UCLA fans elated to be in Sweet 16 -- a few of them, anyway

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Tony Parker celebrates a first-half dunk during the Bruins’ 92-75 win over UAB in the third round of the NCAA tournament South Regional on March 21, 2015. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Guards Bryce Alford (20) and Norman Powell head to the bench during a timeout with the lead well in hand over UAB in the second half Saturday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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UCLA center Tony Parker (23) is congratulated as he comes off the court following the Bruins’ win over UAB. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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UCLA’s Isaac Hamilton, center, puts up a shot in front of UAB’s William Lee, left, as Bruins teammate Norman Powell looks on during the Bruins’ 92-75 win in the third round of the NCAA tournament South Regional on March 21, 2015. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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UCLA’s Norman Powell, left, is fouled by UAB’s Denzell Watts during the Bruins’ 92-75 win in the third round of the NCAA tournament South Regional on March 21, 2015. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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UCLA’s Bryce Alford, left, passes in front of UAB’s Chris Cokley during the Bruins’ 92-75 win in the third round of the NCAA tournament South Regional on March 21, 2015. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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UCLA’s Tony Parker, left, jumps to block a shot by UAB’s Chris Cokley during the Bruins’ 92-75 win in the third round of the NCAA tournament South Regional on March 21, 2015. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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UCLA’s Norman Powell, left, passes in front of UAB’s Chris Cokley during the Bruins’ 92-75 win in the third round of the NCAA tournament South Regional on Saturday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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UAB’s William Lee, front, and UCLA’s Kevon Looney battle for a rebound during the Bruins’ 92-75 win in the third round of the NCAA tournament South Regional on March 21, 2015. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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UCLA’s Bryce Alford, right, passes in front of UAB’s Chris Cokley during the Bruins’ 92-75 win in the third round of the NCAA tournament South Regional on March 21, 2015. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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UCLA’s Isaac Hamilton, center, drives past UAB’s William Lee to score during the Bruins’ 92-75 win in the third round of the NCAA tournament South Regional on March 21, 2015. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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UCLA’s Tony Parker dunks during the Bruins’ 92-75 win over UAB in the third round of the NCAA tournament South Regional on March 21, 2015. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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UAB’s Chris Cokley, left, blocks a shot by UCLA’s Tony Parker, center, as the Blazers’ Tyler Madison defends during the Bruins’ 92-75 win in the third round of the NCAA tournament South Regional on March 21, 2015. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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UCLA’s Tony Parker, right, tries to drive past Alabama Birmingham’s Tosin Mehinti during the first half of Saturday’s NCAA tournament game in Louisville, Ky. (Andy Lyons / Getty Images)

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UCLA’s Norman Powell puts up a shot in front of UAB’s Tosin Mehinti (21) during the first half of the third round of an NCAA tournament South Regional game on March 21, 2015. (Joe Robbins / Getty Images)

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UAB’s Tosin Mehinti (21) tries to block the shot of UCLA’s Tony Parker during the third round of the NCAA tournament South Regional on March 21, 2015. (Timothy D. Easley / Associated Press)

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UAB’s Tyler Madison, center, tries to pass while under pressure from UCLA’s Thomas Welsh, top, and Isaac Hamilton during the Bruins’ 92-75 win in the third round of the NCAA tournament South Regional on March 21, 2015. (Timothy D. Easley / Associated Press)

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UCLA’s Bryce Alford, left, shoots over UAB’s William Lee in the third round of the NCAA tournament South Regional on March 21, 2015. (Joe Robbins / Getty Images)

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Alabama Birmingham Coach Jerod Haase on the sideline during a game against UCLA in the third round of the NCAA tournament South Regional on March 21, 2015. (Andy Lyons / Getty Images)

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Bruins Coach Steve Alford watches in front of the UCLA bench during a game against UAB in the third round of the NCAA tournament South Regional on March 21, 2015. (Andy Lyons / Getty Images)

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UCLA’s Tony Parker, center right, shoots over UAB’s Tosin Mehinti during the Bruins’ 92-75 win in the third round of the NCAA Tournament South Regional on March 21, 2015. (Andy Lyons / Getty Images)

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UCLA forward Gyorgy Goloman tries to cut off a drive by Alabama Birmingham’s Hakeem Baxter during the Bruins’ 92-75 win in the third round of the NCAA tournament South Regional on March 21, 2015.

