Latest UCLA Hoops Debacle Was Just a Matter of Time

Tonight's embarrassment was not a surprise. It wasn't the first time. We have had seen few of these in last 3 years in Westwood.

Tonight was just a matter of time. We most likely would have gotten blown out in Pullman if Klay Thompson had not gotten in his trouble. We flirted with danger all season against some extremely unimpressive Pac-10 programs.

Tonight's debacle was waiting to happen. It might have been a little crazy to watch for some but this is what happens when a coach does not demand accountability from every member of his program. It happen when select players are coddled with special treatment.

It also happens when a coach does not make much effort to develop a bench through the course of the season. It happens when a coach doesn't bother to sit his untouchable players even when they are not playing hard or with effort. We must have played 40 full minutes 2 or 3 times the entire season. As a consequence the coach had nowhere to turn when things really went wrong.

UCLA will probably back into the tournament as some irrelevant double digit seed. It doesn't really matter because no one expects us to do much. Even some run to Sweet-16 is not going to wipe away the taste of a season during which this team never reached it's true potential.

There will be lot more big picture discussions on the state of UCLA hoops in the near future. I will leave you with this thought. Howland's seat may not be "hot" any more because we meet bare minimum expectations thanks to a terrible conference. But the seat will most likely remain warm. It will be simmering until UCLA put together a complete regular season resulting in a high seed and a Pac-10 championship. The clock is still ticking. It is sounding loud tonight.