Should UCLA be Ranked This Week?

UCLA men's basketball has not made the Associated Press Top 25 or the USA Today Coaches Poll for two straight weeks.

Jan 21, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin reacts to a play during the first half against the Wisconsin Badgers at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

UCLA men's basketball drastically fell off to start the new year, dropping its first four games of 2025.

The Bruins would find themselves outside the Associated Press Top 25 and the USA Today Coaches Poll after being in both for five straight weeks.

But UCLA has been turning things around, now riding a three-game win streak that consisted of a blowout win over Iowa, an upset of No. 18 Wisconsin and a road victory over Washington, without its best player, junior forward Tyler Bilodeau for most of the contest.

So the question must be posed: Should the Bruins be ranked this week?

Last week, UCLA didn't receive a single vote in the AP Poll and received just two in the Coaches Poll.

This week, however, there should be much more consideration. In fact, an argument can be made that they should crack the rankings.

At the time, the Iowa win could have been viewed as a fluke. The Bruins had returned home after being on the road for two straight games and were desperate to end their four-game skid.

But the last two wins have proven this team is back. The statement win over Wisconsin showed UCLA can still compete with the best in the conference, just as it did last month when it took down Oregon on the road.

The win over Wisconsin looks even more impressive now, as the Badgers just blew out Nebraska.

While a victory over Washington, the worst team in the Big Ten, on the surface, isn't all that impressive, as mentioned before, UCLA attained it despite Bilodeau played less than 3 minutes, as he left the game with an ankle injury early on.

And even so, the Bruins' depth once again proved to be valuable as they secured the road win.

The Huskies are also not the team their record depicts. They've had tight games, including a narrow loss to one of the top teams in the conference, Illinois.

It's really up in the air whether the Bruins will find themselves in the rankings this week. The argument against it is that a top-25 team doesn't lose four conference games in a row. But UCLA has proven it isn't that team anymore.

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