UCLA clinches fourth losing conference record in 14 years

Less than two weeks ago, Steve Alford publicly held on to hope. He talked about UCLA’s ability to make a late run, to bolster a resume that had become thinner and thinner since the turn of the new year.

Now, finally, the Bruins seem to have run out of time. A 79-70 loss at Stanford on Saturday clinched them a losing conference record — just the fourth time this has happened in the post-Wooden era. All four occurrences have come in the last 14 years.

UCLA’s path to an NCAA Tournament berth will almost certainly require them to win the Pac-12 Tournament. Judging from the type of basketball these Bruins (15-14, 6-10) have played as of late, however, and that seems like a Sisyphean task.

At Maples Pavilion, UCLA showed little sign that it can fix the problems that have haunted the team all season. It allowed the Cardinal to shoot 61.2 percent from the field, their highest mark of the season. Only one other Pac-12 team — Oregon — had allowed Stanford to clear even 48 percent.

Much of the damage was done inside. Sophomore forward Michael Humphrey scored 24 points, just two points shy of the career high he set against Washington State earlier this month. The 6-foot-9 big man helped give Stanford a 32-18 scoring edge in the paint, corralling four of his team’s nine offensive boards.

UCLA, on the other hand, stayed within striking distance thanks in large part to their efficiency from beyond the arc. Continue reading “UCLA clinches fourth losing conference record in 14 years” »

After loss at Cal, UCLA won’t have shot at winning conference record

After a 75-63 loss to Cal, UCLA coach Steve Alford is now 9-17 in Pac-12 road games in three seasons. (Steve McCrank/Staff)

After a 75-63 loss to Cal, UCLA coach Steve Alford is now 9-17 in Pac-12 road games in three seasons. (Steve McCrank/Staff)

Against the Pac-12’s stingiest defense, UCLA needed nearly five minutes to finally make its first field goal. The Bruins never erased that deficit.

A 75-63 loss at Cal on Thursday kept Steve Alford at just two Pac-12 road wins this season, and knocked him down to an uninspiring 9-17 record during his UCLA tenure. With just three games left in the regular season, the Bruins (15-13, 6-9) are now assured their a non-winning conference record for just the fifth time since 1978 — when the league expanded to 10 teams and an 18-game schedule.

The more immediate ramifications are the almost certain erasure of the Bruins’ chances at the NCAA Tournament. If so, it comes in a year that might see the Pac-12 produce as many as seven March Madness bids, the most in the league’s 12-team era.

While losing at Haas Pavilion wasn’t exactly a case of the Bruins playing down to an inferior team, they also didn’t exactly help themselves. They missed their first five shots, finally breaking through on a floater by junior Isaac Hamilton. Throw in three early turnovers, and that meant a 13-1 game-opening run by Cal — not the type of cushion you want to give to a team that is undefeated at home. Continue reading “After loss at Cal, UCLA won’t have shot at winning conference record” »

Steve Alford: Center Tony Parker will stay in UCLA’s starting lineup

Tony Parker returned to UCLA’s starting lineup last Saturday, helping the Bruins to a 77-53 win over Colorado. The senior center will keep that role for at least one more game.

Steve Alford said Tuesday that he will keep the 6-foot-9 Parker in his starting five for Thursday’s 6 p.m. tipoff at Cal — relegating 7-foot sophomore Thomas Welsh to the bench. The third-year head coach emphasized that his changes over the last month have not been made to penalize either player.

“Whether it’s Tony or Tom, it’s not a discipline or punishment standpoint,” Alford said.

He added that he is also open to playing both Parker and Welsh together again in a “big-big” lineup if the matchup proves beneficial. The combination, which UCLA used for most of the season before making sophomore Jonah Bolden its starting power forward, gave the team some offensive advantages at the cost of its defense.

