UCLA Makes Significant Leap in Rankings

UCLA's upset win over Gonzaga has catapulted the Bruins in the Associated Press Top 25.

Dec 28, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin call out from the sidelines during the first half against the Gonzaga Bulldogs at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

UCLA men's basketball is in a much better place than it was a week ago.

Last week, the Bruins were coming off a heartbreaking loss to North Carolina, one that dropped them back in both the Associated Press Top 25 and the USA Today Coaches Poll.

But the Bruins redeemed themselves, upsetting then-No. 14 Gonzaga on Saturday.

On Monday, UCLA was recognized for the accomplishment.

The Bruins moved up seven spots in this week's AP Top 25, now sitting at No. 15. They also moved up three spots in the Coaches Poll, now holding the No. 18 spot.

UCLA has bounced around in the rankings so far this year. It started the season ranked 22nd in the AP Top 25 and was quickly booted from the rankings after its loss to New Mexico in its second game of the season.

It wasn't until Dec. 9 that the Bruins were re-inserted into the rankings, a result of their victory over Oregon.

They have been in the AP poll ever since and are showing no signs of looking back.

UCLA will now be getting ready to resume Big Ten play. And even though the win over Gonzaga should give them a huge momentum boost, Coach Mick Cronin is not satisfied.

“Well, look, I’ve got a lot of issues," Cronin said after Saturday's game. "It’s my opinion that we should be undefeated. That being said, it’s really irrelevant in college basketball. You’ve got to get in the tournament. You obviously want to take on the west coast being where we are in an east coast league. You try to win the tournament. That’s what life at UCLA is. That’s why I came to UCLA. Win or lose today, I was a miserable human for a couple of days after the North Carolina game. But you’ve got to be mature enough to realize even if you win, you got to get better.

"And we got 18 Big Ten games left. I think our next game is at Nebraska. It’s been two years since they’ve lost at home or something. It’s not going to stop. You got to use all of these things as a chance to get better. And these guys, they are getting paid now, and as much as they love my sweet demeanor and soft touch as their coach, they’d like to play professional. So they’ve got to get better. That’s how I look at every day. You can ask me if I ever come to practice without intensity. I try to tell them this is what you’ve got to do to be a pro. That’s why Kobe Bryant was my favorite player because that’s who he was every day.”

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