Will UCLA Return to Rankings By Season's End?

UCLA missed out on the rankings for the seventh-straight week.

Feb 18, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin during the second half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

UCLA is looking to finish the season strong and put itself in a position to have a favorable spot in the Big Ten Tournament.

It took a positive step in that endeavor by taking care of business against Ohio State at home on Sunday, but an upset loss to Minnesota earlier in the week is still plaguing its reputation.

The Bruins had an opportunity to make a statement this week after being left just outside of the rankings last week, but that loss to the Golden Gophers set them back quite a bit.

For the seventh-straight week, UCLA did not make the cut in either the Associated Press Top 25 or the USA Today Coaches Poll this week.

The Bruins received just 14 votes in the AP Poll and 13 in the Coaches Poll.

It's a little bizarre to think UCLA wouldn't be ranked at this point in the season when you consider the fact it has beaten three teams currently ranked in the AP Top 25, two of which are in the top 15 -- No. 11 Wisconsin and No. 8 Michigan State.

But the Bruins simply haven't done enough to earn it, despite putting together a seven-game win streak after its four-game skid in January.

UCLA rose as high as 15 in the AP Top 25 -- that was back in the last week of December, just before the four-game losing streak.

After seven consecutive weeks outside the rankings, the questions has to be asked: will the Bruins ever find their way back by the time the regular season wraps up?

It doesn't seem likely.

The only realistic scenario in which they do so seems to be if they were to upset No. 20 Purdue on Friday. Even then, we've seen UCLA not make the cut even when it did knock off ranked opponents in the past, most notably after it defeated then-No. 9 Michigan State before defeating Penn State by 24 points.

UCLA's final two games are against Northwestern and USC, which are both in the bottom third of the conference, so winning those games likely won't have much of an impact on the rankings.

It seems the window has closed. Of course, the Bruins still have much to play for, but don't hold your breath when it comes to the rankings.

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