How Close Did UCLA Come to Re-Entering the Rankings?

UCLA men's basketball had been in a tough spot going into its game against Iowa on Friday.

The Bruins had dropped four games in a row and were looking for a major bounce back. They got just that, defeating the Hawkeyes by 24 points, looking like the dominant team it had been when it started Big Ten play.

UCLA had fallen out of the Associated Press Top 25 and the USA Today Coaches Poll after its four-game skid was capped off with a loss to Rutgers, and as expected, it still remains outside this week's rankings.

The Bruins didn't receive any votes in the AP Top 25, which isn't too surprising -- one dominant win isn't going to redeem a four-game losing streak. In fact, much, much more would have to occur for that to happen.

While the win over Iowa was promising, the Bruins still have a ways to go to climb out of the deep hole they had dug themselves in.

“Great game for us considering what we’ve been through with the situation here at home," said UCLA coach Mick Cronin after Friday's win. "We needed a sellout tonight with our student body, but they’re on break because of the worst tragedy in the history of our city, so it’s understandable. I want to thank our band that was here and everybody who took the time to come tonight. We needed your support, and I know everybody’s got something else on their minds, but the support is much appreciated.

"Our first half, really the first 30 minutes, were about as good as we could play. We got to the point where we got up 36. This team lost at the buzzer at Michigan. They got a tough foul call at the buzzer at Michigan, and they’ve beaten a lot of good teams. Excellent win for us, we showed what we’re capable of defensively. In the first half, we held the best shooting team in the country to only 38% and 3 made threes. The guys did a great job with patience on offense tonight and on the passing, we haven’t had 28 assists in a long time."

UCLA did receive two votes in the Coaches Poll. So there are -- some -- voters who think the latest victory was convincing.

The Bruins do still have a decent resume with their upset wins over Oregon and Gonzaga, who were each top-15 teams at the time of the respective wins. The Ducks are currently ranked 15th.

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