BREAKING: How Far UCLA Fell in Rankings

UCLA men's basketball narrowly fell to North Carolina on Saturday, and as a result, the Bruins' rankings have taken a hit.

Dec 17, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin reacts in the first half against the Prairie View A&M Panthers at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

UCLA men's basketball's nine-game win streak had been ended by North Carolina on Saturday in what was a heartbreaking loss for the Bruins.

UCLA had entered the matchup with a nearly unblemished record, its only loss having been to New Mexico in what was just its second game of the season.

The Bruins had been rolling ever since that upset, putting together a run that included a 2-0 start to Big Ten play -- a home win over Washington and a road win against arguably the best team in the conferece right now, Oregon.

But Saturday's loss to the Tar Heels brought UCLA back down to earth.

The Bruins dropped four spots in this week's Associated Press Top 25 and three in the USA Today Coaches Poll. They are ranked No. 22 in the AP Poll and 21st in the Coaches Poll.

UCLA's loss to UNC ultimately came down to the charity stripe.

“We missed eight free throws in the second half," said UCLA coach Mick Cronin after the game. "We definitely missed the bonus on seven and eight, so eight missed free throws was really 10. We had at least 10 missed opportunities at the foul line in the second half of the game. It’s hard to win when your point guard is minus 14 and turning it over late in the game. And then you miss big free throws in the second half.”

UCLA was on its way to what would have been its 10th win in a row, having led at 16 at one point.

"You’ve got to deserve the win," Cronin said. "The game’s 40 minutes. UNC is used to being down 16, they’re down 16 every game, they’re used to it. I told the guys that they were going to keep coming, keep playing faster. We fouled way too much. You get what you deserve.” 

Fortunately for the Bruins, they will have an opportunity to bounce back when they face No. 14 Gonzaga on Saturday. With a victory, UCLA would surely move back up in the rankings and go into 2025 on quite the high. But first, it needs to learn from its mistakes from its latest loss and then flush it.

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