It really helps put things in perspective. I’m not one to think that last weekend was the end of the universe, but I certainly wouldn’t have put this team on par with the 2006 one. I guess we’ll just have to see what happens.

Duke is ranked no. 9 in both polls, despite having lost four of their last 6. One of their two wins was over perennial powerhouse Miami (by 3.) They got beat by Clemson by 27. How about a mutual opponent – Michigan. We lost by 3, they lost by 8 (sure, we were at home, they were on the road.) Nonetheless, Duke continues to stay in the top 10. How many losses before that lofty perch is questioned by this guy whose name I’ve already forgotten. What keeps them propped up so high in the rankings?

It is a matter of timing and what ifs. You are brilliant in pointing out that if we had beat ASU and WU they wouldnt be ranked. How about if ND was still ranked when we beat them. What a crime for losing on the road to any pac 10 school. Geez, tonight Michigan St. #6 got smoked on the road to #19 Purdue, who just last week lost on the road themselves. Home court in college basketball is usually a major advantages that gives the 6th or 7th place team in most conferences a real hope of stunning the top teams in those respective conferences. The one thing that seems clear to me this year is that it is really anybodys tournament. There will be some 6-9 seeds that go deep in the tourney. We just need to be peaking at the right time. We have done it before and for now I have alot of hope still.

I agree with several of you that the rankings are meaningless. They aren’t used for seeding. They are mainly a function of where you were in the preseason poll, adjusted for how many times you lose and when. They don’t take into account how you lose or where you lose.

Seth, if you want to put Arizona ahead of UCLA, I suggest you also put Villanova over Marquette. A month ago, Marquette beat Villanova at home; last week Nova creamed Marquette by 18. The same Marquette team who rode a bottom weighted Big East schedule (the Golden Eagles still haven’t played UConn, Pitt, Louisville or Syracuse) to a 9-0 conference mirage before falling to South Florida. Meanwhile, Villanova is 20-5, just destroyed Marquette and has already beaten Pitt by 10 and lost close games to UConn and Louisville. Think maybe their record would be better than Marquette’s if they had played DePaul twice (like Marquette has done) instead of UConn and Louisville? Thought so.

I also just noticed that he also put Arizona ahead of ASU, who beat Arizona on the road and leads them in the conference standings and has only lost 5 games all season. I’m beginning to see your logic.

UCLA may or may not be one of the top 25 teams in the country right now, but I personally think we are, and I think that we will finish the season strong. As strong as 2006, probably not, but it’s possible. That this joker wants to cherry pick one game as clear and convincing evidence that Arizona is far better than us and vote that way, so be it. That he specifically calls us out in his pathetic article and says there’s no logic to the other voters’ decisions is either dumb or an intellectually dishonest attempt to sway other voters against us.

I’m not one to get TOO hung up over rankings (although I always want UCLA to be ranked as high as possible, since I believe we deserve that respect), but in no way does it gauge how confident I am with our team.

We smoke 4 teams in a row, including a ND team that turned around and spanked Louiville. Two losses later, and now we’re overrated? A lost to ASU on the road, was a tough battle that may have been decided by a bullcrap SPTR call. The lost to UA was obviously UCLA not playing UCLA basketball. Things got lazy and out of hand, but is in no way indicative of what we’re capable of. Makes me wonder if Seth has even watched any of UCLA’s previous games. When we blow out othe teams we never get mentioned.

At the end of the day, I think UCLA does need to grab a win against UW or ASU (hopefully the Pac-10 tourney?) just to show a complete body of work. I think UCLA, ASU, and UW are the main tournament contenders in the Pac-10 right now (UA has been building a case for themselves lately). However, I think we need to show everyone else that we can also beat the better school in the Pac-10 if we hope to get a good seed at the end of the day.

That being said, “In other news, we’d better win on Thursday, or I’m going to go postal.” is damn right haha—-too bad I’ll be on plane back to LA from TX when it starts. Hopefully I’ll catch some of the second half. GO BRUINS!

to the final 4. He seemed to favor the Bruins a bit over other west coast teams like Gonzaga, UW, the standard. Now he isnt liking our chances. Hmmm.. You’re right, he is a tool.

renardo sidney is supposed to announce a college choice this sunday. anyone with thoughts? i’ve heard rumblings that he was picking ucla, but i find that hard to believe in light of his awkward recruitment to date, though he’d be a great addition.