What to Predict When You're Predicting: UCLA Bruins
Mick Cronin has a lot of problems with you people
How's the first-round matchup look?
Kind of...: KenPom has UCF as the lowest ranked team to get an at-large bid, so that's encouraging. The Golden Knights have some solid wins: Kansas, Texas Tech, @BYU. But they're a pretty different team away from home, and they ended the season on a 1-4 run. UCLA really can't complain too much.
BoilerUp89: Are Dent and Bilodeau healthy? UCLA's path through the tournament depends more on them than anyone they might play for the first three rounds. Both will play but will they be 100%? Dent has indicated that he is. UCF is nothing scary but they do occasionally play up and upset a better team.
How's the overall draw?
Kind of...: Damn fine. Everybody pointed out that UConn might be ripe for the picking. I feel like that game should just be settled by a cage match between the coaches, but that's probably not happening. Anyway, if they can get to the Sweet 16, MSU, who the Bruins just beat at the BTT, would likely be waiting. I would pick MSU, but, for a 7-seed that's not a bad draw.
BoilerUp89: Technically UCF was the lowest ranked at-large on Kenpom not named Miami. UConn is the worst two seed and UCLA just beat MSU. The draw is good but UCLA probably won't love spending their time on the east coast.
What's the best case for this team?
Kind of...: Elite 8. I just don't see how they get by Duke. Maybe Kansas makes the Sweet 16, Darryn Peterson goes off vs. Duke, but gets a hangnail and misses the Elite Eight game or something, but that's not really a reasonable scenario.
BoilerUp89: I'll go Final 4. Not that UCLA is beating Duke - they aren't; Duke is a terrible matchup for the Bruins. But chaos teams OSU and TCU or teams with better coaches (St. John's/Kansas) could do the Bruins dirty work.
What's the worst that could happen?
Kind of...: They fall on their face and lose to UCF. Cronin loses his mind, makes the team start walking back to the team hotel. A couple of them get mugged by drunk Philadelphians, and Cronin is fired.
BoilerUp89: I don't see Cronin getting fired... this year. Patience may start to wear thin in a year or two, but right now he seems to be adapting to the new conference just fine. To be clear he should be fired for letting Mara escape from LA, but coaches don't get judged like that.
Are there any fun storylines, weird esoterica, or strange historical sidebars to add here?
Kind of...: I mean, Sam Gilbert bought a lot of titles and Jim Harrick was a one-man probation magnet, but that's neither fun nor esoterica. If you like up-tempo basketball, UCLA has delivered some great single-game March performances under Harrick and Steve Lavin:
1994: Tubby Smith-led Tulsa pulls the 12/5 upset 112-102
1995: Ray Allen's 36 not enough, UCLA beats UConn 102-96 to advance to Final Four
2000: 6-seed Bruins demolish 3-seed Maryland 105-70. (I was at this game. UCLA had a 38-9 run covering the ned of the first half and the beginning of the second. They threw AT LEAST six alley oops. It was jaw-dropping.)
2002: UCLA upsets 1-seed Cincinnati in double OT in second round, 105-101.
BoilerUp89: Cronin v. Hurley should have medics on standby. Also, if I was a ref that matchup would cause me to retire.
MaximumSam: Before hiring Mick Cronin, UCLA was heavily interested in TCU head coach Jamie Dixon. Unfortunately, they were put off by the fact that he ruptured his pancreas playing basketball. Who does that, they asked?
AlmaOtter: Sam, I swear to god, if you do this bit again.