(Joe Robbins / Getty Images)

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UCLA guard Bryce Alford during a game against UAB in the third round of the NCAA tournament South Regional on March 21, 2015. (Andy Lyons / Getty Images)

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UCLA’s Tony Parker grabs a rebound against UAB during the third round of the NCAA tournament South Regional on March 21, 2015. (Joe Robbins / Getty Images)

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UCLA’s Bryce Alford tries to drive past UAB’s Chris Cokley during the Bruins’ 92-75 win in the third round of the NCAA tournament South Regional on March 21, 2015. (Joe Robbins / Getty Images)

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UCLA Coach Steve Alford instructs his players against UAB in the third round of the NCAA tournament South Regional on March 21, 2015. (Joe Robbins / Getty Images)

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UCLA’s Isaac Hamilton, center, celebrates with his teammates during a game against UAB during the third round of the NCAA tournament South Regional on March 21, 2015. (Andy Lyons / Getty Images)

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UAB’s Tyler Madison puts up a shot during the team’s 92-75 loss to UCLA in the third round of the NCAA tournament South Regional on March 21, 2015. (Joe Robbins / Getty Images)

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UCLA guard Bryce Alford, left, celebrates with Coach and father Steve Alford after the Bruins’ 92-75 win over UAB in the third round of the NCAA tournament South Regional on March 21, 2015. (Andy Lyons / Getty Images)

By Chris Foster

March 22, 2015 10:51 AM PT

It seems nothing irks UCLA basketball fans -- a segment of them, anyway -- more than suggesting they should be happy.

A legitimate statement made on Twitter revealed the high expectations -- out-of-touch ones, some might say -- that reside in the Bruins’ fan base.

UCLA toyed with Alabama-Birmingham in a 92-75 victory that advanced the Bruins to the South Regional in Houston this week. But apparently Coach Steve Alford taking UCLA to the Sweet 16 two seasons in a row isn’t good enough for some, as one writer (me) predicted.

That sparked a debate that shows that some UCLA fans need to check the calendar. This is not 1969. This is what the Bruins have to pay for their success under Coach John Wooden, who won 10 titles from 1965-75. But college basketball has changed dramatically since the Lew Alcindor-Bill Walton days.

UCLA has won an NCAA record 11 national titles, but only one since 1975. Eight schools have won more in that time, and Kentucky, with eight overall, is closing in on the Bruins.

The atmosphere that Alford inherited can be divisive. All you have to do is look at the assessment of the UAB victory on the "Fire Steve Alford" Facebook site: "Now we shift focus to our next opponent and where Coach Awful faces his ultimate test: Beat Gonzaga the team that crushed us in Pauley [Pavilion], or the Resurrected Iowa Hawkeyes... Lots of bad history there. The subplots are like a big movie."

Of course, a post on that same site also said, "Beating Arizona [in the Pac-12 tournament] is our last chance to get into the NCAA tournament."

UCLA lost to Arizona and made the NCAA tournament.

So suggesting UCLA fans might give Alford some credit for two Sweet 16 appearances can start a Twitter tug-of-war. UCLA fans, including former Bruins’ guard Kris Johnson, hashed it out in replies to the idea that maybe Alford shouldn’t be vilified just yet. The topic soon grew to include former Coach Steve Lavin players Jelani McCoy and J.R. Henderson, and the team that lost to Minnesota in the 1997 Midwest Regional final.

It was a reminder that many UCLA fans still only cheer for national titles. Just ask the 1985 Bruins’ team, whose NIT championship banner is stuffed in a closet somewhere, though nobody at UCLA knows exactly where.

A stream of consciousness that ended with an all-too-common view in Westwood.

Actually, as Tony Parker and Norman Powell are well aware, UCLA hasn’t hung any banners since 1995.

UCLA fans elated to be in Sweet 16 -- a few of them, anyway

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