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Maybe a referendum on what’s wrong with UCLA basketball isn’t necessary, or at least can be put on hold.
The team that’s shown up over the last few games is the one most people were expecting all season.
Donovan Dent has been a blur on his way to the rim. Xavier Booker has been an adequate rebounder and defender. Tyler Bilodeau has been a scoring machine.
More significantly, the Bruins have played defense at an acceptable level for a coach who demands it.
They have withstood a demoralizing stretch — and a hamstring injury to guard Skyy Clark — to show their upside with an upset of then-No. 4 Purdue. They backed it up by beating Northwestern and Oregon, giving them five victories in six games.
But these are just baby steps toward a possible maturation.
UCLA remains firmly on the NCAA tournament bubble, never a good place for a college basketball blue blood. Should the Bruins falter over the next month, they could miss the only postseason tournament that matters for the second time in three years.
That would make coach Mick Cronin’s seat unbearably hot going into next season, massive buyout be damned.
Here’s a look at where the Bruins stand and what they need to do to finish the season on the upswing:
NCAA tournament status
Most projections have the Bruins as a No. 10 seed, with ESPN’s Joe Lunardi projecting them as one of the last teams to avoid the dreaded “Last Four In.”
With half the Big Ten schedule remaining, UCLA (15-6 overall, 7-3 Big Ten) needs to go 6-4 or better the rest of the way to avoid any palpitations on Selection Sunday.
The team’s lack of meaningful nonconference victories will likely require an upper-tier Big Ten finish to make the NCAA tournament. There’s plenty of Quad 1 opportunities ahead with games against Michigan, Michigan State, Illinois and Nebraska on the horizon.
Biggest revelation
Sophomore guard Trent Perry has made such a massive leap in recent weeks that Cronin already commenced efforts to bring him back next season.
“I was able to trick into coming here,” Cronin cracked, “hopefully I can trick him into staying.”
In the seven games since Clark went down, Perry has averaged 15.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists while shooting 42.5% overall, 40.6% from three-point range and 91.9% from the free-throw line.
The big question will be how to maximize his minutes once Clark returns. Might a three-guard lineup be in the Bruins’ future?
Biggest disappointment
Before last week, Dent would have been a runaway choice in this category.
He still probably qualifies, though optimists don’t have to squint to see a resemblance to the player he was at New Mexico. His confidence soaring, Dent has been unafraid to take his man off the dribble in recent weeks. The result has been blow-by layups and pull-up jumpers that have significantly enhanced the Bruins’ offense.
He’s also playing lively defense and fulfilling Cronin’s mandate to cut down on mistakes, compiling an assist-to-turnover ratio of more than 3-to-1.
The shooting remains a problem. Dent has made only seven of 33 three-pointers (21.2%) and has made 60.4% of his free throws, percentages that must increase for UCLA to do anything worthwhile in March.
Biggest issue
The Bruins won’t make it past the first weekend of the NCAA tournament if they don’t defend or rebound.
They’ve been doing better in both departments lately, a big reason for their winning streak. Cronin made tweaks in his defense to mask deficiencies while placing a greater emphasis on team defense. If Booker can regularly match his rebounding output against Northwestern, when he tied his season high with eight in only 23 minutes, then maybe the Bruins can start holding their own on the battle of the boards against more physical teams.
Season ceiling
This team has a lot of limitations that make a deep NCAA tournament run unlikely.
But if Dent can sustain his midseason turnaround, the defense continues its uptick and Clark quickly rounds into form from injury, then at least a sprinkling of March Madness isn’t out of the question.
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