UCLA Basketball: Bruins' Bid For March Madness Appearance Weakened By Utes Loss

Here's how UCLA can still make March Madness.

UCLA basketball did themselves no favors with their narrow 70-69 loss to Utah on Sunday. The loss broke a six-game winning streak for the Bruins. Now, UCLA is 14-12 overall and 9-6 in the Pac-12. More importantly, it caused their odds at making March Madness to especially take a hit.

Now, the Bruins have just two ways to make the March Madness tournament. They can either win the remaining five games on their schedule, or win the Pac-12 tournament, via Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times.

Winning their last five games will not be easy by any means. UCLA has matchups against rival USC, Washington, No. 21-ranked Washington State, Arizona State and No. 4 Arizona. 

Their matchups against Washington State and Arizona will especially be challenging. Both teams are ranked in the AP Top 25 poll, making them among the best in college basketball. UCLA will have to face Washington State on the road, which will make the game tougher. 

Next, they'll face Arizona in their second-last game of the season. Arizona has been one of UCLA's biggest rivals in basketball, and the Wildcats defeated UCLA earlier this season when they overcame a 17-point deficit. The Wildcats have shown they're not immortal and unstoppable this season, but they will be no easy opponent for UCLA.

The Bruins do have an alternative path by winning the Pac-12 tournament, but they would still have to go through tough opponents like Arizona or WSU to win the title. While UCLA has come a long way from where they were in early January, they've had a narrow path to March Madness because of their slow start. Now, their path has narrowed further.