UCLA Should Not Worry About Missing Top 25 Again

The UCLA Bruins found themselves unranked this week after another impressive stretch of wins, extending their streak to seven-consecutive victories. Despite not receiving the respect they deserve, the Bruins should not care about how the nation views them.

Feb 4, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin leaves the court after the game against the Michigan State Spartans at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The UCLA Bruins (18-6, 9-4) have begun the new week unranked once again after playing some of the most impressive basketball in the country. Seven straight wins, three against Top 25 opponents, including a Top 10 win was not good enough for this team to become ranked, but it should not matter.

The Bruins are currently tied for third place in the Big Ten standings and are the only unranked team out of the top six teams in the conference. It is downright embarrassing that this team is not receive the credit they deserve but does not mean a thing if they focus on just winning games.

It is almost guaranteed that Bruins head coach Mick Cronin could care less about how the AP national ranking committee views their team and how the rest of the country perceives them. He knows how talented and versatile his group is and everyone else will be shocked to see where this season goes.

There is no better team in terms of turnover ratio in recent games as the Bruins have won the turnover battle, 34-6, over their last two games. It will good thing that this team is being overlooked as they will reap the benefits of playing spoiler to a lot of team's with championship aspirations.

When the Bruins are competing for a Big Ten regular season title and are making a deep run in the conference tournament, the rest of the country will feel silly for not taking this UCLA team seriously. The success is the only thing that matters while the number next to their name is irrelevant.

UCLA knows how talented they are from top to bottom. They have eight different players that have led the team in scoring at some point this season and are one of the deeper teams in the country with so much experienced talent. While everyone sleeps on the Bruins, they will continue to improve.

Cronin knows that the national rankings are just a talking point for many fanbases and media members with no serious bearing on who is better on a specific night. He will continue to coach his team the same way as his guys will maintain their same mindset regardless of how others view them.

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