UCLA basketball dispatches Stanford, leaves behind bad memories

No. 4 UCLA led Stanford wire-to-wire in Sunday's 89-75 victory at Pauley Pavilion

No. 4 UCLA led Stanford wire-to-wire in Sunday’s 89-75 victory at Pauley Pavilion

Stanford seems an appropriate measuring stick for the UCLA basketball team, considering the two programs finished next to each other in the Pac-12 standings last season.

The Cardinal were one of UCLA’s five consecutive losses to end last season, placing Stanford ninth in the conference and UCLA 10th with its worst ever Pac-12 record. Things haven’t much changed for Stanford (8-8, 0-4 Pac-12), but they’re night-and-day different for UCLA (16-1, 3-1).

With an 89-75 win over the Cardinal Sunday night, the Bruins have surpassed their win total from last season – with at least 16 games to play this season.

“We’ve come a long way since last year,” said Bryce Alford. “It’s been a blast. I’ve been saying it all year.”

Links from last night’s coverage:

  • The game story, UCLA corrects Cal mistakes vs Stanford
  • A notebook about the ripple effect of UCLA’s rebounding problem
  • Video: Lonzo Ball and Steve Alford’s postgame press conference
  • Video: TJ Leaf and Bryce Alford on taking Stanford’s “best punches”