BREAKING: UCLA Hoops Doesn't Get Its Respect Despite Win Streak

UCLA men's basketball didn't make the cut in this week's rankings.

Jan 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin reacts during the second half against the Oregon Ducks at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Alex Gallardo-Imagn Images | Alex Gallardo-Imagn Images

UCLA will still have to prove its worthiness as a Top-25 team.

The Bruins were once again left out of this week's Associated Press Top 25 and USA Today Coaches Poll, both of which were revealed on Monday.

UCLA did get votes in both, however, receiving 26 in the AP Poll and just seven in the Coaches Poll.

But the Bruins' five-game win streak, evidently, wasn't enough to get them their recognition.

UCLA had dug itself into a major hole with its four-game losing streak in early January, but the Bruins turned things around with a four-game win streak that included two victories over ranked teams.

They most recently dominated then No. 16-ranked Oregon, which fell out of this week's rankings. Even so, the Ducks still received 13 more votes than UCLA in the AP Poll and 24 more in the Coaches Poll.

“Obviously, we jumped on them early, I thought that was the key," said UCLA coach Mick Cronin after the win. "We came out of the gate being highly efficient on offense. Bittle had it going trying to match us, but our defense got better as the game went on. I’m sure Coach Altman would say that’s not their best game. 16th-ranked team in the country, so that’s obviously not their best game, I understand that. Jackson Shelstad, for him not to score, I don’t know if he’s not feeling well tonight, he didn’t take a shot in the second half. For the last month, he’s been one of the best guards in the country, so I’m not sure. But I’m very proud of our guys for this last stretch of games. It’s been a long grind for us since December, since we started in the Big Ten.” 

Prior to their upset of Oregon, the Bruins defeated USC on the road without their top scorer, junior forward Tyler Bilodeau.

Cronin had said during his team's four-game drought that he felt it had difficulty adjusting to the Big Ten. It's clear, though, that that is no longer an issue.

However, UCLA will have quite the test on Tuesday when it hosts the No. 1 team in the Big Ten, Michigan State. This matchup will be telling of if the Bruins can truly be considered one of the best in the conference.

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