Since falling in back-to-back games at Arizona and at USC in late January, the Bruins executed a perfect February and are well on their way to a high seed and preferential treatment in the tournament. Their roster still holds some of the same names who took the program to the Final Four in 2021, though UCLA will enter this March as one of the favorites to reach the final weekend and win the national championship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mick Cronin has his team playing some of the best defense in the nation and has already comfortably locked up the Pac-12 regular season crown. The only trophies that remain are the Pac-12 Tournament title and the natty, which would be the program\u2019s first in nearly 30 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last National Championship:<\/strong> 1995<\/p>\n\n\n\n Last Final Four:<\/strong> 2021<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2023 Title Odds: <\/strong>+1000 (as of March 4, 2023)<\/p>\n\n\n\n UCLA is second in adjusted defensive efficiency in KenPom<\/a> and T-Rank<\/a>, and the Bruins are sixth in the nation<\/a> in opponent points per game (59.7). Six of the team\u2019s players have defensive win share ratings<\/a> of 1.4 or better. This is one of the best defensive teams in the country \u2013 good luck to UCLA\u2019s opponents finding mismatches with the ridiculous talent Cronin has to work with on that end.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhy UCLA Will Make a Run<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n