Something's Bruin....Or is it?

Wow.

OMG.

UCLA has reeled off 4 consecutive victories, all against RPI Top 100 teams. UCLA has a points differential of +16.1 UCLA has 3 tournament tested seniors leading the way. UCLA has been to the final four, what is it, 3 straight years? UCLA has more depth than anyone else in the country, going 10 deep. UCLA has a guy who's name is actually 'Jrue'. UCLA, by all appearances, looks like they'll be returning to the Final Four for the 4th consecutive year........four.

So why am I about to tell you that they won't make it past the round of 16?

Well, appearances can be deceiving.

The problems:

This team has no contributors over 6 foot 9. They have no answer for a Hansbrough, Griffin, or Thabeet type.

UCLA teams are losers. Congratulations on your 3 final four appearances. Tell me again, who were the 3 teams that didn't win the national championship in 2001?

This is a team that is simply not as good as the 3 before it. Consider this: The 3 Final Four teams combined for a staggering 34-9 record against the RPI top 50. This team is 3-4 in that department - with zero wins against the top 30. In fact, Washington is the only team with an RPI under 30 that they have even played! Sure, UCLA has gone up against great teams in past years. But after playing 30 games against mediocre competition, what is going to happen when they have to play an actual contender for the first time all year?

This team is most likely going to waltz into the tournament as a 2,3, or 4 seed. Which means their 2nd round matchup would most likely be a 5,6, or 7. And what is the average RPI of the current projected 5-7 seeds?

25

That's under 30.