Oh man. Talk about kicking the hornets nest just to see if any are inside.
Before we begin to heap praise and accolades on the UCLA Bruins for their 3-0 start, let's take a quick look at their opponents to date this season.
1. Their first game was against
San Jose State @ Pauley. A 129-69 win over a program is is not that good. They finished 11-21 last year (7-11 in the mountain West Conf). SJS is 1-2 this season having also lost to Portland St. Their tallest players is a 6-3 sophomore. SJS is rebuilding this year, and is projected to finish in the bottom half of the Mountain West Conference, as they did last year.
2. Their 76-40 win against
Presbyterian (a mid-major / Clinton, South Carolina - finished 13-18 last year) @ Pauley was not impressive in that the Blue Hose were no match for the Bruins anymore than Fort Hays State was against UConn in that first exhibition game. A New coaching staff takes over this year. Lead by head coach Todd Steelman. This was more of a varsity vs. the JV's type of match-up.
3. Their win against
Baylor @ Pauley was suspect. Baylor was #3 at the time, but they were a team not at full strength. Kim Mulkey did not make the trip (death of her grandson), nor did Lauren Cox (complications from her diabetes). They only dressed 9 players.
So while I do acknowledge that UCLA is a top 10 team this year, and that they should be a formidable opponent for whoever they play, I submit that they have not really been tested yet. We'll see tonight. All 3 of UCLA's games this year have been at home, the first two against teams that were no where near their level of talent or experience. The Bruins begin the season with an 8 game home stand before they play their first road game on Dec 8 @ Oklahoma State.
After their game tonight, the Bruins don't play another ranked team until their conference opener with #14 Stanford on Dec 29. Tonight's game will be UConn's 4th in a row (2nd on the road) against a top 25 program. Based on the level of competition, and the margins of victory to date, I'm cautiously optimistic that the Huskies will do well tonight. I don't look for the Bruins to present any more opposition than that of Stanford or Maryland. UConn has already played a more competitive schedule than the Bruins to this point at home and on the road. I like UConn to hand UCLA their first loss of the season tonight 74-51.