UCLA rises to No. 2 in latest AP poll after victory over Kentucky
Where does UCLA go after beating top-ranked Kentucky?
Up, up, up.
The Bruins rose nine spots to No. 2 in the Associated Press ranking Monday, their highest standing since they held the same position on Nov. 26, 2007.
That season turned OK. UCLA went to the Final Four for a third consecutive time.
These Bruins (9-0) received two first-place votes in the AP poll and trailed only No. 1 Villanova, which supplanted Kentucky in the top spot after receiving 57 of 65 first-place votes. The Wildcats fell to No. 6.
UCLA will try to stretch its winning streak into double figures on Saturday when it plays host to Michigan (6-2) at Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins then will play UC Santa Barbara, Ohio State and Western Michigan before facing their next ranked opponent, No. 24 Oregon, on Dec. 28 in Eugene.
“We’re at a huge high, but we have to keep it there,” UCLA guard Aaron Holiday said after the Bruins’ 97-92 victory over Kentucky on Saturday. “We can’t fall asleep on anybody. We have to come out here and play every game like it’s our last.”
The Bruins largely acted as if they had just won an exhibition game after beating Kentucky in their first trip to Rupp Arena, walking off the court in matter-of-fact fashion with the exception of forward Gyorgy Goloman’s raised arms.
“We were all very excited, but it’s business,” UCLA shooting guard Bryce Alford said after the Bruins’ first road victory over a top-ranked team since they beat Stanford in February 2001. “It’s what we expect when we come here. We don’t expect to go anywhere and lose.”
If a silenced crowd of 23,976 and a large portion of a national television audience seemed stunned by the result, the Bruins did not.
“I think we all knew it in our locker room,” said Bruins forward TJ Leaf, who was selected Pac-12 Conference player of the week after collecting 17 points and 13 rebounds against the Wildcats. “I think we proved a lot to people outside of our locker room that we can play with anyone. I’m not saying we’re going to beat everyone because everyone has off nights and teams can win, but we just showed that we can compete with anyone and I think that was big for us.”
UCLA has won in large part by playing at a frenzied pace, sharing the ball and continually improving on defense. The Bruins scored more points than any team had against Kentucky in Coach John Calipari’s eight seasons with the team.
“We proved that if you can run with this team, you can run with anybody,” UCLA Coach Steve Alford said.
UCLA’s many strengths can mask its handful of deficiencies. Six players average double figures in scoring, allowing the Bruins to withstand off nights by a couple of players at a time.
“It’s an amazing feeling to be able to play for a team that’s so unselfish,” Alford said. “Whoever goes off, we don’t care. We’re about the team, every single player, from top to bottom, from starters to walk-ons, we’re all about the team, so we don’t care who does well.”
The Bruins did not play anywhere near a perfect game against Kentucky. There was an erratic start, a flurry of turnovers late in the game against the Wildcats’ pressure and two missed free throws in the final 30 seconds by Alford, a no-no in a family where his father made 89.8% of his free throws while playing for Indiana.
“Being an Alford,” Bryce said, “you don’t miss free throws.”
The Bruins have won their first nine games for the first time since the 2006-07 season. Nine of the previous 14 times they started a season 9-0, they won the national championship. Two other times, they advanced to the Final Four.
Their biggest test in the coming days could come off the court.
“I have a couple of finals this week,” Holiday said.
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UPDATES:
1:20 p.m.: This article has been updated with more reaction to the game and details about the Bruins.
This article was originally published at 11:05 a.m.
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