Regardless of who Alford plays, he’ll need to figure out how to beat a Cal team that is 16-0 at Haas Pavilion this season. The Bears hold opponents to just 38.8 percent from the field, easily the lowest mark in the Pac-12, and also rank first in the conference in defensive efficiency according to Ken Pomeroy. Alford praised their athleticism and their size, pointing out the presence of star freshman Ivan Rabb as well as 7-footers Kameron Rooks and Kingsley Okoroh.

“They really just tee it up one-on-one and say, ‘You’re not gonna beat us one-on-one,'” Alford said. “That’s a great thing to have, because you don’t see them having to help a lot. And because they don’t help a lot, they don’t give up a lot of open looks. They make open looks hard on you.”

Mike Mayock: UCLA LB Myles Jack looks like a top-10 draft pick

Former UCLA linebacker Myles Jack (30) is trying to be one of the top players taken in the 2016 NFL Draft. (Keith Birmingham/Staff)

After missing most of the 2015 season, former UCLA linebacker Myles Jack (30) is trying to become one of the top players taken in the 2016 NFL Draft. (Keith Birmingham/Staff)

Myles Jack won’t be a full participant in this week’s NFL combine, but that doesn’t mean he’ll last long in the 2016 draft.

According to NFL Networks analyst Mike Mayock, the former UCLA linebacker looks like a top-10 pick — as long as he is medically cleared after tearing his lateral meniscus back in September. Jack recently told ESPN that he will do the bench press and interview with teams in Indianapolis, and expects to be fully cleared for drills early next month.

Expected to be an All-America candidate as a junior this past season, Jack injured his knee after appearing in just three games for the Bruins.

“Even though his season was cut short by injury this year, the tape I watched I saw a different guy this year than in past years,” Mayock said. “He was more physical, more confident in his physicality, able to come down and take on guards, tackles, fullbacks. I saw a guy that was more of a finesse player earlier in his career turn into a true linebacker this year.”

One of nine UCLA players invited to the combine, Jack is unquestionably the program’s top pro prospect. Defensive tackle Kenny Clark is the only other player in the conversation to be a first-round pick.

That Jack proved himself to be a powerful college tailback as well — rushing for 380 yards and 10 touchdowns in his first two seasons — only makes him more attractive to NFL franchises, even if they have no intention to use him on offense.

“The more you can reinforce to yourself that he’s highly athletic and adaptable,” Mayock said, “the more you’re gonna like him.”

Don MacLean: ‘UCLA is the most disappointing team in the Pac-12’

Point guard Bryce Alford and his UCLA teammates are currently tied for eighth  in the Pac-12 standings. The Bruins were a preseason pick to finish fifth, a prediction that Alford had said felt too low. (Hans Gutknecht/Staff)

Point guard Bryce Alford and his UCLA teammates are currently tied for eighth in the Pac-12 standings. The Bruins were a preseason pick to finish fifth, a prediction that Alford had said felt too low. (Hans Gutknecht/Staff)

Pac-12 Networks analyst Don MacLean has a frank, albeit unsurprising assessment of his alma mater.

“UCLA is the most disappointing team in the Pac-12, in a league that has been terrific this year top to bottom,” said MacLean, the Bruins’ all-time leading scorer. “I expected more out of UCLA based on their level of talent. And that’s why I say if they make a run to the final or even win the Pac-12 Tournament I wouldn’t be surprised at all.”

With two weeks left on the schedule, the Bruins (15-12, 6-8) are tied for eighth in the conference standings with Oregon State and Stanford, and currently hold the head-to-head tiebreaker for tournament seeding.

Perhaps some small solace can be found in the fact that, in the last seven years, the regular-season Pac-12 champion has also won the Pac-12 Tournament just once. During that stretch, however, the tournament champion entered the field as no lower than a No. 6 seed.

RELATED:
» Barring a miracle late run, Steve Alford’s third season has been a disappointment.
» Former four-star recruit Jonah Bolden is finally showing flashes of offensive potential.
» UCLA center Tony Parker returned to the starting lineup in Saturday’s 77-53 win over Colorado.