NCAA Tournament. What could be worse, on an individual level, is that a few of these players that are looking to make it to the NBA will hurt their stock. It is no secret that Kris Wilkes and Jaylen Hands are struggling. It is no secret that 7’2 Moses Brown is unable to dominate under the rim. It is no secret that the Bruins’ role players are not consistently stepping up the way they should, especially an upperclassman like Prince Ali.

Blame Alford all you want for this team’s performance before his termination, but the performance after is squarely on the shoulder’s of the players.

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Now does that mean that they are a lost cause? Not at all. There is still plenty of time to right the ship, but only the players can make that happen. I truly believe that this team has enough firepower to take them far, but they have to want it. They have to play unselfishly. They have to fight, fight, fight.