UCLA in Danger of Being Déjà Zagged

Only the most blinded Bruin booster can deny that UCLA is living in it.

• First, the Selection Committee's jaundiced eye test backs them into the Big Dance;
• Then, the Same Zip Code Goaltending call slips them by SMU; and if
• With Iowa State laying an egg against UAB,
• The Blazers were easy pickins' for Bruin bigs on their was to the Sweet Sixteen.

And that's where their sordid season's past is about to confront them on Fri 27 Mar in Houston.

Return with us now to those thrilling days of mid-December:

For the record, hot hand Bryce Alford was 5-10 from outside on his way to a 23-point performance. And UCLA still lost by 13. At Pauley Pavilion.

Unfortunately for UCLA, Neo's out of eligibility. On top of that, prior to the Dance, the Bruins were 4-11 on the road. The Zags, meanwhile, were 13-1 away; the only loss was in overtime at Tucson. That Tucson.

Suffice it to say that if UCLA finds a way to advance any further, they must have made a deal with ... someone.